Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park is a public

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc s ...

and city park in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

. It is located at Mayport in the Jacksonville Beaches area. It consists of of mature

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

hammock A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a wo ...

, which is increasingly rare along Florida's heavily developed Atlantic coast.

History

Part of what is now Hanna Park was formerly Manhattan Beach, Florida's first beach community for

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s during the period of

segregation in the United States In the United States, racial segregation is the systematic separation of facilities and services such as Housing in the United States, housing, Healthcare in the United States, healthcare, Education in the United States, education, Employment in ...

. around 1900s by blacks working on the

Florida East Coast Railway The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida, currently owned by Grupo México. Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a p ...

. At its height the beach included amenities such as picnic pavilions, cottages, and an amusement park. It flourished until around 1940, when it was superseded as a day-trip destination by the larger American Beach in nearby

Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlanti ...

. In 1967, of land for the park was donated by Winthrop Bancroft, who required that the land be named for Kathryn Abbey Hanna (November 8, 1895 – 1967), a

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

-born educator and author who had settled in Florida and served on the Board of Parks and Historic Memorials. HannaParkShelters

Following the

Jacksonville Consolidation The Jacksonville Consolidation was the city-county consolidation of the governments of the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida. It was effected on October 1, 1968. Background In 1934, the Florida Constitution was amended to give the Fl ...

, the area became part of

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

. The city purchased the surrounding property in the 1970s during the administration of Mayor

Hans Tanzler Hans Gearhart Tanzler, Jr. (March 11, 1927 – July 25, 2013) was an American politician and judge. He served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1967 to 1979. During his administration, the City of Jacksonville consolidated with Duval Coun ...

, expanding the park. The first general purpose trail was constructed by Michael Long in 1987 as his

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

service project. Most of the land has been left in its natural, wooded state. Boardwalks were constructed over the dunes to protect vegetation.

Features

In addition to the white sand beach on the Atlantic Ocean, the park offers: ;Offroad bike trails The park has nearly of

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

trails that range from easy to difficult. For experienced riders, trails named ''Grunt'', ''Misery'', and ''Tornado Alley'' offer a challenging workout. Sanctioned races are held on a seasonal schedule and many local cyclists ride the trails on a daily basis. This trail wins the award for "Most Difficult Close to the Sea" and was rated four out of five stars on the Trails website. ;Campground Almost 300 campsites are nestled in the woods along winding, paved roads for tent camping or RV use, plus there are six small log "cozy cabins", great for the summer. ;Dolphin Plaza The park has a beachfront facility that can be rented by groups, with a view of sand dunes and surf. ;Freshwater lake A former

borrow pit Digging, also referred to as excavation, is the process of using some implement such as claws, hands, manual tools or heavy equipment, to remove material from a solid surface, usually soil, sand or rock on the surface of Earth. Digging is actuall ...

for road construction in the park turned into a freshwater lake which opened in 1978. Activities available include, fishing, kayaking, paddle boating, and canoeing; lakeside picnic tables and grills are available and scenic trails surround the lake. A water playground is provided for small children. ;Other amenities There is a visitor/interpretive center and shuffleboard and volleyball courts. Throughout the park there are benches, grills, picnic shelters & tables, playground equipment, restrooms and trash barrels.

References

External links

Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park web page

{{Jacksonville attractions Culture of Jacksonville, Florida Geography of Jacksonville, Florida Parks in Jacksonville, Florida 1967 establishments in Florida Protected areas established in 1967