Since 2007, community members and organizations, known as the Nation’s Oldest Port® National Heritage Area Alliance, have met to share how the rich maritime landscape, converging waterways, and the Atlantic Ocean have uniquely shaped the culture and traditions of Northeast Florida’s Nassau, Duval, St. Johns and Flagler counties. Visit the online map for Nation’s Oldest Port® boundaries, themes, and experiences, and learn more about the significance of the region.

Our goal is to celebrate the unique heritage and natural resources of the region and to recognize this area as a special place in America. The Heritage Area Alliance is dedicated to “connecting residents and visitors with the historic, cultural, natural, recreational and scenic assets of the region through education, preservation, and promotion of the area’s distinctive stories, resources, and traditions.”

To achieve this goal, the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum and the Heritage Area Alliance worked together to prepare a feasibility study for a Nation’s Oldest Port National Heritage Area (NOPNHA) designation, the first step in the process to make the NOPNHA a reality. Learn more about National Heritage Areas and how they provide benefit to their communities.

Northeast Florida Congressmen John Rutherford, Michael Waltz, and Al Lawson will announce their introduction of a bill to create the Nation’s Oldest Port National Heritage Area to designate portions of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, and Flagler Counties as a National Heritage Area. 

For more information and to get involved in the early planning of the NOPNHA, please contact us at 904-829-0745 or via email info@staugustinelighthouse.org.

VIDEOS

WATCH THE ANNOUNCEMENT HERE

WATCH THE TESTIMONY HERE

IN THE NEWS

WATCH A FIRST COAST NEWS STORY HERE

NEW! NOPNHA Quaterly Newsletter 1, Volume 1, Issue 1 (March 2020)