MANDARIN COMMUNITY CLUB, INC.
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

During World War I, citizens in Mandarin joined together to form the Liberty League with the goals of providing blankets to the allies and selling war bonds. The group met at the Mandarin School. When the war ended, the group continued to meet, focusing on village needs and concerns. In 1923, the group founded the Mandarin Community Club (MCC). The first president was village postmaster, Walter Jones, also proprietor of the store next to the club. Located in the heart of historic Mandarin near the St. Johns River, the club building was once the Mandarin School founded by author Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1872 and listed as a Local Landmark of Historical Significance. For more than 57 years, Mandarin children received instruction at the Mandarin School; the school was closed in 1929.  In 1936, the building was purchased by Edwin and Carr Mina Jones and presented as a gift to the Mandarin Community Club. Since that time, the building has commonly been referred to as the Mandarin Community Club. The Mandarin Community Club is an independent, not for profit organization open to all, especially those who live in the Mandarin area.  The Club is dedicated to the preservation and beautification of Mandarin, to providing educational forums and enhancing the cultural and recreational life of the area and to maintaining its three historic properties. In 2004 and 2005 the club underwent interior and exterior refurbishments to maintain the integrity of the historic structure and to enhance the appeal for its use as a location for community meetings, weddings, parties and more. The 1911 Walter Jones Post Office and General Store, owned by the Club, also underwent repairs through the efforts of the Mandarin Museum and Historic Society who lease and maintain the building in a joint effort with the Club. The Post Office is open regularly to the public for tours provided by  Throughout its long history, the Mandarin Community Club has taken an active role in issues related to the Mandarin area. The Club funded median landscaping along San Jose Blvd, lobbied for parks in Mandarin and published a commemorative edition of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s  One of the most outstanding achievements of the Mandarin Community Club is the annual   held every Easter weekend since 1968. The Mandarin Art Festival enjoys thousands of visitors who return year after year for their favorite artist or to see the array of creations by artists new to the festival. For many, this has become an Easter tradition. Many generations of Mandarin children have enjoyed and remember the annual Easter Egg Hunt as part of the weekend activities. And, many of those children may have had their artistic talent recognized in their school’s artwork submissions in the Children’s Art Show at the Art Festival.  The show is a vital funding source for the Club's preservation and beautification work. The Mandarin Community Club is an independent, not for profit organization open to all, especially those who live in the Mandarin area.  The Club is dedicated to the preservation and beautification of Mandarin, to providing educational forums and enhancing the cultural and recreational life of the area and to maintaining its three historic properties. Established in 1923, the Mandarin Community Club dedicates much of its activities to preservation and beautification projects.  Throughout its history the Mandarin Community Club has been repeatedly recognized for its efforts on behalf of the history and preservation of Mandarin.