A highly disciplined and spiritual woman, Margaret Seton Fleming had a working knowledge of trade, business and politics, as well as domestic subjects. In 1837, she moved to Hibernia Plantation with her new husband, Lewis Fleming, whose father George had received Fleming Island as a 1790 land grant from the king of Spain. In the years to come, she would twice witness the destruction of the plantation and twice bring it back from ashes.

Her dream from the time she arrived at Hibernia as a 24-year-old bride was to have a "proper chapel" on the grounds. Construction on the church in the Carpenter Gothic style was begun in 1875 and completed in 1878. Sadly, Margaret died only months before its completion and its first service was her funeral.

Today, Fleming Island has again been rebuilt and is one of the fastest growing areas in the county.

The most significant change on Fleming Island has been the number of new businesses - nationally known department stores, restaurants and specialty shops - that have opened, particularly at the northwest and southwest corners of County Road 220 and U.S. 17.

There are also many private schools and academies nearby, as well as several colleges, including St. Johns River Community College on whose campus the Thrasher Horne Center for the Arts opened in 2004.

The Clay County School District has long been a top drawing card.  Fleming Island Elementary, Fleming Island High, Robert Paterson Elementary and Thunderbolt Elementary were all ranked "A" schools for the 2005-2006 school year by the Florida Department of Education.

The new Fleming Island Library opened in April 2005, offers a book club and free classes in genealogy and computers.

Amenities such as water parks, soccer fields, swimming pools, golf courses and tennis courts are family-oriented attractions that add to Fleming Island's appeal.

The area has many organized activities for people of all ages. There is an active 55-plus group. a number of championship-quality golf courses, organized tennis and soccer and all types of programs for children.

As an expanding railroad system carried tourists south, Green Cove Springs saw its first decline. Grand hotels, most made of wood, were left to disrepair or burned down.

The city experienced renewed development in the 1940s with the war-time construction of Benjamin Lee Field, a 1,500-acre air auxiliary complex, by the US. Navy. After the war, the base became home port to a fleet of 600 ships. Green Cove Springs experienced yet another decline when the Navy decommissioned its base in 1961.

But Green Cove (many residents shorten the name) may be on the brink of another period of growth. Its population, combined with Penney Farms, was 24,515 in 2006..

There are many older homes in Green Cove, but in and around town a lot of new homes continue to be built. Magnolia Point, a golf and country club off of U.S. Highway 17, is home to 740 residences and is zoned for about 975.

Charles E. Bennett Elementary and Green Cove Springs Junior High are within the city limits, and Clay High School is just outside.

Recreational opportunities also abound. Spring Park, a beautiful layout along the St. Johns River features playground equipment, picnic facilities, gazebo, springfed pool and a 500-foot city pier with 12 boat slips.

Keystone was settled by Pennsylvanians drawn to these numerous lakes in the early 1920s. The town's name was derived from Pennsylvania's nickname - the Keystone State - and for the area's unusual hilly terrain.

Today, Keystone Heights is a small, peaceful, family oriented town, with most businesses family-owned. Many residents belong to civic and social organizations such as the Federated Women's Club, Rotary Club, Lions Club and Kiwanis Club.

There are numerous recreational opportunities, including a beach with bathhouses and shaded picnic tables, public boat ramps, lighted tennis courts, nature trails and the Keystone Golf and Country Club.

Keystone Heights Airpark, constructed in 1942 as Crystal Lake Airfield, also calls the area home. The 2,500 acre park has one of the few aviation sports facilities in Florida and also offers flight training. The Airpark Authority also leases wildlife area to a sportsman's club, and there are plans for corporate leasing and an industrial park.

Middleburg
A simpler way of life

Twenty-five years ago, dirt roads were common, you rarely saw a street sign and most residents came to Middleburg, southwest of Orange Park, looking for a way to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. Now, most - if not all - of that has changed.

Middleburg covers a large area in Clay County, with 4,000 more residents than Ponte Vedra Beach, and projected to reach more than 45,000 residents by 2008.

Spurred by new water and septic lines coming into the community, a great deal of commercial building has occurred, including new fast-food restaurants and retail outlets. This has led to increased property values and has made Middleburg more appealing to commuters.

Potential buyers have numerous choices... everything from manufactured housing to million-dollar properties. The community is still "a little bit country offering a laid-back lifestyle, larger home lots and a chance to commune with nature.

Orange Park
A town with its own flavor

The town of Orange Park stretches along the western bank of the St. Johns River, which is the nation's longest north-flowing river and Florida's largest. Once known as Laurel Grove after the name of the old Kingsley Plantation, the area now known as Orange Park was incorporated into Clay County in 1877.

Orange groves, available commodity planted by developers from Massachusetts, originally enticed many relocaters to the area. The groves died out in harsh freezes in the mid-1890s, but a strong community flourishes in their place.

Orange Park is now Clay County's largest city, with about 17,500 residents.

Orange Park sits on a high and dry area featuring beautiful oak trees and splendid vistas along the St. Johns River. Convenient to Inter-states 10, 95 and 295, many residents have chosen to work elsewhere but to live and raise their families in this "bedroom community."

Wells Road has been dubbed "Restaurant Row" for all of its dining options. Jacksonville International Airport, downtown Jacksonville and the Beaches are also all within a 45-minute drive.

Another big draw to Orange Park is Clay County's toprated school system.

The area also has many recreational activities. Project Playground, a new park funded by private donations and built by volunteers at Clarke House Park, has equipment that includes tunnel slides, a castle, a ship, a P-3 U.S. Navy plane, swings, sandbox and a playhouse.

Orange Park also boasts a 9-mile jogging and mountain biking trail that winds parallel with U.S. Highway 17 and a 1.5-mile concrete riverwalk along the St. Johns River. The Orange Park Kennel Club (greyhound track) has been in Orange Park since the 1930s.

Most of the 6400-acre property is in Clay, however, southwest of Jacksonville and next to the 20,000-acre Jennings State Forest.

Several areas offer single family homes and condominiums.  Amenities (some already built or under construction) include two village retail centers, two multi-million dollar athletic centers and waterpark, an 18-hole championship golf course, a public library and 2.5 million square feet of commercial space.  Three new elementary schools, two to open in 2008, the third in 2009 and a high school in 2010, are also planned.

Penney Farms
A haven for retirees

The town's name is, indeed, from department store icon J.C. Penney, who, in 1923, founded an experimental farming community where destitute farmers could live and work until they rebuilt their lives.

Next to his "Penney Farms", 8 miles west of Green Cove Springs, he built 196 apartment units. The Memorial Home Community became a retirement home for ministers and gospel workers and their wives and was dedicated in 1926 in memory of Penney's father, a minister, and his mother. The community is now a historic district.

Today, Penney Farms is a self-sufficient town of about 710 people (with most residents 60 and older), from more than 30 states and 10 countries. About 529 residents live in the Penney Retirement Community, while others live in single-family.

One of the many drawing points is the amenities offered in Penney Farms, from a common building completed in 2004 with an Olympic-size pool, a bank, fitness center and library.