Discover Port Saint Joe
Port Saint Joe and the earlier settlement of St. Joseph are related places, but they are not the same town site. The 1838 Florida constitutional convention met at St. Joseph as the territory prepared for statehood. The convention's constitution also preserved slavery, an essential part of the record rather than a detail to omit. Florida State Parks interprets that history at the Constitution Convention Museum State Park.
More about Port Saint Joe
The earlier St. Joseph settlement later declined after disease and a destructive storm. A 1936 Florida Memory account says the modern Port Saint Joe developed west of the old site and describes the new community as a fishing village. That account is a dated archival source; it helps distinguish the two locations and the successive chapters in Gulf County's coastal history.
Today, the museum and waterfront are separate experiences within the broader area. Port Saint Joe's story spans political history, coastal work and the rebuilding of community life after the old settlement disappeared. Visitors should use the state park's current information for museum access and interpretation.
Sources
- Florida State Parks: Constitution Convention Museum State Park: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/constitution-convention-museum-state-park
- Florida Memory: History of Gulf County: https://floridamemory.com/items/show/321107
- Library of Congress: Constitution of 1838: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667637/
