Historic‑district panel tables plan to replace Peg Leg Pete after public safety, preservation and cremains questions

The Fernandina Beach Historic District Commission on Aug. 21 tabled a proposal to remove the 1978 wooden statue known locally as Peg Leg Pete, donate the original to the Amelia Island Museum of History and install a newly carved replacement commissioned by the Fernandina Pirate Club.

The board heard a staff presentation from project coordinator Jacob Platt, who said the existing statue is rapidly deteriorating and the proposal includes donating the original to the museum, repair of the pedestal by Southeast Conservation Services, installation of a fence and replacement plaque, and planting shrubs to discourage climbing. Platt said staff would work with conservation specialists on base repairs and plaque restoration and that a newly carved statue by a local student artist had been offered by the Pirates Club.

Why it matters: speakers and commissioners raised public‑safety, stewardship and process questions that the record does not yet resolve. Several residents said the existing statue has community value and should be preserved and interpreted; others said it presents a safety risk and likely cannot be stabilized in place.

Public commenters gave conflicting accounts about artifacts inside the statue. Bobby Brown Jr., who said he helped install the figure decades ago, disputed a staff assertion that cremated remains may be inside the statue, saying, “My father put the box in the ground, so anybody that says other words is wrong.” By contrast, Joe Brown, president of the Fernandina Pirate Club, said he had seen ashes inside the statue during prior work and said the Pirates Club has a completed replacement statue waiting in storage.

Preservation and safety concerns dominated the board’s discussion. Commissioners referenced a 2023 assessment by Southeastern Conservation Services estimating restoration of the existing carving at about $28,000; board members also reported recent moisture readings and visible wood rot. One commissioner urged immediate engineering review: “We need some kind of risk assessment or an engineering study of the existing pirate and the new pirate,” a commissioner said, asking whether either figure could topple. Staff said it will seek a second opinion on the 2023 estimate and coordinate an engineering evaluation to check for any immediate hazard.

Several residents and historians urged a middle path: stabilize and document the original for museum preservation, provide interpretive signage where a replacement is installed, and ensure any acceptance by the museum is formalized in writing so the statue will be conserved rather than stored without care.

The board acknowledged gaps in the submittal: mounting details and base engineering for the proposed statue were limited, the installation plan did not show full anchoring details, and staff had only preliminary information about who would permanently maintain the replacement or the donated original. The commission’s appointed city attorney also said she had learned late in the afternoon of credible reports about possible cremains and had not yet researched legal obligations should human remains be confirmed.

What the board did: after a lengthy public record and discussion, the commission voted to table the application to allow staff and applicants to provide additional documentation: (1) an engineering anchorage and base design for the proposed replacement and for remediation of the existing statue; (2) a second conservation opinion and updated cost estimate for restoring the original; (3) written confirmation from the Amelia Island Museum of History on acceptance and proposed treatment or display of the donated object; and (4) clarifying documentation about any human remains and required handling procedures. The motion to table passed on a roll call vote.

What’s next: staff committed to securing engineering and conservation reports and to return with a fuller application and a clarified public‑art acceptance process. The filing remains open with no final decision recorded pending that additional information.