Experiences
Explore the park in a new and challenging way. Experienced Geocachers have requested permission to hide caches containing trinkets, treasures or information in various places around the park. Please check the Geocaching website for the most up-to-date information and clues to locate these caches.
The grounds of the Constitution Convention Museum State Park are a popular venue for weddings and other events. The museum, monument and vista provide an excellent location for weddings and other outdoor events.
- For fees and more information about scheduling an event, contact the park office at 850-229-8029.
Amenities
More than 150 years ago, St. Joseph was selected over Tallahassee (the territorial capital) as the site of Florida's first Constitution Convention because of antagonism between east Florida and middle Florida.
The first of Florida's six constitutions was drafted by a convention that met on December 3, 1838. By working diligently for 34 days, the elected delegates hammered out a framework for Florida's future and finished their work on January 11, 1839. The Territorial Legislative Council had called the convention without congressional authorization after a referendum election in 1837 showed a territory-wide majority in favor of statehood.
Constitution Convention Museum State Park was donated to the state of Florida by the city of Port St. Joe in 1950.
The museum was dedicated in 1956 with Governor LeRoy Collins attending the ceremony. The museum was one of the first two museum buildings constructed by the Florida Park Service; the John Gorrie Museum was the other one.
In January 1923, only 84 years after Florida's first constitution was drafted, citizens dedicated a monument in honor of the delegates who pioneered Florida's bid for statehood.
The monument and mall provide the most striking feature of the park, with a vista that stretches to the edge of St. Joseph Bay. The vista feature of the park is still maintained today.
A self-guided tour will take you through displays and exhibits of the era of the late 1830s, referencing life in the town of St. Joseph. Railroad moguls mixed with high society in this prosperous time. It was this affluence that brought Florida's first Constitution Convention to the town of St. Joseph in 1838.
A replicated convention hall takes you into the debate among convention delegates Robert Raymond Reid, William P. Duvall, David Y. Levy and Thomas L Baltzell. These life-size, audio-animated mannequins bring a realistic touch to the pomp and circumstance of drafting a state constitution.
Visit the museum and 14-acre park to learn about the territory when its constitution was written. Located just outside of Port St. Joe, the museum provides insight into a time when Florida was still a U.S. territory.
The first of Florida’s six constitutions was drafted by a convention that met on December 3, 1838, in the historic town of St. Joseph. By working diligently for 34 days, the elected delegates hammered out a framework for Florida’s future and finished their work on January 11, 1839. The Territorial Legislative Council had called the convention without congressional authorization after a referendum election in 1837 showed a territory-wide majority in favor of statehood.
The museum features displays of that historic time and a mock convention hall with animatronic delegates discussing Florida's first constitution.
