For history buffs, St. Augustine provides some of Florida's most iconic tourism options – from the Old Town Trolley Tours to several of the state's famous forts and museums. Now, University of Florida professors are researching and building an exhibit based on another classic staple that took off from the town: chocolate.
It is a little-known fact that the sweet treat was introduced to North America through St. Augustine, when a Spanish ship known as the Nuestra Senora del Rosario y el Carmen arrived there in 1641 with crates of cacao after being severely damaged by a hurricane. Thanks to a $14,000 Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Grant that was awarded to UF in February, visitors to the coastal town will soon experience an interactive, chocolate-centered exhibit at the Governor's House Cultural Center and Museum that focuses on this delicious piece of history.
"Any time I talk to someone about this topic, they have no idea that chocolate came in through St. Augustine," said Clarissa Carr, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the College of Design, Construction and Planning at UF. "I don't think there's ever been a full exhibit in the Governor's House based on the history of chocolate, so I think it will be a good way to bring people to this building and share the chocolate history but also the history of the program in St. Augustine."
UF's project will document and showcase St. Augustine's pivotal role in introducing chocolate to North America, and the outcomes will be disseminated through a publicly accessible ArcGIS StoryMap. The project will be celebrated with a meticulously curated exhibit in winter at the Governor's House.
The StoryMap will feature a single-scroll website that takes viewers along a virtual walking trail of different university-owned properties throughout St. Augustine. The multimedia experience will use audio snippets, text, and photographs to educate spectators about the region's chocolate history.
Carr is one of three UF leaders to embark on this project, along with Cleary Larkin, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Design, Construction and Planning and the director of the Historic Preservation Program; and Laura Douglass Marion, the collections coordinator for the Governor's House Library.
UF's Historic Preservation Program – in partnership with UF Historic St. Augustine, Inc. and George A. Smathers Libraries – was awarded one of six Forrest E. Mars, Jr. Chocolate History Grants this year during the annual Heritage Chocolate Society Meeting, hosted by Mars Wrigley and AMERICAN HERITAGE Chocolate. These awards were established in 2003 to further the study of chocolate's diverse history and its impact on society.
"I first put together the proposal on writing about the introduction of chocolate to the United States through St. Augustine," Carr said. "Some of my other passions and areas of expertise are graphic design and exhibit design, so I was like, 'Let's design an exhibit.' I can do that."
Next February, Carr will return to the Heritage Chocolate Society Meeting, present a video on the UF program, and share the results of her research.
There will be a ticketed event for board members and community partners on December 6 at the Governor's House Cultural Center and Museum, and the exhibit will open to the public shortly thereafter.
