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A History of Pacetti’s Marina, Campground & Fishing Resort
Pacetti's Marina, Campground and Fishing Resort on Trout Creek came into being during the Depression Era in 1929. Always known for good fishing, the family-owned enterprise has also been more than a fish camp over the years, depending upon the needs and whims of the public at any given time and the creative impulses of its owners.
Coming from the northeast several miles inland, the wide, deep creek feeds into the beautiful St Johns River not far from the campground. Huge old trees draped with Spanish moss can be seen reflected on the clear surface, broken only by the wind or the tip of an alligator's head as it glides below the surface in silent search of prey. The creek got its name from bass, not trout, because largemouth bass were called "freshwater trout" in days gone by. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other good fish to fry out of its pristine waters, and good fish stories to tell as well. Because of the tidal influence, freshwater and saltwater fish inhabit the surrounding waters, which have drawn avid anglers to the camp for many years. Other popular species include red bass, speckled perch (crappie), brim and catfish. Good shrimping has long been another popular attraction. During the spawning season shrimp migrate upstream and stay in the river until they're large enough to return to the ocean.
By land Pacetti's is located on the historic Bartram Trail, also known as SR 13/16, connecting St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city, with Green Cove Springs across the river. The river road (SR 13) is also a scenic route winding from East Palatka to Jacksonville. In the midst of the Great Depression, Joseph J. Pacetti, his wife Louise and son William Joseph (Joe) Pacetti of Jacksonville, settled on a small piece of the land, which they later acquired as it came on the market and added onto over the years. In the early days, with all necessities in tow, the family traveled along dusty trails and crossed over a creaky old wooden bridge to get to their camp, which they first used for their own hunting and fishing. Once there, they roughed it without such amenities as electricity, running water and telephones.
Later Joseph and Louise sold their restaurant in Jacksonville, moved to the camp, and made it their, permanent home. The first structure was an 8' x 12' wooden cabin, built by Joseph with the help of son Joe, who was by then making plans for a hunting cabin of his own, and who was from then on a driving force of the camp.
Soon the Pacetti's began thinking about how they might turn a profit from their "dream camp." Once settled, they constructed a sawmill for building cypress boats as rentals to fishermen, hunters, and city folks longing for wilderness adventures. Cypress boats were also made to sell, and to this day are recalled and praised by locals as "the best ever built." Thus began the first commercial use of the property. Soon over 65 wooden boats were being rented out on a steady basis. This success motivated them to push on with other ideas, including building a scattering of palmetto-thatched-roof sheds to serve as the first fish camp in the area. These enterprises were run mostly on the honor system, whereby grateful users left fees in a glass jar before departing from the popular retreat and heading back to their everyday cares.
For several years after Joe married Evelyn Dale in 1931 they traveled throughout the southeast while he supervised commercial building construction as a way to help support the fish camp while his parents ran the business back home. This worked well enough until sand from the creek got so far into Joe's shoes that it finally drew the little family, now numbering four, home to stay. In 1938, with their young daughter, Dorothy, and second daughter, Linda, they left North Carolina to make their own permanent home at the creek. Joe built his first homestead across from the fish camp at what is now St. Johns County's Trout Creek Park, the deed to which was signed over by none other than "President Harry S. Truman."
Joe later sold his house to acquire more land at the fish camp where he built another home. Still using their own lumber from the mill, he then engineered the installation of boat docks and constructed seven more cottages, a small general store, and a restaurant on site. The restaurant, now a well-known landmark, soon became the chief source of good food and community gathering. Hearty breakfasts were served to hungry patrons as they headed out to hunt and fish, and Joe and Evelyn gained a reputation for delicious seafood lunches and dinners made from old family recipes.
By the fifties Joe had fully taken over the Pacetti operations. He was innovative, multi-talented, and determined to make a success of the family business any way he could. In keeping with popular demand and the ever-changing times, he added six motel units in 1957 and opened a small shop for servicing boats and motors. Next he constructed a larger building, took on an Evinrude dealership, and sold many other lines of popular boats.
In 1960, Joe's youngest daughter Linda met and married Pinkham Pacetti, whose ancestors were also early settlers in the St. Augustine area. Meanwhile, Joe and Evelyn continued to manage the Pacetti operations alone until 1974, when Linda and Pinkham sold their insurance agency in Jacksonville and became involved in the business due to the failing health of Linda's mother.
Along with her dad, Pinkham and Linda continued the family tradition of expanding the business, knowing when to let go of one phase to make room for another according to popular demand. Once again the emphasis shifted as they enlarged and operated what had been gradually becoming an RV Park. By purchasing additional land they added three rental homes to their holdings. Linda and Pinkham had also taken over running the family restaurant, which was eventually leased out to others for a period of over 20 years. Many memories from when they ran the restaurant themselves -- including live entertainment by" Janet and Lee" on piano and drums --are still recalled by the family and former patrons. Memories also linger of earlier days, when Joe and Evelyn ran the restaurant until her demise.
In 1998, still active at the age of 86, Joe supervised and "masterminded" all new renovations of the old restaurant while also supervising other construction changes at the campground, and keeping up with his favorite hobby of square dancing with his second wife, Juanita.
While the family enterprises were growing and changing over the years, Linda and Pinkham raised two children of their own. Her father, Joe, passed away in early 2000. By then the businesses were running smoothly and the family was able to carry on in Joe's tradition of keeping things going no matter what. Now Linda and Pinkham's son, referred to by the locals as "Little Joe" in deference to his late grandfather, and his wife, Tracy, are the proud parents of young Lindsey Pacetti and baby Joseph Pinkham Pacetti. Joe's sister Paige, married to Darren Carlyle, has three children, Brittany, Kyndal and Christian. To this day, five generations of memories have been created at what is surely one of the oldest family-owned fish camps in the state of Florida.
True to the Pacetti form, again in keeping with the demands of the times, Pinkham now operates Pinkham Pacetti Realty at the 77-year-old site, specializing in waterfront properties in St. Johns County. Together he and Linda also run Pacetti's Marina, Campground & Fishing Resort, and son Joe operates a mortgage company on site. The Pacetti land holdings on site now amount to 25 acres.
Many stories and memories also linger on site, of countless characters and their tales of woe, intrigue, and adventure that have passed through the campground and marina since it all began in '29. Nowadays, though the restaurant, thatch-roofed sheds, sawmill, boat rentals, boat and motor sales and repairs are long gone, visitors can still go back in time in the marina store and Recreation Hall where old photos and news stories decorate the walls, making it as much a local history museum as a park and fish camp.