circa

240              Pottery shards found on St. Vincent indicate Native                                          Americans inhabited the island at this time.

 

1633            Franciscan Friars named the island while visiting                                              Apalachee tribes.

 

1750            Creeks and Seminoles, offshoots of the Creek nation,                                      entered area and inhabited the island.

 

1868            George Hatch bought the island at an auction for $3,000.                              Hatch’s grave is the only marked grave on the island.

 

1908            New owner, Dr. Pierce, spent about $60,000 importing Old                              World game animals.

 

1920            Island-grown beef cattle were sold to Apalachicola                                        markets.

 

1940            First oyster lease granted. Pierce Estate sold first pine                                  saw timber. St. Joe Lumber Company built a temporary                                  bridge to island for timber removal.

 

1948            Loomis brothers bought island for $140,000 and imported                            zebras ,elands, black bucks, ring-necked pheasants,                                      Asian jungle fowl, bobwhite quail and semi-wild turkey.

 

1968            St. Vincent purchased by Nature Conservancy for $2.2                                  million. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service repaid Conservancy                              with money from “Duck” Stamp sales. Established as

                     St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge.