2026 Bartram Trail Society’s Annual Membership Meeting & Symposium!
Please join us for the Bartram Trail Society’s Annual Membership Meeting & Symposium!
Cost: Free!
12-3 PM Saturday, August 22, 2026
We suggest people brunch/lunch beforehand, but light snacks will be provided.
The UNF Botanical Gardens
11820 Parkway
Building F 64 (Maintenance Facility)
Jacksonville, FL 32224
Directions: On I 295 to Beach Blvd, exit east towards Beach, turn right at the 2nd light onto Central Parkway. The building is one block on the left. The sign on the exterior says “Maintenance Facility” and is Building 64 of the University of North Florida Campus.
This meeting and symposium are for anyone interested in the William Bartram heritage and the Bartram Trail in Florida, so please spread the news to anyone you think would be interested.
The event will include a brief business meeting with election of new Directors, and Society reports followed by a Bartram Symposium (in the past, annually hosted as part of the Bartram Frolic). Details of the agenda are included below.
For more information, email info@BartramTrailSociety.com.
Annual Membership Meeting Program and Agenda
12:00 pm – Meet and Greet
12:15 pm – BTSF Annual Business Meeting
- Election of Board of Directors – Nominating Committee
- Financial Report
- Status of Membership & Website
- Status of Bartram Trail of Florida
- License Plate Proposal – Meghan Mahaffey
Annual Membership Meeting Program and Agenda
12:00 pm – Meet and Greet
12:15 pm – BTSF Annual Business Meeting
Election of Board of Directors – Nominating Committee
Financial Report
Status of Membership & Website
Status of Bartram Trail of Florida
License Plate Proposal – Meghan Mahaffey
The theme of this year’s Symposium will be Bartram and the American Revolution. It will include two trail-based presentations followed by two musical/theatrical presentations about William Bartram and the American Revolution, which were originally featured at the 2026 Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, Florida.
1:00 – 3:00 pm – Bartram Trail Symposium
Building the Bartram Trail in Clay County
Dean Campbell, Samantha Kosters and Stephanie Liskey (20 minutes)
Where on the Suwannee is Billy Bartram? (30 minutes)
Joe Foy, President of Foy Appraisal Service, Inc, Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser and long-time Bartram fan. He uses his unique qualifications and skills to research and follow the routes of William Bartram across northeast Florida. His most recent research has centered around William Bartram in the Suwannee River basin.
America 250 Songs & Stories – Back-in-Thyme Old Time Music and Storytelling
Backintyme is a Florida-based living history and folk music storytelling group founded by Mary Lee Sweet and Frank W. Sweet, who bring the 19th century to life through period-dress performances that blend historical anecdotes with authentic folk songs.
William Bartram’s Hints and Observations.
Sam Carr (30 minutes)
The BTSF performed on the America 250 Stage at the Annual Florida Folk Festival. The performance was titled “William Bartram and the American Revolution.” Sam Carr will share how the skit was prepared and the factual basis for William Bartram’s part in the American Revolution.