Gulf County, Florida
Port St. Joe
Florida's first constitution was written in a town that was gone within six years.
Florida's statehood began here. Territorial delegates met at St. Joseph from 3 December 1838 to 11 January 1839 to write the state's first constitution; the town's motto is still Birthplace of the Florida Constitution.
What this place is
Why Port St. Joe is here
The original town of St. Joseph was mostly abandoned in 1841 after a yellow fever epidemic, and a hurricane storm surge in 1844 destroyed what structures remained.
Everything here has been rebuilt at least once. The first town was erased by fever and storm within three years, and the port that replaced it took the same name.
- 1838Constitutional convention opens
- 1839Convention closes
- 1841Yellow fever; town abandoned
- 1844Storm surge erases it
Worth the trip
What to look for
- 01
Constitution Convention Museum State Park, 14 acres outside town, with a reproduction convention hall and audio-animated recreations of the 1838 delegates.
- 02
Cape San Blas and its lighthouse, west of town in Gulf County.
Time your visit
The weekend that matters
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September
Florida Scallop, Music & Arts Festival
Labor Day weekend at Gulf County Veterans Memorial Park on Beacon Hill, run by the Gulf County Chamber of Commerce, closing out the scallop season the coast is named for.
Hotels, inns, rentals and campgrounds
Where to Stay
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Campgrounds
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Campgrounds
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Hotels
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Vacation Rentals
Restaurants, seafood, cafes and bars
Where to Eat
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Seafood · $
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Seafood · $
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Seafood · $
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Restaurants · $
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Restaurants · $
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Seafood · $
Parks, beaches, museums, tours and charters
Things to Do
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Parks Nature
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Attractions
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Parks Nature
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Parks Nature
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Cape Palms Park
Parks Nature
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Parks Nature
Port St. Joe on the record
Pictures of the place
Archive and Creative Commons photographs of Port St. Joe. Nothing here is generated; every image is credited to the person who took it.
77 guides, written from this town’s own record
Guides
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The Best Things to Do in Port St. Joe, Florida
A town that wrote Florida’s first constitution, then died of fever and storm, now asks you to walk its beaches and think about that.
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The Best Restaurants in Port St. Joe, Florida
The town that wrote Florida’s first constitution was gone before the ink dried. St. Joseph, born in 1838, buried by yellow fever in 1841, and finished off by a hurricane storm surge in 1844, left only its name for the port that rose after. Port St. Joe is a second act. The food here is part of that rebuilding.
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Where to Stay in Port St. Joe: Hotels, Inns and Rentals
In a town rebuilt after fever and storm erased the first one, lodging here is less about a room and more about bearing witness to a place that refuses to stay dead.
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A Weekend in Port St. Joe: What to See, Eat and Do
The town of St. Joseph wrote Florida’s first constitution, then died of fever and flood within six years; Port St. Joe, its quieter successor, keeps the name and the memory.
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Port St. Joe FL: 16 Things to Know Before You Visit
Port St. Joe exists because another town died. The original St. Joseph wrote Florida's first constitution in 1838. Within six years, yellow fever and hurricane erased it.
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The Best Time of Year to Visit Port St. Joe
The right time to come to Port St. Joe has less to do with the weather and more to do with what you are willing to remember.
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Port St. Joe vs Apalachicola: Which Florida Town to Visit
Port St. Joe is not a beach town with a history problem. It is a town whose every rebuilt structure testifies to the deliberate act of starting over. The past here is not preserved but performed. The visitor's experience is shaped by absence as much as presence.
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The History of Port St. Joe in 6 Landmarks
The town of Port St. Joe carries the name of a settlement that died within six years of its founding, and what stands today is a third or fourth attempt at permanence on the same strip of Gulf County shore.
Public record
Port St. Joe by the numbers
- 3,499Residents (2023)
- 13.3% Homes held for seasonal use
- 338 Places in this guide