A 2 sided business card. NAA St Marys Motel Business Card , The South's Largest, located One Half Mile South of St Marys River on US Highways 1, 23 & 301 in Folkston Georgia . On the back is information on the Motel and it's features. Had a radio in every room




From Call Box Dear W.V.: The sprawling motel, which seemed to stretch forever, was long a landmark along the pre-interstate route to the state line. When you got to the motel, you knew you would soon be passing from Florida to Georgia. At one point the one-story motel was expanded horizontally until it seemed like it could be an entry into a longest-motel competition. Indeed, Hilliard Mayor Chris McConnell and others said it was once the longest motel in Florida. On an old postcard it was advertised as one of Florida’s finest. On another postcard it identifies F.W. Walker as the owner and references a ranch and poultry farm. The motel and restaurant was built in Boulogne, now an unincorporated community in Nassau County. In the early 1950s the Florida Welcome Station was across from the St. Mary’s, and tourists could get a drink of orange juice while picking up maps and brochures from attractions. It has since been torn down. The motel is remembered by several people on a “You know you’re from Hilliard, FL” Facebook site. One woman said she worked at the restaurant when she was 16 and met her husband there. She recalled that some of the kids she knew used to go swimming in its pool. Another woman said the doors used to be red. Still another said her first job was as a waitress at the motel’s restaurant. The opening of Interstate 95 affected tourism trade along U.S. 1 and 301. Many motels closed or saw a dramatic drop in business, and the number of gas stations in Hilliard declined from around 22 to about three, McConnell said. As for the St. Mary’s, it is now Dayspring Village, a facility that offers limited mental health assisted living for people with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorders. It opened in 1987 and is family owned and operated, according to a 2007 Times-Union story.Dear W.V.: The sprawling motel, which seemed to stretch forever, was long a landmark along the pre-interstate route to the state line. When you got to the motel, you knew you would soon be passing from Florida to Georgia. At one point the one-story motel was expanded horizontally until it seemed like it could be an entry into a longest-motel competition. Indeed, Hilliard Mayor Chris McConnell and others said it was once the longest motel in Florida. On an old postcard it was advertised as one of Florida’s finest. On another postcard it identifies F.W. Walker as the owner and references a ranch and poultry farm. The motel and restaurant was built in Boulogne, now an unincorporated community in Nassau County. In the early 1950s the Florida Welcome Station was across from the St. Mary’s, and tourists could get a drink of orange juice while picking up maps and brochures from attractions. It has since been torn down. The motel is remembered by several people on a “You know you’re from Hilliard, FL” Facebook site. One woman said she worked at the restaurant when she was 16 and met her husband there. She recalled that some of the kids she knew used to go swimming in its pool. Another woman said the doors used to be red. Still another said her first job was as a waitress at the motel’s restaurant. The opening of Interstate 95 affected tourism trade along U.S. 1 and 301. Many motels closed or saw a dramatic drop in business, and the number of gas stations in Hilliard declined from around 22 to about three, McConnell said. As for the St. Mary’s, it is now Dayspring Village, a facility that offers limited mental health assisted living for people with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorders. It opened in 1987 and is family owned and operated, according to a 2007 Times-Union story.