Staff Spotlight, Carl Marchand
Park Services Specialist, Carl Marchand
Fort Mose Historic State Park
Park Services Specialist Carl Marchand was born to French Canadian parents and raised in the historic village of Spencerport, New York. Spencerport was one of many ports along the famous Erie Canal that bustled during the mid-19th century, and numerous communities flourished with commerce along its path. Originally, the canal ran 363 miles from where Albany meets the Hudson River to where Buffalo meets Lake Erie. It was built to create a navigable water route from New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and was completed in 1825. Today, it is a part of the National Park Service National Heritage Corridor.
Carl’s adventure with the Florida Park Service began in 1998, upon his second return to live in Florida. He started his career at Anastasia State Park and quickly filled various positions and duties throughout the state of Florida including Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park; Navarre Beach; T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph State Park; Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve; and Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park.
Two years ago, Carl came back full circle to Saint Augustine and is presently at Fort Mose Historic State Park. Carl finds that living and working in such a historically rich and diverse area allows him to recall fond memories of his personal beginnings. He states, “That in order to successfully and truly live, one must follow and learn from those who have been there beforehand.”