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A ve On Wer oh \ van VON me yon ww \ ar «OK Q\ NW ae \ ReSR ‘A yi Ny Y\ nk Nit; z ‘ ee ae \ as Oe Bs At A, va a Ge) AN wt : FEY vee anc ae AN His Lane OR i kes eK Dat < \t cy \ 3g o A\ a Ant z, ve CS) AN e “ . he ‘\ %\ px ee Wels MS ANG Ne N arian ee A AN SO Ae ies \ st on or os YY se ; a oe soe es 5 ee ARK xe oe AN eS a Hoa ge 1 Sw \\e We 2 ys ae x : aN ss x ae \ wee \ ac ee, A ee we ; ne Ke a We: pas Ke ae te 5 RN a ae at / pe ae eee * ie oes eS ce! WA NN \ wy Cte ax\\ NOTICE: Return or renew all Library Materials! The Minimum Fee for each Lost Book is $50.00. Ny Ne: The person charging this material is responsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for discipli- nary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN MAR 09 nn Ri on SS WY. AS ‘e eS Say eee 2 uy AT \ EN \ ay S\ 1s, " AN Mi RN ” ~ “ it Ae Os ay x NN \ \ ) hs ca AWS) a ae On : AOR \\\ \ Ni’ \ 8 ay yak RANA ee cs NY, L161—O-1096 aA RAS eB , << aes \\ TON og ioe oeceal x pe SR ae os LETRA AAA \ \ Why \ a) Vn \ Ye ‘ y a aN a \\ - Ne M J * a \\Y \\ fy M \ x ens ROS QU Vie Vi | ie AN ANN \) X\ ‘\ . a\ AN \\ NY +\ \\ \ CENTRAL CIRCULATION BOOKSTACKS The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its renewal or its return to the library from which it was borrowed on or before the Latest Date stamped below. The Minimum Fee for each Lost Book is $50.00. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. TO RENEW CALL TELEPHONE CENTER, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN AUG 1 21994 MAY 19 1994 When renewing by phone, write new due date below previous due date. L162 In 2021 with funda University of Illinois Urbana a -Champa Samad mi on Mi aan i 7 rey il ve a is ar Haid . eA ‘ ’ hd ‘ek " Bath Nd ae \ ¥ aN he wer Wai. he rah aye ila [ " ie ete ie ia he , THN UT AY ATS | HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA and Vicinity 1513 to 1924 é By T. FREDERICK DAVIS Author of “History of Early Jacksonville” nnn mr a a a nr re ES EE A, Published by THE FLORIDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 1925 Copyright 1925 All Rights Reserved by T. FREDERICK DAVIS (See last paragraph of Foreword) Press of The Record Company, St. Augustine, Florida AUG 1 4 1943 WINKLER FOREWORD Two times there was a wholesale destruction of Jackson- Ville’s official records—in the War Between the States and by the fire of May 3, 1901. The author’s effort in this work was to collect all of the available authentic matter for per- manent preservation in book form. The record closes as of December 31, 1924. The record is derived from many sources—long forgotten books and pamphlets; old letters and diaries that have been stored away as family memorials of the past; newspapers beginning with theSt. Augustine Herald in 1822 (on fileat the Congressional Library at Washington) fragmentary for the early years, but extremely valuable for historical research; almost a complete file of local newspapers from 1875 to date; from the unpublished statements of old residents of condi- tions and outstanding events within the period of their clear recollection; and from a multitude of other sources of reli- ability. The search through the highways and the byways for local history was in the spare moments of the author stretching over a period of a score of years, a pastime “hobby” with no idea of making money out of it. No attempt has been made to discuss the merits of any incident, but only to present the facts, just as they were and just as they are, from the records and sources indicated. It is an unwritten law of copyright to give credit for the ~--use of another’s record or research in any publication. Such _~ acknowledgment is made herein by connecting marks in the text leading to footnotes and to the bibliographies found at the end of each chapter. The use of the single asterisk (*) ~~ is reserved to indicate observations or remarks by the author — of this history thrown into the text as little sidelights con- : -nected with the subject. This publication is fully protected - under copyright with all rights reserved by the author; how- - ever it is not his desire to restrict its use as a reference his- © tory, and the courtesy of the unwritten law referred to above =x ~ is extended to those who may find use for it. T. FREpERIcK Davis, Jacksonville, Florida. ILLUSTRATIONS (Face page noted) Maps Page St. Johns River, Jacksonville to the ocean............. 1 Fort Caroline and. Vicinity (ic ta eee 13 Kings Road through site of Jacksonville............. 26 Jacksonville as originally surveyed in 1822........... 55 Child’s'map of Jacksonville, 1847.3 > po a ee 85 Built-up portion of Jacksonville in the 1850’s.......... 87 Map of Jacksonvillé, (1859 oor e rw eae eee ae ee 115 Railroad ‘map of Jacksonville, 1884... 2.0. 1. 0 oWveee 356 Map. or area‘burned sini 189) oe Na On ee 193 Map of:area burned an LOOL) i. ea a ee 225 Illustrations Where the “Vale of Laudonniere’”’ used to be.......... 12 Huguenot ring found in an Indian mound............. 17 Dwellings of the log-cabin period.............-.c00e- 68 Vicinity of Forsyth and Main Streets in 1874......... 141 Nreedmen’s Bank. building...) 24). Gis is aie Seles sl ee ee 141 Saloon of a St. Johns River steamboat, 1885.......... 363 Bird’s-eye view of Jacksonville, 1886................ 172 pealiot Jacksonville iii POM aie De iti ote er 293 First factory-made automobile in Florida............ 379 Fire burning Jacksonville m1901. 0 pe tae oe 219 Jacksonville in ashes, 1901, panorama view........... 244 St. James Hotel, burned in 1901.00... 0 400 eee eee 487 City ‘Hall burnédin TOO eee eee ee 332 County Courthouse, burned in 1901.................. 64 County Clerk’s Office, burned in 1901................ 65 County ‘Armory, ‘burned!’ 1901.0) ay ee ee A474 Sky-line of Jacksonville in 19080000 er ee 244 Flag of Jacksonville rive ole wala a earn eee ace ane 422 Block'plan of St; Luke's Hospitaly 2a a 426 Sky-line of Jacksonville, 1914-1924). vo ie 244 Airplane view of modern Jacksonville................ 284 Mil LIBRARY =i ITY OF ILLINOIS ST. JOHNS RIVER, JAC ° ' 2 s ——————————— SCALE OF MILES AN yl sa . ~ e) HOM TT rp i ={ ffl 82 es Cx <2 So, x SKK OO ‘ SERS KL SOK SOOKE SOK SOK SORKIN OL ee. SWC K KES OW <2 O20, POS OS Oe L OS? ROOF Se J ACKSONVILL E Weracectasectecectstatecs Sere i KKK KE 62 o, OO oS Copyrighted History et Joakeauvite a d y by } N ( 7. Freaerick Davis a) WR "MPS Exuzis, Curtis & Kooxee ONVILLE TO THE OCEAN 3 if A p =x — ee SS SS SSS SSS —e SSS SE oT —————— — —_ —— an ———} 7 ——— rr eS SSS a or — a — | es a ——— }—__}{}—__-¥ See — -—| ior = *\ —_ a a as = (Sth a “ — — = on ———— = fu = ——————} — a fd ———— yuh = —_— > tad Ag SUE Bing 2K —— eo 2] S==> — ran! ISSA Tes ~ =3 \ = _——9 q ————. — a = = 3 ==> — — — = \ rer i ee FT) ————— =e o) CC 2 = z= A — ———/" ———— ee oe = ane SSS XO —— = = & =) ah 3S eS ESS ) Se eS eae | _————— ( Fy SS 7 ne +. a a DIS heel ———————— a ) — til = = ere = aS we 4 cabelas, = EEE : 4 SS SS Hb) e —_ 4 | | 5 — | | ; \\ Mh) ~ ~ SOS AN 4 / - ‘ ny { | > \ Y Qe j it Ute f ic 4 Cirle ping?! t | \ ( Al | ih ct | ! | : | ii (| Uh | HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER I THE OPENING OF OUR HISTORY March 27, 1513, was Easter Sunday, Pascua Florida in the language of the Spaniard. Along the stretch that we now call the Florida east coast north of Canaveral the weather was stormy and the sea was running high. Off shore three caravels lingered with sails reefed down, for land had been sighted that day and the adventurers aboard, wishing to investigate, hove to for the weather to calm. They loi- tered northerly along the coast a week; then they headed in, and in the night, April 2, came to anchor near the beach. Here the commander with his principal officers formally landed, probably at sunrise of April 3d. Throwing the royal banner of Spain to the breeze they declared allegiance to the crown and proclaimed possession of the country, which they supposed was an island, in the name of Ferdinand, their king. Following the custom of that day to commemorate impor- tant events with the names of feast days or patron Saints, in this case, because the discovery was made on Easter Sun- day, they named the new land Florida. This scene on the beach was the landing of Juan Ponce de Leon and the opening of the positive history of the white man in North America. Fortunately, Ponce de Leon recorded the location of his landing and as it is the only record the observation 30 degrees and 8 minutes latitude must forever designate the locality where he first landed on the soil of Florida. Laid down on the map today, the location is about 11 miles south of the pier at Pablo Beach and within 25 miles of Jacksonville straight away. *JIt would appear that the existence of flowers here had nothing to do with naming the country. The native flora of the coastal beach section is there today, and one would wonder what Ponce de Leon, coming from verdant Porto Rico, could have seen to cause the enthusiasm attributed to him by history writers. The embellishment of the record to the effect that 2 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA “the land was fresh in the bloom of Spring and the fields were covered with flowers” is pretty and pleasing, but it does not conform to the circumstances as we know them now in the early part of April even in the mildest season. There is no record that Ponce de Leon explored the coun- try away from the coast. He found nothing here to lead him to suspect the existence of gold and precious metals in the country; and incidentally, no spring the waters of which possessed the qualities of restoring health and vigor, that tradition said existed somewhere in this part of the world. He did not tarry long. Boarding his vessels on the 8th of April, he soon turned back, struggling against the currents of the gulf stream in his progress southward. * From the top of the sand dunes in that locality the eye rests upon what appear to be refreshing woodlands. They are the oases hiding from view that stretch of marsh behind the dunes known as “The Guana,” beginning seven miles below Pablo Beach and extending south toward the mouth of the North River at St. Augustine. Those who have been in “The Guana” duck hunting and waded the mud flats and network of marsh creeks there know from experience why Ponce de Leon remained on the beach near his vessels and did not attempt to penetrate the interior at this point. Indians of That Dayt The natives of the Florida peninsula in Columbian times comprised a number of tribes, each governed by a different chief. They did not live in constant peace and harmony with one another and sometimes were engaged in bitter tribal wars. This part of Florida was occupied by the Timuqua or Timucua tribe, whose domain reached from the St. Marys River to the headwaters of the St. Johns, but principally along the lower St. Johns. The costumes of the Timuquas were scanty, being scarce- ly more than a loin-cloth of buckskin for the men and for the women a fringe of Spanish moss tied around the waist. Both men and women painted their bodies in fantastic fashion; both wore heavy stone ornaments suspended from the lobes of their ears which they pierced for the purpose. The men wore their hair drawn to a peak at the top of their heads and + Bulletin of U. S. Bureau of Ethnology. . HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 3 tied like a topknot. The women wore no head decoration and left their hair flowing, except in cases of the death of a rela- tive or friend they “bobbed” their hair as a token of distress. A chief or headman decorated himself with the tail of a raccoon or a fox drooping from the peak at the top of his head; deer-hoof rattles dangled from his loin-cloth, while suspended from his neck on a buckskin string a large shell disc six inches or more in diameter was sometimes worn. These Indians were tall of stature, muscular and very strong. They were an agricultural people, raising crops of maize and vegetables and tilling their fields with implements of wood and shell. Tobacco was known to them and they used it as an emetic in cases of sickness. Among their cere- monials was the “Busk Ceremony,” sometimes referred to as the ““Green Corn Dance,” which lasted several days with a distinct ritual for each day. It was a harvest festival and celebration, but included ceremonials of penitence for crime within the tribe, as well as supplication for protection against injury from without. Their war ceremonies and cele- brations of victory were on the order of those of the early Creek Indians and doubtless originated in a common source. These were the people in possession of this part of Flor- ida when Ponce de Leon arrived. They were not the Semi- noles of a later day. It may safely be assumed that the visit of Ponce de Leon left a lasting impression on the minds of the natives and that long afterward when they were in sight of the ocean they would look out to sea for the strange objects that brought the pale-face to their shore. A generation was born, grew up, and passed into middle age, yet these had not re- turned. Reports had now and then sifted through from the lower coasts that the white man had been down there, or from the direction of the setting sun that he had passed that way; they had heard of pale-faced people held captive by neighboring tribes, and had knowledge of one even among themselves several days’ journey away; but it was not until the approach of the 50th annual harvest after Ponce de Leon’s time that runners announced the return of the white man’s vessels to this coast of Florida. 4 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The French Arrive Gaspard de Coligny, Admiral of France and champion of the cause of the Huguenots, visualized the new land across the sea as a place where his unhappy countrymen might live according to their own ideals and at the same time build up a new dominion by colonization, thereby extending the pos- sessions of France. It was a dream of colonization upon the republican principle of freedom of thought; but in it also was another idea — that of conquest. Coligny had already attempted to plant such a colony in South America, in the harbor of Rio Janeiro, but it had perished. However, he did not despair, and early in 1562 he despatched another ex- pedition of two vessels from Havre de Grace to seek a place of settlement for the colony that was to follow. The com- mand of these vessels was given to Jean Ribault, a native of Dieppe and a Huguenot. * Ribault’s name was spelled in different ways by the historians of the 16th and 17th centuries. French—Ribauldus (rare), Ribauld, Ribault, Ribaut; the form with the “1” is the older. Spanish—Ribao. English—Ribault. Second in command of this expedition was Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere, likewise a Huguenot. Ribault steered a new course across the Atlantic north of the West Indies and came in sight of the Florida coast near the present site of St. Au- gustine on the last day of April. The weather being favor- able he sailed northward and just before sunset came to the mouth of a large river (the St. Johns), but did not enter it. He anchored outside the bar. At dawn the next day, which was May 1, 1562, Ribault and several officers and soldiers crossed the bar in their shallops (large rowboats with a number of oarsmen) for the purpose of exploring the river. They soon saw natives com- ing down to the bank of the river in a friendly manner, even pointing out to them the best place to land. Ribault and his party went ashore. An Indian approached and Ribault gave him a looking-glass. He ran with it to his chief, who took off his girdle and sent it to Ribault as a token of friendship. The two parties now approached each other. The natives greeted the white men with dignity and without indication of fear. After the greeting, the Frenchmen retired a short distance, HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 5 prostrated themselves, and gave thanks to God for their safe arrival. *This was the first Protestant prayer said within the limits of the United States; it cannot be positively stated that it was the first in North America, since there might have been Protestants with Roberval in Canada twenty years before. It was certainly not the first in the new world, for Coligny planted a Huguenot colony in the harbor of Rio de Janeiro in 1555, seven years before, and in 1557 sent out 4 Protestant ministers to preach there. The South American colony existed until 1560. The natives watched the ceremony of the Frenchmen in perfect silence. When it was over, Ribault pointed his finger upward to indicate to them that the white man worshipped a Supreme Being. The chief, supposing that he meant the sun, pointed two fingers upward signifying worship of both sun and moon by them. Captain Ribault was much pleased with the manners and appearance of these natives. He says of them, “They be of goodly stature, mighty, fair, and as well shapen and propor- tioned of body as any people in the world; very gentle, cour- teous, and of good nature. The forepart of their body be painted with pretty devised works, of azure, red, and black, so well and so properly as the best painter of Europe could not amend it. The women have their bodies painted, too, and wear a certain herb like unto moss, whereof the cedar and all other trees be almost covered. The men for pleasure do trim themselves therewith, after sundry fashions.” *It has been said that the Spanish or gray moss is not native here, but the foregoing description is strong evidence that it is. These ceremonies took place on the north side of the river, where Ribault spent the forenoon. Distributing pres- ents among the natives and receiving in exchange fresh fish, which the Indians skillfully caught in reed nets, the French- men crossed over to the south side. The natives of the south side met Ribault in a friendly manner and offered fruit; but they seemed more suspicious than those of the north side, as they did not bring their women with them and had with them their bows and arrows. A few presents satisfied them, 6 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA however, and the Frenchmen were allowed to go about un- molested. Ribault was greatly impressed with the natural growth on this side of the river. Trees, shrubs, plants and vines all excited his interest and wonder. His relation mentions grapes “of surpassing goodness” and vines that grew to the top of the tallest oaks; palms, cedar, cypress and bay trees. The Frenchmen spent the afternoon wandering over the high land near the mouth of the river. Toward sundown they again entered their shallops and returned to the ships out- side the bar. Ribault Proclaims Possession The next day (May 2d) the small boats were manned and Ribault, his officers and gentlemen again entered the river and brought with them a “pillar or column of hard stone with the King’s arms engraven thereon, to plant and set the same at the entry of the port, in some place, where it might be easily seen” (from boats entering the river). Coming to land on the south side, they selected a suitable spot on a little hill; here with appropriate ceremonies the monument was erected, and possession was taken of the country in the name of the king of France. * Shore-line and channel conditions at the mouth of the river have changed greatly since that day. The oldest maps show a projection on the south side of the mouth of the river like a protruding underlip. These primitive dunes were even- tually washed away. A part of the lip evidently was where the sand field is making up on the left as you approach the south jetty on the beach, and according to many lines of reasoning this is where the monument was set up. Le Moyne’s drawing indicates a sand dune location. The monument was erected before any Indians appeared; but soon they came, viewed the stone for a time in silence, and then retired without touching it or speaking a word. Ribault named the river the Riviere de Mai, or River May, because his tour of exploration was made on the first day of May. This is the only name that he bestowed at the River May. The day passed very much as the preceding one, except that the Frenchmen became greatly excited when they noticed that some of the natives were wearing ornaments of HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA T gold and silver. Ribault concluded from their signs that the country abounded in gold and that the rivers and harbors contained pearls of great magnitude. *It afterward developed that these ornaments came from the treasure ships of Spain that were wrecked on the lower Florida coast on their voyage home from Mexico. By trade and war the gold and other metals became scattered among the Indian tribes elsewhere, furnishing a lure that never failed to lead the white adventurer on. Ribault spent the day on the south side and returned to the ships toward sundown. The next day (May 3d) he pro- ceeded northward and after investigating the rivers and harbors along the way, finally reached the coast of what is now South Carolina, where it was decided to leave a post called Charlesfort, composed of 26 men. Ribault and Lau- donniere then set sail for France. *It is almost unbelievable that Ribault could have sup- posed this handful of men left in the wilderness at the mercy of the Indians had a chance to survive. Ribault arrived at Dieppe late in July and found civil war raging in France. The anti-Huguenot party was in control of the government and amidst the distraction that over- whelmed the nation a delay of nearly two years was experi- enced in getting another expedition together. Meantime the garrison at Charlesfort abandoned the post and embarked in a frail craft for home. Fortunately they were picked up by an English vessel, but not before they had been reduced to the horrible extremity of human sacrifice for subsistence. Laudonniere’s Expedition The Elizabeth of Honfleur, 120 tons; the Petit Breton, 100 tons, and the Falcon, 60 tons, with officers, soldiers, mariners, artisans, and titled gentlemen adventurers aboard, under the command of Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere, left France in April, 1564, on a voyage across the Atlantic to Florida. These vessels came upon the coast in the vicinity of the present St. Augustine June 22d and entered the River May three days later. Laudonniere was entertained by the same chief that he met on the former voyage with Ribault. The stone column was still standing and appeared to be an object of great rev- 8 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA erence to the Indians. Seeing the French approaching, as a token of friendship, they wrapped flowering vines (appar- ently the sea morning-glory) and wreaths of bay leaves around the pillar, while at its base were placed baskets of fruit and grain, together with a bow and quiver of arrows, symbolizing welcome and peace. When the greetings were over, Laudonniere made a short excursion up the river at least as far as St. Johns Bluff in order to observe the coun- try. Then he returned to the ships waiting outside and coasted as far north as Amelia Island. He was in that vi- cinity two or three days and held a consultation with his officers as to the best place to make a settlement. They de- cided to return to the River May and plant the settlement in a “pleasant vale’’ on the south side of the river at the base of the “mountain” (St. Johns Bluff) that they had already examined, situated 214 French leagues (approximately six miles) above the mouth. * Laudonniere does not mention the men left at Charles- fort two years before, and his seeming neglect of them is not accounted for in history. Fort Caroline At the break of day on June 30, 1564, Laudonniere com- manded the trumpet to be sounded. When all were assembled, he says, “We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, be- seeching Him that it would please Him of His Grace to con- tinue His accustomed Goodness towards us. The prayer ended, every man began to take courage.” After measuring off a piece of ground in the form of a triangle, all became engaged in some duty—some cleared land, some cut fagots, others brought earth, “for there was not a man that had not either a shovel, or cutting hook, or hatchet, as for the build- ing of the fort, which we did hasten with such cheerfulness that within a few days the effect of our diligence was ap- parent.” Paracoussy (chief) Saturioua, on whose land the fort was built, came with his two sons and a great number of men to help. Fort Caroline was built in the form of a triangle, its base along the river front and its apex drawing toward the south. The westerly side was enclosed by a trench and raised by trusses made in the form of a battlement nine feet high. The portcullis was on this side. The southeastern side was a kind HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 9 of bastion; while the northern, or river side, was enclosed with a palisado of planks of timber. The houses were built inside the fort. The oven was placed outside some distance away “because the houses be of palm leaves, which will soon be burnt after the fire catches hold of them.” Laudonniere named the fort “Caroline, in honor of our prince, King Charles,” who at that time was only a boy. At this crude work took place some of the most tragic incidents of Amer- ican history. * When first known to the white man St. Johns Bluff sloped down westerly into a little plain that occupied the cove between the present point of the bluff and Fulton. This plain was called by the French the “Vale of Laudonniere,” and there, at the water’s edge, Fort Caroline was built in order to get water for the moat. The plain has been washed away by the river, mainly since the jetties were built, and ships now pass over the precise site of Fort Caroline. In about a month Laudonniere sent the Elizabeth of Honfleur back to France with despatches for Coligny, retain- ing the smaller barks for use on the river. The story of the French at Fort Caroline is one filled with pathos and tragedy. In the beginning all went well; they enjoyed amicable relations with the Indians and from them drew largely for their subsistence, themselves neglecting to make provision for the emergencies that were bound to come to those in such a situation. As time went on misfortunes began to multiply as a result of this inactivity, and, nat- urally, discontent then entered the ranks of the little band. Serious mutinies followed. On one occasion the conspirators seized a vessel belonging to the port and set out upon a free- booting expedition against the Spaniards in the West Indies. Some of the mutineers finally found their way back to the River May, where Laudonniere had four of the ringleaders executed. The others were captured by the Spaniards and taken to Havana. After awhile the Indians refused to share further of their stores, partly because their own stock was low and partly from the fact that nothing was given in exchange, the French by this time having exhausted the supply of ex- changeable articles. Being reduced to the verge of famine, Laudonniere was induced, let it be said against his will, to seize the great Indian Olata Utina (head chief) and hold him 10 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA as ransom for supplies. This scheme resulted disastrously for the French, since a number of them were killed in cap- turing the chief, while the enmity of the natives was raised to the highest pitch. Thoroughly disheartened, they at last decided to build a suitable vessel and return to France. English Sea-Rover Visits Fort Caroline Demolishing several houses and tearing away a part of the fort for timber, work was started on the vessel designed to take the colonists home. The construction progressed under many difficulties, as several of the most experienced carpenters had been killed by the Indians. Amidst these preparations, Sir John Hawkins, returning from a slave-sell- ing expedition along the Spanish Main, unexpectedly ap- peared at the mouth of the River May, August 4, 1565, hav- ing been guided along the coast by a Frenchman, who was with Ribault on the first voyage to Florida. They were seeking the colony at Charlesfort, but when they reached the River May they saw two pinnaces and learned of the circumstances and condition of Fort Caroline two English leagues up the river. Hawkins paid a visit to the fort and supplied the French with meat and other provisions. He sold Laudonniere one of his vessels, taking some of the ordnance of Fort Caroline in payment therefor. Laudonniere says, “Moreover, for as much as he saw my soldiers go barefoot, he offered me fifty pairs of shoes, which I accepted and agreed of a price with him, for which until this present I am indebted to him; for particularly he bestowed upon myself a great jar of oil, a jar of vinegar, a barrel of olives, a great quantity of rice and a barrel of white biscuit. Besides he gave divers presents to the principal officers of my company, according to their qualities; so that I may say, that we received as many courtesies of the General as it was possible to receive of any man.” After the departure of Hawkins, the French hurried their preparations for leaving Florida. By the 15th of August (1565) everything was in readiness, and they waited only a fair wind to hoist the sails. In this state of anxious suspense they were detained till the 28th, when the wind and tide became favorable and they were on the point of de- parting; but just at that moment the sails of several vessels were discovered at sea approaching the coast. Ribault had arrived! HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 11 Ribault’s Second Voyage The settlement on the River May had not been forgotten by Coligny. At the first opportunity, during a lull in the civil war in France, he secured a royal commission for Cap- tain Ribault to command an expedition to America. The full quota of soldiers and volunteers was quickly brought to- gether. Some of the men embarked with their wives and children. The total number of emigrants was about six hundred. The fleet of seven vessels sailed from Dieppe in May, 1565. Experiencing adverse weather it put into several ports and was delayed in reaching the River May until August 28th, the day that Laudonniere was preparing to leave. Three of the vessels entered the river and proceeded to the fort, but the four largest could not cross the bar and re- mained at anchor outside. All of the colonists had landed and the disembarking of supplies had been in progress several days, when at night five Spanish ships came up from the south and anchored near the four French ships at the mouth of the river. The Spaniards claimed to be friendly, but the French trusting nothing, made ready for sailing. Their suspicions were soon verified and they cut their cables and sailed for the open sea, with the Spanish ships in pursuit. The chase continued until after sunrise, but the French out- sailed their pursuers, who turned back and were in turn fol- lowed by a French ship. Observing that the Spaniards were landing soldiers and provisions (at St. Augustine), the French vessel hastened to the River May to notify Ribault, who was at Fort Caroline while all of this was going on. When the facts were related, Ribault immediately held a council of war. He favored attacking the Spaniards by sea immediately, but Laudonniere opposed the plan on the ground that it was the season of sudden storms and he thought it would be wiser to repair the fort and await an attack by the Spaniards. Most of the officers agreed with Laudonniere. Ribault, however, held to his decision and ordered the ships prepared for battle. The largest ship, the Trinity, flagship of the fieet, having outsailed the rest had not yet returned to the river and the attack was to be made without her. All of the fighting men that had just arrived together with the able-bodied of Laudonniere’s force were ordered aboard. On September 10th, the fleet sailed from the 12 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA River May on the mission of a sudden attack upon the Spaniards. Laudonniere remained at Fort Caroline. Ribault’s fleet soon arrived off St. Augustine, having been joined by the Trinity in the meantime. While the decks were being cleared for action the wind died down into a complete calm—it was the calm before a hurricane. When the wind came again it grew rapidly into a gale from the northeast and Ribault’s ships were driven southward and scattered down the coast. Spaniards Plan Attack Rumors of a French settlement in Florida reached Spain through the court of France. These rumors were verified by a report from Havana in an account of the mutineers from Fort Caroline that were captured, who in order to save them- selves divulged the secrets of the French fort on the River May. * Spain claimed Florida by right of discovery and ex- ' ploration and she seems to have had a good title to it through Ponce de Leon, Narvaez, De Soto and other voyagers. This settlement on the River May incensed the Spanish king as a foreign settlement within his dominions and he determined to get rid of it. France and Spain at that time were not at war. Religion furnished a good pretext and a safety-valve for the Spanish king to act and still keep official peace with France. A royal decree was granted Pedro Menendez to fit out, mostly at his own initial expense, an expedition designed to destroy the French colony or drive the Frenchmen from the shores of Florida. Such an expedition could not have been placed in better hands for its success, as Menendez had shown before that he was fully capable of performing the acts with which he was charged — the brutality that the spirit of the age in which he lived characterized as the high- est order of heroism and religious duty. It was a peculiar coincidence that Menendez arrived in sight of the Florida coast on the same day that Ribault’s fleet dropped anchor at the mouth of the River May, and the same day, too, that Laudonniere was hoisting sail to leave the shores of Florida. Menendez sailed along the coast and anchored off what is now St. Augustine. Here he learned from the Indians of the situation of the French; but to satisfy himself he went with five of his ships up the coast AT, tar a it eprreie” > aie nl a + cy. ake ta pee: D * : thie vl ¥, in | - * oe, - ne a ie .". > & ' wl : ve : vee * eh - tee. ded ait ee om ers oe! : ae : ae P Siley Ale. naa. 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These were the ships that chased the French out to sea. He had set about fortifying the place, which he called St. Augustine, and was so engaged when Ribault’s fleet appeared off the harbor. He saw the French ships driven southward and speculated as to their return. He called his officers in council and laid before them a plan to attack the French fort by land before the French vessels should return. His officers, as in the case of Ribault, opposed the plan; but Menendez was determined, and on the 16th of September he marched with a force of 500 men to attack Fort Caroline. Indians did not take part in this further than acting as guides. The tempest had not ceased; rain fell in torrents, and it was only after the severest hardships that the Spaniards reached the vicinity of Fort Caroline after sunset of the 19th. Coming to a pine grove, they camped at a low, wet place one-quarter of a league from the fort; here Menendez assembled his captains in council. Drenched and hungry with their powder wet and useless the Spaniards debated the advisability of making an attack on the French fort. Menendez was practically alone in an unswerving desire to attack the fort, his captains opposing it and sug- gesting the return to St. Augustine and the abandonment of the expedition. The council lasted until the early morning hours, and the will of Menendez prevailed. *'The place where the Spaniards camped that night and the fate of Florida was sealed is easily recognized today. The road skirts it just before the climb to St. Johns Bluff com- mences. It is a natural depression surrounded by hills, about three-fourths of a mile (approximately one-fourth of a league) southeast of the site of Fort Caroline—the only situation of that kind anywhere in the locality. Before dawn, September 20th, the Spaniards began to move closer to the fort. They had marched only a few hun- dred yards when amidst the rain and tempest, and the tangled underbrush, the columns became separated and Menendez called a halt. He interrogated a Frenchman (one of Laudon- niere’s mutineers) whom he had brought with him. The Frenchman told him that “right over there, down below, three arquebus shots away, was the fort, one side of which was washed by the waters of the river.” Nothing could be clearer than this description recorded by Meras, which con- 14 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA firms all of the other eye-witness descriptions that the fort was at the water’s edge. Fort Caroline Captured At dawn the Spaniards were on the high ground over- looking Fort Caroline. The break of day revealed no activity of any sort; Fort Caroline was sleeping, 240 people, less than thirty of whom knew the use of arms. Women and children, the sick and the weak, artisans and servants — these were the people that remained with Laudonniere when Ribault’s fleet departed. The damage done the fort in anticipation of its abandon- ment had not been fully repaired. The Spaniards rushed down the slope into the fort and committed an indiscrim- inate slaughter. Some of the French were slain in their beds; others half awake and bewildered met the same fate upon reaching the courtyard. Women as they knelt in supplica- tion and prayer, and little children were put to death. In the confusion a few Frenchmen escaped and among these was Laudonniere. The deed was finished in less than an hour and not a Spaniard had been killed and only one slightly wounded. Menendez, it seems, was not at the fort when the carnage commenced, having remained on top of the hill; but hearing the commotion at the fort he ran down to it and observing that his soldiers gave no quarter he ordered them in a loud voice to kill or wound no woman, or boy under 15 years of age, by which order 70 persons were saved. * About a month after the capture of Fort Caroline, Menen- dez reported to the King that he still held these captives and that it caused him deep sorrow to see them among his people. Their ultimate fate is unknown. Laudonniere, Le Moyne (an artist), and Challeaux, with 23 others, after suffering untold hardships in the marshes as they tried to reach the mouth of the river, were finally rescued by two small vessels belonging to the French, the Pearl and the Grayhound. In these they hastily set sail for France. The Pearl arrived in France, but the Grayhound with Laudonniere aboard reached port at a place in Wales. Thence Laudonniere went to France and reported fully re- garding the destruction of Fort Caroline, but the news was received with indifference at the French court. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 15 “Not as Frenchmen, But as Lutherans.” * The familiar statement that Menendez hanged a num- ber of Frenchmen and placarded them with a sign signifying that he hanged them not as Frenchmen, but as Lutherans, is omitted here as history. So far as known no eye-witness re- corded the incident of the placard. The account first appeared in print in 1566 and apparently originated in France as prop- aganda to arouse the feelings of Protestants in connection with an effort to raise funds for the support of the widows and orphans of Huguenots murdered by Menendez in Florida. That some of the Huguenots were hanged is true, for Menen- dez mentions the fact in his report to the king,f and along with them two Englishmen that Hawkins had left at Fort Caroline to assist Laudonniere; but he does not mention the placard nor does Meras who recorded the details of the affair with a candor that would certainly have included this incident had it occurred. Fate of Ribault Ribault’s fleet was buffeted by the tempest and then wrecked along the coast above Canaveral. Practically all of the Frenchmen reached the shore in safety, where they seem to have gotten together in three separate parties. The two farthest north attempted to reach Fort Caroline by march- ing overland; but that farthest down the coast decided to fortify and await developments. Three days after the capture of Fort Caroline, Menendez, leaving a garrison of 300 men there, returned to St. Augus- tine with the balance of his force. Soon after his arrival the Indians came in with reports of the wrecks below. He knew that they were the French and he set out to finish the job begun at Fort Caroline. A party of the French had marched to Matanzas Inlet, where their progress was stopped. Me- nendez appeared on the opposite side. A parley ensued and the French surrendered, understanding that their lives would be spared. On the pretext that he had but few soldiers with him and these might easily be overpowered, Menendez required the French to cross the shallow body of water in a small boat in parties of ten. As each came over it was marched back into the palmetto scrub out of sight. There, September 29, 1565, the shipwrecked and defenseless Frenchmen were tied to- +Menendez to the King: “Unwritten History of Old St. Augustine,” Brooks and Averette. 16 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA gether in pairs with their hands behind their backs and fiendishly put to death with axe, halberd or sword. After it was over Menendez returned to St. Augustine. On October 12th, Menendez was at the same spot on the same mission, as reports had reached him through the Indians that another party of Frenchmen was there. Ribault was with this party. Precisely the same procedure as in the former instance was carried out. Ribault was among the last to come over; he was struck in the back with a dagger and fell to the ground, where two or three blows ended his life. Meras, brother-in-law of Menendez, was an eye-witness and he recorded the details of this horrible butchery; there is evidence that he, personally, delivered the dagger thrust in- to the back of Ribault. Menendez in time reached the last party down the coast. Upon his approach some of these Frenchmen fled to the Indians and their ultimate fate is not clear. Of those that surrendered, a few were taken to St. Augustine as slaves. Huguenot Ring The following letter from Mrs. W. H. Adams, of Atlantic Beach, Fla., gives the circumstances of the recovery of an extremely valuable relic connected with Fort Caroline, found in an Indian mound near Pablo Beach a few years ago by Elbridge Gerry Adams: Atlantic Beach, Fla., December 12, 1924. Mr. T. Frederick Davis, Jacksonville, Fla. My dear Mr. Davis: In reply to your note regarding the old ring in my possession, the circumstances connected with finding the ring were these: My son, Gerry, found the ring while digging in an Indian mound near Pablo Beach about 1911. He, in company with several other boys, was digging for pottery and such things. They had been digging in a large mound, when Gerry found a small mound nearby and began digging into one side of it. It was here that he found the old gold ring. I kept the ring, but did not pay much attention to it until the Ribault monument was unveiled by the D. A. R. near Mayport last spring, when I recognized the similarity of the markings on the monument shield to those on the ring. I would be glad to show you the ring should you care to see it. Very sincerely, Juliette Holt Adams. Mg hi ; ” a ; PA Pn . Aub ix 7. ' ~ = y a 4 a : / a | OS a Te oe nits Se oe! ee, 7 ; ' a ae ens 16 Pi fa ai ¢ [ ty en ee ee oo F bs Te A SI a ee ‘ " ’ =. es : a ‘\ , 4 ” _ > ~ x, P a a : \ a) F a ' ie ; P = ; , ‘ g y y 4 : rs - , + ~~ ‘ P Ai ge F s . tl i 14 ¢ ix- * , a Py ’ i] 2 P+ Ms - 7 J se | : js . velo’ & a i ; A] ] 4 a4 ;: x \f 1 a ie 2 - a P ; m fir Bee : : 4 ba ‘ C2 { J ‘ }' ed . P @ ". = : ‘ ‘i Ly a if a i rst | é . S) ‘ Pod lie ht oe ra bl a $ P eas ‘gtialtitwrata 2 oon Pe Anil 4 i tes * i‘ ae ae, ithe ee f a A — ; ¢ f ee ae ek ~ as ; wl DLC enter Seomnty) alt wa Sg Pp ee ae oe 4 Ny wad ee ee ' a ¥ 7 sa 7 > - A ear) ries pee ’ : aa ee o na ' . V4." fen gh Cs History of Jacksonville, By T. Frederick Davis. HUGUENOT RING Greatly enlarged from an original negative. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 17 The ring is a band of about 10-kt. gold of uniform thick- ness throughout. Measured by the modern jewelers’ scale the size is 614, which is the size for a medium finger; the weight is 1 dwt. The emblems are apparently hand-carved. The single fleurs-de-lis are simply cut into the band, while the figures in the medallions stand out upon a battered sunken field within the oval. The accompanying illustration shows the emblems on the ring, which appear uniformly all the way around the band. There is no inscription inside the band. * The certain authenticity of this find makes it at once a most interesting subject, and being a ring the imagination nat- urally drifts into all kinds of romance about it. There is of course no record of how the Indian gained possession of the ring. It may have been given to him as a present. Maybe it was taken from the finger of a Frenchman slain at Fort Caro- line, or from that of one of Ribault’s men as he lay upon the blood-soaked sands of Matanzas. But that it originally be- longed to a Huguenot of Fort Caroline there is scarcely a doubt, for the fleur-de-lis, emblem of France when the Hu- guenots came to Florida indelibly connects it with the time when the Lily of France was banished from Florida by the Lion of Spain in their struggle for supremacy.t San Mateo Fort and River The capture of Fort Caroline having been achieved at the time of the festival of Saint Matthew, Menendez renamed the fort San Mateo and the river Rio de San Mateo. The contingency, fire, that Laudonniere had so carefully guarded against happened to the Spaniards eight days after they had captured the fort. Through the carelessness of a soldier all of the houses and the wooden part of the fort were burned. The fort was rebuilt on the same site. Menendez afterward built two small forts or observation posts on opposite sides of the river below the great fort, as San Mateo was called. There is evidence that Menendez soon attempted to force the removal of Chief Saturioua to the north side of the river on account of which it is not surprising that he incurred the enmity of the neighboring Indian tribes. About this time a missionary, Don Martinez, and three attendants were mur- dered by the Indians when they landed on Fort George Island. ~~ $The Huguenot flag bore three golden fleurs-de-lis, frequently referred to as the Lilies of France. ‘the Spanish flag of the period was quartered, showing in gold the Castle of Castile and in red the Lion of Leon. 18 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Menendez led a detachment of 70 men against this chief, but without success. The soldiers could not now venture far beyond the protection of the forts without being harassed by the Indians and within a year fifty or more, including a number of officers, were killed. The same spirit of mutiny that took hold of the French arose among the Spanish garrisons. On one occasion all but twenty of those in the forts on the San Mateo determined to leave and were aboard a vessel ready to sail when Menendez arrived from St. Augustine. He induced thirty of them to remain, put them on a boat and ordered them to St. Augus- tine; but on the way they were attacked by the Indians and most of them killed. The mutineers sailed and were wrecked on the lower Florida coast where they fell into the hands of the Indians of that section. At the end of 18 months conditions in Florida were grow- ing from bad to worse; supplies and recruits were slow in coming from the West Indies and the dissension of the colonists was growing. Menendez therefore decided to go to Spain and make a personal report in the interest of the Florida colony. He sailed in the spring of 1567, and remained in Spain a year. During his absence there occurred at the mouth of the River San Mateo (St. Johns) the most spec- tacular incident of them all. Retribution of Dominic de Gourgues The court of France, anti-Huguenot in sentiment, ignored the popular clamor for retribution for the outrages perpe- trated against Frenchmen in Florida. Observing that the slaughter of his countrymen would likely go unavenged and believing that the honor of France demanded a retributive measure, Dominic de Gourgues, a soldier of fortune, took up- on himself the responsibility of a private enterprise against the Spaniards in Florida. Selling his own estate and borrowing from his friends, De Gourgues managed to finance the building of three vessels especially equipped for the enterprise. His fighting force comprised about 100 soldiers armed with arquebusses and 80 mariners with cross-bows and pikes; there were also a number of persons unskilled in arms, but seeking adven- ture. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 19 De Gourgues left France August 22, 1567, sailed to Africa, thence to the West Indies, and reached the River May (St. Johns) at Eastertide, 1568. In passing by the mouth of the river he received the salute of the Spanish posts and returned it to keep his identity secret. He came to anchor in the St. Marys River, called the Somme by the French. The Indians soon gathered and an alliance was quickly made with them for an attack upon the Spanish forts. Several days were required to perfect the plans. A youth, Pierre Debre, who had escaped from Fort Caroline and was afterward found and kindly treated by the Indians, was brought in and his services as interpreter were invalu- able. On the Saturday morning following Easter, De Gourgues with his whole force, except 20 left to guard the vessels in the St. Marys River, and a great number of Indians were concentrated in the woods behind the fort on the north side of the river. * Circumstances point almost without the slightest doubt to Pilot Town as the location of this fort. The attack was made in the forenoon. Captain Cazenove with a company was ordered to set fire to the gate, while the main forces attacked from the rear. A guard happened to mount a platform just at this moment, noticed the French and sounded the alarm. He fired a culverin twice and was loading it for a third shot when he was killed by an Indian. By this time the French and the Indians were inside the fort. Not a Spaniard escaped; of the 60 in the fort, 45 were killed, and 15 captured and reserved for another fate. The garrison in the fort across the river, seeing the com- motion, opened a cannonade, which the French replied to by turning the guns of the captured fort to bear upon the other. Haste was necessary to intercept the garrison on the south side of the river before it should reach the great fort San Mateo (at St. Johns Bluff). Captain De Gourgues with 80 soldiers entered a boat that had come around into the river by prearranged plan and crossed over to the south side below the second fort. The Indians swam across in great numbers, holding their bows and arrows above their heads with one hand and swimming with the other. The garrison fled, but not in time to escape, for when they got to the woods they found themselves cut off and partly surrounded. All were slain except 15 reserved as before. 20 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA * The second fort was on the point where the river turns at Mayport. The Spaniards evidently held back for a time before leaving the fort, which gave De Gourgues time to cross the river and station himself in the woods around the property known as “Wonderwood.” The French removed the articles of value from this fort and sent them across the river. Then they crossed over themselves, with their captives and their Indian allies. De Gourgues wished to obtain more accurate information about the great fort before attacking it. He learned from one of the prisoners that it contained about 250 men, well armed and supplied, and this information was substantiated by a spy sent from the great fort, who had been captured by the Indians and brought in. De Gourgues decided to make the attack at once, although it could not be made as a surprise, for the Spaniards had already gotten wind of the attacks on the small forts. In the night he sent the Indians to con- ceal themselves in the woods behind the great fort and await the signal for attack. Early the next morning he crossed the river with all of his force, except a few left to guard the prisoners, and finally attained the eminence (St. Johns Bluff) overlooking the fort—the same position from which Menendez on that fatal morning two and a half years before observed Fort Caroline. | De Gourgues saw a reconnoitering party of 60 Spaniards leave the fort and march toward his position, whereupon he sent Captain Cazenove around to come up in their rear and cut off their retreat. This maneuver was carried out un- observed by the Spaniards, who continued toward De Gourgues’ position on the hill. When they were close, De Gourgues advanced with his whole force. The Spaniards broke and fled, but Cazenove had cut off their retreat and all were slain without quarter. The balance of the garrison in the fort got a glimpse of what was taking place in the woods on the slope of St. Johns Bluff and in their consternation the number of the French was greatly magnified. Becoming demoralized they sought escape through the woods behind the fort; here they ran in- to the Indians, who attacked them with the greatest fury. The French soon joined the Indians in the work of extermina- tion. Only a few Spaniards escaped; most of them were slain | HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 21 on the spot, but some were captured and held for a specific purpose. De Gourgues marched his prisoners to a suitable spot, where he lectured them, reciting the details of the slaughter of his countrymen by Menendez. Then they were hanged from nearby trees. On a tablet of firwood he wrote with a searing iron, “I do not this as unto Spaniards nor Mariners, but as unto Thieves, Traitors, and Murderers,” and placed the placard beneath the victims as a message to the Spaniards that he knew would come from St. Augustine after his departure. * Menendez was in Spain at this time. Had he been in Florida it is possible that he might have been on a visit to San Mateo and fallen into the hands of the Frenchman, in which event the history of that Spaniard’s life without a doubt would have closed right there. The Indians would have found a great deal of pleasure in it too, for, as Bancroft says, they unquestionably enjoyed seeing their enemies butcher each other. The necessity of destroying the fort was now explained to the Indians and they set about the work with such zeal that San Mateo was razed in one day. The French removed the cannon and small arms to two boats that lay off the fort, but the ammunition was lost as the result of an accident. An Indian while boiling his fish set fire to a train of powder laid by the Spaniards, by which the ammunition house was blown up; from this other houses caught fire on their thatched roofs and were quickly destroyed. With the demolition of the other forts and the hanging of the prisoners held at the first fort, De Gourgues consid- ered his object accomplished. He sent the ordnance taken from the forts around by boat and set out with his diminu- tive army over the route by which he came. He found his vessels on the St. Marys in order and on May 3d hoisted sail and headed for home, where he arrived at Rochelle on the 6th of June, 1568. News of the disaster in Florida reached Spain while De Gourgues was still at Rochelle receiving the congratulations of his admirers and friends. A Spanish squadron was sent to capture him there, but he moved to another port before its arrival. A price was put upon his head. The Spanish king made representations to the French court and De Gourgues 22 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA was forced to seek safety in concealment; he remained in retirement ten or twelve years, idolized by a large portion of the French people. The account of this expedition to Florida given in Champ- lain’s ““Voyages” closes in these terms: A generous enterprise, undertaken by a gentleman, and executed at his own cost, for honor’s sake alone, without any other expectation; and one which resulted in obtaining for him a glory far more valuable than all the treasures of the world. Dominic de Gourgues was easily the most spectacular figure in Florida’s early history. *De Gourgues’ life was filled with wild adventure staged in the remote parts of the world as known in his time. He was in the armies of different princes for many years. He was in command of a company that was cut to pieces near Sienna and was there captured by the Spaniards. They put him in a galley as a galley slave, and while serving in this capacity he was captured by the Turks and so used by them on the Mediterranean. The galley in which he was serving was eventually restored to the French and De Gourgues re- turned to France. He then made a voyage to Africa, Brazil, and the South Seas, from which it is said he returned with considerable wealth. Upon his return from this voyage he learned of the massacre of the Huguenots in Florida. There had been published in France a tract entitled “Supplication of the Widows and Children of those Massacred in Florida”, cal- culated to rouse feeling to a high pitch. As a patriot De Gourgues felt the honor of his country was at stake, and as a man his fiery nature burned for an opportunity for revenge for the ignoble treatment of himself by the Spaniards. These united motives urged him to the chivalrous undertaking against the Spaniards in Florida—un-Christian it may have been, but intensely dramatic. Religion, however, played no part in it, for De Gourgues himself was a Catholic. He emerged from the retirement following the Florida enterprise to accept appointment as commander of the high seas fleet; on his way to assume command he contracted a sickness from which he never recovered. He died in 1582. The history of a city includes the record of the locality before the city was founded and these stirring scenes at the mouth of the St. Johns River therefore are properly in- cluded as the first chapter of Jacksonville’s history. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 23 Why Are We Sleeping? *From Maine to California in the schools of every city and hamlet of the nation where American history is taught, children recite in a word or two the events that occurred in the vicinity of St. Johns Bluff recorded in this chapter. They know that perhaps the destiny of a continent was settled somewhere in Florida, but they do not know that it was any- where near Jacksonville, nor that here the first white women and children landed in the territory now the United States in the first really substantial attempt at permanent coloniza- tion, and that here according to a record inference the first white child was born—the first Protestant white child born in North America. They do not know that the first battle in- North America between white races was fought at Fort Caro- line. But they do know all about Jamestown and Plymouth rock and a good deal about the missions of California. Thou- sands of people visit those places every year for no other reason in the world than for their historic interest. The Daughters of the American Revolution, on May lI, 1924, unveiled near Mayport an enlarged copy of the marker placed by Ribault at the mouth of the river in 1562, and which was undoubtedly destroyed by the Spaniards upon the capture of Fort Caroline in 1565. This is the only effort that has been made to commemorate any of the events of history along the St. Johns River between Jacksonville and the sea, Bibliography, Chapter I Ribault and Laudonniere both deseribed their first voyage to Florida. Their ac- counts have been preserved in English translations, the best of which perhaps is Jared Sparks’s “‘Life of Ribault’ (1848). Laudonniere, LeMoyne (an artist), and Challeaux, all of whom escaped from Fort Caroline when it was captured by the Spaniards, wrote of that affair. Meras, brother- in-law of Menendez, likewise an eve-witness, recorded the massacre of the Huguenots in minute detail; the full translation of his memorial will be found in Jeannette T. Connor’s work, ““Menendez de Aviles’ (1923). De Gourgues left a manuscript description of his voyage to Florida. The American historian Bancroft had an authentic copy of it. English translations from source material were made by Hakluyt and published during the closing years of the 16th century. Ternaux-Compans preserved them for the French in the same way, 1841. The Virginia Historical Society in its “Early Voyages to America” (1848) condenses much of this matter. Le Moyne’s forty-odd drawings visualize a great deal around Fort Caroline not gained from the written sources. Chapter I of this history is based on these sources, with observations by the author (indicated), who made a careful personal survey of the topographical features in relation to the record accounts. The illustrations of this chapter were prepared especially for this history. 24 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER II THE COW FORD Menendez left Spain on his return voyage to Florida about the time De Gourgues sailed out of the St. Marys and headed for home; they passed somewhere on the broad At- lantic, one sailing westward and the other eastward. It is not difficult to imagine the fury that shook the frame of Menendez when he arrived at St. Augustine and learned what had taken place at the mouth of the San Mateo during his absence. Nevertheless, he set to work rebuilding the large fort and again garrisoned it, but never afterward with as many men as were there at the time of the Frenchman’s attack. The small forts destroyed by De Gourgues do not seem to have been rebuilt, though maps of a later day show other posts along the river. Following the tragic scenes when French and Spanish fought for the possession of Florida, a long period elapsed before events having a direct bearing on this immediate vicinity again shaped themselves to become recorded his- tory. It was a sort of inactive interim in local history, be- tween the long ago and the beginning of development attend- ing the actual English occupation in 1764. However, during this period there were occasional forays between St. Augus- tine and the English settlements to the north in which English, Spanish and Indians took part. War parties now and then camped for awhile on the bluff that sloped down to the river at the foot of our present Liberty and Washington Streets. In Spanish times this bluff was described as impos- ing and timbered with live-oak, palm (palmetto), and wild orange. At the foot of Liberty Street there was a rather bold spring of clear, good water,* (an outcropping, perhaps, of the stream that is known at the present day to underlie the surface in that section of the city). Back from the river a short distance stood a small Indian village.¢ *QOne of the earliest Spanish maps shows an Indian village here called Ossachite. This liquid Indian name, Os-sa- chi-te is the earliest record of a name applying to the local- ity of Jacksonville. It was a Timuqua village of probably not more than half a dozen houses thatched in the Timuqua style, as shown by Le Moyne’s drawings. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 25 Indian Fords and Trails The Indians had fording places at different points along the river. It is not known what they originally called these fords, but with the introduction of cattle into the country the name “Wacca Pilatka” was applied, signifying a ford or place where the cows crossed over. Thefirst English name for the vicinity of Jacksonville was ‘‘Cow Ford,” and it was often referred to by that name even long after Jacksonville was founded. One of the most popular fords along the St. Johns was at this point—from the foot of our present Liberty Street to a point on the south side of the river directly opposite. A Timuqua trail led up from the lower east coast through the New Smyrna district, on to St. Augustine and thence to the Cow Ford (South Jacksonville and Jacksonville). On this side of the river it took a northwesterly course through a black-jack ridge where Hemming Park is now and there branched, one trail leading northwesterly and the other on toward the west.” The westerly trail crossed the sand hills (for a long time called Trail Ridge) that divide the waters of Black Creek from those of the St. Marys River; leading around the head branches of the San-ta-fee; joined the old De Soto trail near where the railroad crosses the Olustee, which led to the Suwanee; near the upper mineral springs, and westward to Alapaha, Aucilla, Micasuki, and Tallahassee, towns of the Apalachees. The Jacksonville-Lake City highway follows closely the route of this trail.? The northwesterly branch led to the St. Marys River to a point opposite where Colerain, Ga., afterward stood.» In the course of time these Indian trails grew into a beaten track through the forest. The pack-ponies of the traders followed them; then came the ox-carts of a later day, following the course of least resistance. Thus a kind of high- way evolved as a natural consequence of the matchless judg- ment of the Indian in picking the easiest route. Great Britain Acquires Florida The English captured Havana from Spain in 1762. By the treaty in 1763 England acquired Florida in exchange for Havana. The English took actual possession in 1764, when practically the entire Spanish population departed. 26 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA English Land Grants About 1765, the Marquis of Hastings secured a British grant on the north side of the St. Johns comprising 20,000 acres along the river from Trout Creek to the mouth of Maxtons (McGirts) Creek, including the present site of Jack- sonville. There is no record of a settlement on this land dur- ing the English occupation. The Marquis of Waterford secured a grant, also of 20,000 acres, on the opposite side of the river between Pottsburg Creek and Julington Creek, in- cluding the site of South Jacksonville. This tract was de- veloped in the vicinity of the ford. Bartram visited the Cow Ford in 1774, and he noted in his book that a ferry for cross- ing the river was in operation (for travelers) and near it was an indigo plantation from which he procured a sailboat for a trip up the river. The St. Johns country was highly advertised in England for a time, stress being placed on the profitable cultivation of the indigo plant here. There were several English planta- tions along the river above the Cow Ford. What we now call Ortega was settled by Abraham Jones under an English patent of January 12, 1770, granting him 2,000 acres of land ‘Gn our province of East Florida, situation the neck or point of land between St. Johns River and Maxtons Creek, known by the name of Maxtons Creek Island. Bounded South and Southeast by vacant lands; West and Northwest by Maxtons Creek, and Eastwardly by St. Johns River.” Jones built his house half a mile above where Maxtons Creek emptied into the river. About the year 1780, Colonel Daniel McGirts was living on this tract, which was then called McGirts Place and Maxtons Creek was called McGirts Creek.¢ Kings Road The English had not been long in Florida when they set to work making a highway out of the old trail leading to the St. Marys River. They started at New Smyrna; thence to St. Augustine; to the Cow Ford; to the St. Marys at Colerain, and on into Georgia. All land travel between the northern Colonies and East Florida came down over this route and consequently through the sites of Jacksonville and South Jacksonville. Kings Road today follows the original route. *O[[TAUOSHILL YSnoIYy) peoy ssuryy Oy} JO o}nOI oy} JO suOTPdIJ9SIp OyNUTUE Ja] $19]7}98 A[IEI JOyY}IO pus “UIMP[eg °S “y “1d 938A °C “I 6 ss ee YINILY SVHON 2G SINCE YIKaPI4s £ EF Ls a ee - FTP“ANOSNIVL fo KU OLSVE —— Le Q Le: is ATVIANOSHOVE HONOUHL AVOX SON AO ZLNOD 28 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The Spaniards Return Interest in Florida by England waned when the tide turned against her in the war of the Colonies for independ- ence, in which Florida did not join. In 1783, England ceded Florida back to Spain, in a ridiculous exchange for several unimportant islands. The Spaniards returned to Florida in 1784, and practically all of the English left. The British land grants reverted to the Spanish crown, but the agreement in- cluded a provision that the British settlers should be remu- nerated for their lands. The English estates on the St. Johns were abandoned and remained vacant for some years, falling into rapid decay.? Mcintosh and the Spaniards About the year 1790, John H. McIntosh, of Georgia, arrived in the vicinity of the Cow Ford. Here he was ap- pointed to some office by the Spanish governor, but he does not seem to have obtained an actual grant of land. McIntosh apparently was a turbulent man of restless and reckless dis- position and it is not surprising that he and the Spaniards eventually clashed. The result was that he was arrested for intrigue in 1794 and sent to Havana, where he was confined for a year in Morro Castle. After his release from prison, he returned to Georgia, gathered together a band of adventur- ers, and swept down upon the Spanish post (San Nicholas) at the Cow Ford. This he destroyed, together with the “Boats of the Royal Domain” on the river.e McIntosh and the Spaniards seem to have patched up their differences, however, for some years later he was again living in the vicinity of the Cow Ford engaged in the exportation of lumber on a large scale and incidentally living like a lord. Prior to 1800, there were bona-fide settlers in the vicinity of the Cow Ford, regardless of the fact that this locality had by that time become the stamping ground of many undesir- ables—criminals from the States, slave catchers, ruffians, and banditti of varied kind. This was a condition that gave the Spanish governors a world of trouble and there were fre- quent exchanges of charges and counter-charges by Span- iards and Georgians which resulted in a sentiment that awaited only a pretext for an armed invasion of Florida. It came in 1812. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 29 Patriot Revolution Prior to the declaration of war between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, the United States Congress in secret sessions as early as January, 1811, considered seri- ously the question of seizing Florida although it was a pos- session of Spain, on the pretext that in the event of war the English might use it as a base of operations. There followed a chain of correspondence between the United States Secre- tary of State and the Governor of Georgia on the subject and instructions were finally issued by the government, with the consent of the President (Madison), for emissaries to proceed to Florida and try to procure its cession to the United States by peaceable means if possible, and failing in this they were to use their own judgment in the matter.‘ The outcome was an armed invasion of East Florida by Georgians ‘“un- Officially” supported by United States regulars, accompanied by an uprising of Americans living in northern Florida. This armed attack upon the Spaniards is usually referred to in history as the “Patriot Revolution” in Florida. General Matthews, of Georgia, to whom this delicate task of taking Florida over had been entrusted, found no difficulty in enlisting volunteers for an invasion of Florida. The first attack was upon Fernandina, which they captured without bloodshed. Eight armed United States sloops co-operated, and on the following day United States forces took posses- sion of Fernandina and raised the American flag over the fort. This was in March, 1812, and war with Great Britain was not declared until the following June. Without the pre- liminaries usual to the establishment of governments, the Patriots at once set to work organizing a government of their own for Northern Florida, elected John H. McIntosh (the same McIntosh of Cow Ford fame) director-general, ap- pointed judges and established a legislature./ It proved to be a paper government and never functioned. The next move of the Patriots was against St. Augus- tine, the Spanish capital of East Florida. They marched 300 strong to a point near the town and encamped. Here they were joined by a detachment of United States regulars. The Spaniards mounted some cannon on a schooner and shelled the camp, forcing the Americans to retreat. The Patriots retreated to the Cow Ford and established their camp. The United States troops remained in the vicinity of St. Augus- 30 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA tine until a detachment was attacked near twelve-mile swamp by a body of negroes sent out from St. Augustine and several killed, when they too retreated, first to a block- house near where Bayard is now and then to the St. Johns./ An outstanding feature of the Patriot invasion was a campaign against the Indians of central Florida by Colonel Daniel Newnan and a battalion of Georgia volunteers. The experience of this battalion was remarkably similar to that of Major Dade’s command 23 years later, except that Major Dade’s perished and Colonel Newnan’s escaped. Considerable history is given in Colonel Newnan’s official report of this expedition and for that reason is here published in full.f The report was addressed to the governor of Georgia. The parts in parentheses are explanatory insertions by the author: New-Hope, St. Johns, Oct. 19, 1812. Dear Sir: I have now the honor of transmitting to your excellency an account of the several engagements which have taken place between the Lotchaway and Alligator Indians, and the detachment of Georgia volunteers under my command. As the object of this expedition, and the views of the persons engaged in it, have been misconstrued, and misstatements, relative to its protraction circulated, I ask the indul- gence of your excellency to detail every transaction from its commence- ment to its termination. I arrived upon (the) St. Johns, in obedience to your orders, about the 15th of August (1812) with the whole of my detachment, consist- ing, including officers, of about 250 men, and with few on the sick report. [ immediately waited on Col. Smith (U. S. A.) before St. Au- gustine, and received orders dated the 21st of August, to proceed immediately against the hostile Indians within the province of East Florida, and destroy their towns, provisions and settlements. I then returned to the detachment upon the St. Johns, and made every prep- aration to comply with my orders, by dispatching parties to procure horses from the few inhabitants that had not fled from the province, in preparing packs and provisions, and taking every step which I deemed necessary to insure success to the enterprise. In consequence of the sickness of myself and nearly one-half of the detachment, the period of our marching was delayed until the 24th of September (1812); and when just upon the eve of departing, an express arrived from Col. Smith informing me that his provision wagons and the escort was attacked by a body of Negroes and Indians, and ordering me to join him immediately with 90 men, and bring all the horses and carriages (any wheeled vehicle) I could command, for the removal of his baggage, field-pieces, and sick, he having only 70 men fit for duty. I marched to the relief of the colonel with 1380 men and 25 horses, and assisted him in removing to the block-house upon Davis’s creek (near HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA al Bayard). This service delayed for a few days our expedition to the (Indian) nation; and when the detachment again assembled upon the St. Johns, and were about to commence to march, the men had but six or seven days to serve. About this time I received a letter from Col. Smith, advising me to propose to the detachment an extension of their service for 15 or 20 days longer, as the time for which they were engaged was deemed insufficient to accomplish any object of the ex- pedition. This measure I had contemplated, and its sanction by the colonel met with my most hearty approbation; for I was unwilling to proceed to the enemy’s country with a single man, who would declare that, in any event, he would not serve a day longer than the time for which he had originally volunteered. I accordingly assembled the detachment, and after stating the necessity of a tender of further service, proposed that the men should volunteer for three weeks longer; when 84 men, including ofiicers, stepped out and were enrolled, which, with the addition of 23 volunteer militia sent to my aid by Col. Smith, and 9 patriots under the command of Capt. Cone, made my whole force amount to 117. With this small body, provided with four days’ provi- sions and 12 horses, I was determined to proceed to the (Indian) nation and give those merciless savages at least one battle; and I was embold- ened in this determination by the strong expectation of being succored by a body of cavalry from St. Mary’s, and which it has since appeared did assemble at Colerain (Ga.), but proceeded no farther. On the evening of the 24th of September (1812) we left the St. Johns, marching in Indian file, Capt. Humphrey’s company of riflemen in front, Capt. l’ort’s company, under the command of Lieut. Fannin, in the center, and Capt. Coleman’s company, with Cone’s detachment, under the command of Lieut. Broadnax, in the rear. A small party marched in front of the main body, and another in the rear, the open- ness of the country, except in particular places, rendered it unnecessary to employ men upon the right and left. Our encampment at nights, there being three companies, was in the form of a triangle, with the baggage in the center, the men with their clothes on, lying with their icet pointing cutwards, and their firelocks in their arms. In case of attack, the officers were instructed to bring up their companies upon the right and left of the company fronting the enemy, and attend to the Indian mode of fighting until ordered to charge. In case of meeting the enemy upon our march, Humphrey’s company was instructed to file off to the right, Fort’s company to advance and form to the front in single rank, end Coleman’s company to file off to the left; the whole then to advance in the form of a crescent, and endeavor to encircle the enemy. On the morning of the fourth day of our march, when within six or seven miles of the Lotchaway towns (near Newnan’s Lake, Alachua County), our advance party discovered a party of Indians marching along the path meeting us, and at the same moment they appeared to have discovered us. As soon as I was informed of it, I lost no time in 32 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA giving the necessary directions for the companies to advance, and obey the instructions which had been previously given to them, and which appeared exactly suited to the situation in which we found the enemy. As soon as Fort’s company, at the head of which I had placed myself, had advanced to the proper ground, I discovered the Indians falling back, and making every preparation for battle, by unslinging their ' packs, trimming their rifles, and each man taking his place. We con- tinued to advance, taking advantage of the trees in our progress, until we were within 130 yards of the Indians, when many of them fired, and I immediately ordered the charge, which drove them from behind the trees, and caused them to retire with the greatest precipitation; our men all the while firing at them, slew several, and by repeated charges drove them half a mile, when they took shelter in the swamp. It unfor- tunately happened, I presume through inadvertence, that Humphrey’s company in filing to the right took too great a circuit, got a small swamp between them and the enemy, and thereby rendered the victory less decisive than it would have been had the whole charged together, and before the Indians had dispersed themselves and extended their force, which they soon did, nearly half a mile up and down the swamp. The company, however, was of service afterwards in preventing the enemy, after their dispersion, from entering our camp, retaking their © baggage and provisions, all of which fell into our hands, or falling upon the wounded, that had been sent to the rear. The action, including the skirmishing upon the flanks, lasted two hours and a half, the Indians frequently attempting to outflank us and get in our rear, but were repulsed by the companies extending to the right and left. We had one man killed and nine wounded, two of which have since died of their wounds. The loss of the enemy must have been considerable. I saw seven fall to the ground with my own eyes, among whom was their king, Payne; two of them fell near the swamp, the rest our men had the curiosity to scalp. The rifle company on the right and Broadnax’s on the left, speak of killing several near the swamp, who were borne off by their comrades, it being a principle among the savages to carry off their dead at the risk of their lives. We remained on the battle ground watching the movements of the Indians, who were near the swamp painting themselves, and appeared to be in consultation, all of which indicated an intention to renew the combat. Accordingly a half an hour before sunset, having obtained a considerable reinforcement of Negroes and Indians, from their towns, they commenced the most horrid yells imaginable, imitating the cries and noise of almost every animal of the forest, their chiefs advancing in front in a stooping serpentine manner, and making the most wild and frantic gestures, until they approached within two hundred yards of us, when they halted and commenced firing. Our men were not to be alarmed by their noise and yells, but as instructed, remained per- fectly still and steady behind logs and trees until the enemy by this forbearance had approached somewhat nearer, when a brisk and well- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 33 directed fire from our line soon drove them back to their original ground. I would now have ordered the charge, but being under the necessity, from the extension of the enemy’s line, of detaching nearly one-half of my force to protect our camp and wounded, the assailing of which is a great object with Indians, I was left to contend with a force three times as numerous as my own. The action lasted until eight o’clock (in the evening), when the enemy was completely repulsed in every attempt whether made upon our centre or flanks. We had two men killed and one wounded; the enemy carried off several of their men before it was dark—after which all firing, of course random, was at the spot from whence the flash arose. After fighting and fasting the whole day, we had to work through- out the night, and at daylight had a tolerable breastwork of logs and earth, with port holes, on the ground on which the battle was fought. We were reduced to this necessity, for in dispatching Capt. Whitaker about dark to the St. Johns for a reinforcement, six more men took the liberty to accompany him, taking with them our best horses; our pilot and surgeon, who was sick, was among the number. The two days succeeding the battle, we neither saw nor heard anything of the enemy, but on the evening of the third day they com- menced firing at our work at a long distance, and renewed it every day for five or six days, but without killing or wounding any of our men. After killing two or three of them through our port holes they seldom came within gunshot. Seven or eight days had now elapsed since our express had left us, hunger was staring us in the face, and we were now reduced to the necessity of eating one of our horses; we had no surgeon to dress the wounded, and apprehensions were entertained that the enemy would receive reinforcements from Augustine or the Maka- sukie Indians. Expecting relief every hour, I was unwilling to leave our breastworks while we had a horse to eat, but I understood from some of my officers that a certain captain was determined to leave us with his company, and that many of the men, giving up all hopes of relief, talked of deserting in the night rather than perish, or fall a sacrifice to the merciless Negroes and Indians, whom they were taught to believe would surround us in great numbers in a few days. In this trying situation, when our few remaining horses were shot down by them (the Indians), and the number of our sick daily increasing, 1 reluctantly assented to leave our works that night, and directed the litters to be prepared to carry the wounded. About 9 o’clock we commenced our distressing march, carrying five wounded men in litters and supporting two or three more. We had not proceeded more than eight miles, when the men became per- fectly exhausted from hunger and fatigue, and were unable to carry the wounded any farther. About two hours after we left our breast- works, 25 horsemen, with provisions, arrived to our relief, on a different road from the one we had taken, but, from motives best known to themselves, instead of following us,.returned to the St.. Johns, and we ” 34 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA were left to encounter new difficulties, two men that I had dispatched on the path the horsemen came, by some means or other missing them. We again constructed a place of defense, and I dispatched Sergeant- major Reese with one private to Picolata, to learn what had occasioned the delay of our expected supplies, and told him I should remain where I was until I could hear from him, and endeavored to procure cattle, as we discovered signs of their being near us. The evil genius of Captain again prevailed, and I have since learned from Captain Cone, that this person instigated not only him, but many of the privates to urge a departure from our works even in the day time, when I was convinced that the Indians knowing our weak situation would endeavor to ambuscade. This gentleman, if innocent, will have an opportunity of proving himself so before a court-martial. With a burning fever on me and scarcely able to walk, the march was ordered about three o’clock in the afternoon. I had directed the adjutant, Captain Hardin, to march in front, to avoid all places where there could be an ambuscade, and the litters should be distributed among the dif- terent companies. Being extremely weak, 1 marched in the rear with Captain , who carried my firelock, Lieut. }annin, and about fif- teen or twenty privates. We had scarcely marched five miles before the front of the detachment discovered the heads of several Indians on both sides of the path, from among several pine trees that were laid prostrate by the hurricane; the same instant, the enemy fired upon our advanced party, and shot down four of them, one, a Spaniard, died on the spot, and two survived a few days; my negro boy was one of them. ‘Lhe moment I heard the firing I ordered the detachment to charge, and the Indians were completely defeated in fifteen minutes, many of them dropping their guns, and the whole running off without ever attempting to raily. lk our were left dead on the field, and I am convinced from the constant fire we kept up, that many more must have been slain, but were hid from our view by the thick and high palmetto bushes. We lay on the battle ground all night, and started next day at 10 o’clock, marched five miles and again threw up breastworks between two ponds, living upon gophers, alligators and palmetto stocks, untii Sergeant-major Reese arrived with provisions and 14 horses, when we were enabled to proceed to the St. Johns with all our sick and wounded, where a gun-boat (schooner) by the direction of Colonel Smith was in waiting tor us, which conveyed us to his camp, where we met with every attention that humanity or benevolence could bestow. I cannot refrain from expressing the high sense I have of the care and anxiety which Colonel Smith has manifested for the detach- ment under my command, and his promptitude in affording every aid in his power, when apprised of our situation. My pen can scarcely do justice to the merits of the brave officers and men under my command, their fortitude under all their privations and distresses never forsak- ing them. Captain Hamilton, who volunteered as a private, his com- pany having left him at the expiration of their time; Lieutenant Fannin, HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 35 Ensign Hamilton, and Adjutant Hardin distinguished themselves in a particular manner, being always among the first to charge, and first in pursuit; Sergeants Holt and Attaway likewise acted very bravely, and lI olk’s company in general, being always near me, and under my immediate view, advanced to the charge with the steadiness of veterans. Lieutenant Broadnax showed a great deal of courage and presence oi mind, and Ensign Mann who was wounded in the first action fought well. Captain Cone who was wounded in the head early in the action behaved well and Lieutenant Williams did himself great honor in every action, but particularly in the bold and manly stand he made in the night engagement. Sergeant Hawkins and Corporal Neil of Coleman’s company acted like soldiers, and Sergeant-major Reese’s activity was only surpassed by his courage; he was everywhere and always brave. Captain Humphrey’s company acted bravely, particularly Lieutenant heed, Sergeant bields, Sergeant Cowan, Sergeant Denmark and many of the privates. I can only speak of Captain Humphrey from the report of some of his men, who say he acted well; it so happening he never met my eye during either of the engagements, while the conduct of every other person that 1 have mentioned, except one or two, came under my personal observation. ‘The number of Indians in the first engagement, from every cir- cumstance that appeared, must have been trom seventy-five to a hun- dred; in the second engagement, their number, including Negroes who were their best soldiers, was double ours, and in the third engagement there appeared to be fifty, which was nearly equal our force, after deducting the sick and wounded. From every circumstance, I am in- duced to believe that the number killed and wounded among the Indians must be at least fifty. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your most obedient servant, DANIEL NEWNAN. His excellency David B. Mitchell. The star of fortune shone over Colonel Newnan’s battal- ion, for its escape was miraculous. There are some interest- ing inferences in this report besides the fighting: What is meant by “scalping the Indians out of curiosity” is not clear; maybe it was a custom, for in a later private letter Colonel Newnan stated that Zephaniah Kingsley’s house on Fort George Island was “handsomely decorated with Indians’ scalps.’’f The flag of the United States flew by the side of the Patriot flag on Spanish soil for a year. When the U.S. troops were withdrawn in the Spring of 1813, the Patriot bands disintegrated rapidly, but not before they had pillaged and destroyed a great amount of property in this section. 36 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The Patriot Bannert *The design of the Patriot flag was: Field, white; figure, a soldier in the act of charging bayonet; inscription, “Salus populi lex suprema” (Safety the supreme law of the people). Thus another banner was added to the array of flags signify- ing actual or attempted possession that have flown in Florida in times past. The country between the St. Johns and the St. Marys Rivers did not enjoy a lengthy peace after the departure of the “‘Patriots.”” A peculiar chapter in Florida’s varied his- tory was written here when an attempt was made to organize the “Republic of Florida” based on the American system, but under the jurisdiction of the Spaniards—a form of compro- mise between the Spaniards and the settlers in this section. The republic functioned under this system for a year or two and really bore the imprint of law and order. Trouble again arose, however, when M’Gregor and his so-called ‘‘Cartha- genians” or “Venezuelan Patriots” took possession of Fer- nandina and turmoil continued until the negotiations of the United States for the acquisition of Florida were begun. Fort San Nicholas An early Spanish map indicates a block-house or a Span- ish post on the south side of the river in the vicinity of the present South Jacksonville. Thenceforth its history is lost, but it was probably the parent of the post that later became known as San Nicholas. There is no record to indicate that the English had a garrisoned post at this point. When the Spaniards returned in 1784, they reestablished the military post under the name San Nicholas. The history of Fort San Nicholas was an exciting one. McIntosh destroyed it in 1796, and the Patriots doubtless did likewise in 1812. The post was temporarily abandoned in 1817 out of fear of an attack by the ‘‘Carthagenians”, who held Fernandina. During the last years of its existence it was maintained principally for the purpose of preventing smuggling, although the commanders seem not always wide- awake in this respect, according to an article written by Rev. +Described by G. I. F, Clarke in a letter written from Fernandina 19th March, 1812. —Fla. Hist. Society. ; 2 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 37 J. N. Glenn (a Methodist missionary at St. Augustine in 1823), as follows: “General (John H.) McIntosh told me once that he had two boatloads of cotton that he had raised up the St. Johns River (probably at Ortega) that he wished to pass the Span- ish post at Cow Ford without paying the Spanish duties. Accordingly he approached the officer in command on the subject. Just then the boats hove in sight coming down the river. The commander put up his spy-glass and remarked, ‘There is too much cotton to let it pass’. The General gave him a doubloon. He put the coin to one eye and the spy-glass to the other and said, “Too much yet’. The General gave him another doubloon. He then put a doubloon to each eye and said, ‘I see no cotton now’.’’s (Francis 8.) Hudnall acquired the land on which the old fort stood, even while a part of it was still in existence. He leveled the timbers for use on his farm.+ The fort was en- closed by an excavation 100 feet square. Mr. Hudnall built his house directly on the east side of the moat, and while excavating found a number of Spanish coins.’ The St. Johns River The Indian name for the St. Johns River as interpreted by the early Spaniards was “Illaka’’, meaning unusual, dif- ferent from any other, moves along with the south wind.‘ The French interpretation was “Welaka’”’, a chain of lakes. The former seems more in unison with the characteristic reasoning of an Indian. Ribault first saw the river on the afternoon of April 30, 1562, but he did not enter it until the following day, May Ist. From this fact he named it Riviere de Mai—the River May. The destruction of Fort Caroline by Menendez took place within a day of the festival of St. Matthew and in celebra- tion of the “victory” he named both the fort and the river San Mateo. The Spaniards later changed the name of the river to San Juan, and the English retained it as St. Johns. {The exact site of Fort San Nicholas was on the property used the Merrill-Stevens as a war-time shipbuilding plant, back from the river about 250 yards. 38 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Bibliography, Chapter II. aHistorical sketch in Jacksonville City Directory 1870, J. M. Hawks. bHistorical sketch in Jacksonville City Directory 1871, D. G. Ambler. cFrom the records at Tallahassee. dFairbanks’ History of Florida. eMemoirs of Florida, Fleming {Niles’ Register, Baltimore, Vol. ITI, 1812-138. gJacksonville Sun and Press, Aug. 11, 1877. hkColumbus Drew in Fla. ‘Times-Union, January, 1890. Florida and the South, Brinton, 1869. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 39 CHAPTER III SPANISH LAND GRANTS In the 198 years that Spain governed Florida prior to the English occupation she made no attempt whatever to induce settlement from the outside; but following its re-possession in 1783, the Spaniards inaugurated an entirely different policy in this particular. Under Royal Decree of 1790, it became only necessary for the applicant to set forth his de- sires in a memorial to the governor asking for lands to the amount permitted according to the number of his family and his slaves, the location desired being named in the memorial. The usual reply of the governor to these applications was: “Let the lands asked for be granted without injury to a third person.’ It was done in one of two ways: By Grant, which gave title of absolute property to the petitioner; or by Con- cession, the terms of which included a provision of some sort, such as requiring the land to be kept under cultivation usually for a period of time designated by Spanish law. The treaty for the transfer of Florida by Spain to the United States was ratified in February, 1819, and the actual change of flags took place in July, 1821; grants of land made during this interval under the Donation Acts of the U. S. Congress were designated Donations. *The acquisition of Florida by the United States was not through direct purchase from Spain. The treaty was drawn around a claim clause of the United States and its citizens against the Spanish government for alleged damages for vari- ous reasons. The United States agreed to cancel its claims and assume the payment of those of its citizens to not exceed- ing $5,000,000, in consideration of which Spain ceded Florida. The interest accumulating upon these claims eventually amounted to $1,489,768. Therefore Florida cost the United States $6,489,768, but Spain did not get a dollar of it. After the formal transfer of Florida in 1821, Congress passed what were known as the “Land-Grant Acts”, provid- ing for the appointment of commissioners to investigate and confirm legitimate claims for title under Spanish grants and concessions. These commissioners were usually called the land-grant commissioners and will be referred to by that 40 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA name hereafter. Those for East Florida sat as a Board at St. Augustine, and the records indicate that their proceed- ings were painstaking and thorough; their awards are upheld by the courts of this State and are the base titles to property here. Robert Pritchard, 1791. (Jacksonville) Robert Pritchard on January 3, 1791, procured a conces- sion from Governor Queseda of 450 acres of land situated on the north side of the River San Juan opposite the post of San Nicholas. A regular survey was made and Pritchard took possession immediately, erected buildings and planted crops. He died a few years later, but his heirs, through authorized agents, continued the cultivation of the tract. One of these agents was John Joseph Lain, who cultivated and lived on the land afterward granted to Mrs. Purnal Taylor and which is now included in the plat of Jacksonville.« When the “Pa- triots” arrived in 1812, the Pritchard lands were permanently abandoned. Robert Pritchard was the first white settler on the site of Jack« sonville. John McQueen, 1792. (Ortega) , A survey was made of “San Juan Nepomuceno” by Pedro Marrot on January 14, 1792, for John McQueen, to whom it had been conceded by the Spanish governor. The survey comprised 3,274 acres lying along both sides of McGirts Creek (including all of Ortega and the west side of McGirts Creek nearly to Big Fishweir Creek). On February 27, 1804, John McQueen received title of absolute property to this tract and in March of the same year (1804) he made a sale to John H. McIntosh, which was duly authorized and re- corded. The land-grant commissioners confirmed the title to McIntosh.¢ In an agreement (May 26, 1836) among the heirs of John H. McIntosh, Sr., his daughter, Catherine A. Sadler, was awarded “McGirts Point’, which at that time was called “Ostego”. From Mrs. Sadler the title next appears in Austin D. Moore and Asa Moore. The executors of the estate of HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Al Austin D. Moore with Asa Moore transferred the tract (De- cember 9, 1857) to John P. Sanderson. The heirs of John P. Sanderson (February 26, 1902) through a New York trust company transferred it, excepting one or two small parcels, to the Jacksonville Ortega Town Company, a New Jersey corporation headed by Wilkinson Call, for $40,000. The Jack- sonville Ortega Town Company (February 20, 1906) trans- ferred these holdings to J. R. Dunn. J. R. Dunn (March 15, 1906) to D. H. McMillan, Trustee; D. H. McMillan, Trustee, etc. (May 10, 1906) to Ortega Company, a Florida corpora- tion headed by J. N. C. Stockton,° by whom the tract was platted and put on the market as building lots. William Jones, 1793—William Hendricks, 1797. (South Jacksonville) One William Jones, February 14, 17938, obtained a Spanish grant comprising 216 acres situated on the south side of the River San Juan at the Cow Ford. South Jacksonville now occupies this tract. Jones’s land was confiscated for rebellion against His Spanish Majesty.¢ It is not known with cer- tainty what the trouble was, but we may make a pretty safe guess that when McIntosh made his raid on Fort San Nich- olas and the Boats of the Royal Domain about 1796, William Jones, living nearby, was involved in that affair, and if so, the Spaniards had a perfect right to confiscate his land. On May 18, 1797, this land was re-granted to William Hendrix (Hendricks) of North Carolina. Isaac Hendricks, son of William Hendricks, came down and occupied it, built houses and cultivated the tract for many years. It was con- firmed to Isaac Hendricks by the land-grant commissioners. On February 11, 1823, Isaac Hendricks conveyed the tract to his son, William I. Hendricks, as a “Gift of Love and Affection”. William I. Hendricks transferred it to his mother-in-law, Elizabeth (Hudnall) Hendricks, April 27, 1852, except 10 acres that had been sold to Sadler and Halli- day and 714 acres sold to George Stone.¢ After the War Between the States Harrison Reed bought a considerable portion of the old Hendricks plantation and platted it as South Jacksonville. The remainder was platted in 1882 by Elizabeth Hendricks and named Oklahoma. 42 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Philip Dell, 1801. (Brooklyn and Riverside) On February 11, 1801, Philip Dell secured a concession from Governor White of 800 acres, extending along the river- front from the mouth of McCoys Creek to a point about half way between Barrs and King Streets—the bend in Riverside Avenue between these streets is where the line cuts through. It embraced the present Brooklyn and Riverside sections. For many years the tract was known as “Dell’s Bluff” and was often referred to in the records by that name.” The Dell Bluff tract was acquired by John H. McIntosh January 11, 1805. Title was confirmed to him by the land- grant commissioners. John H. McIntosh on October 4, 1823, deeded it to Francis J. Ross. Ross gave Joseph B. Lancaster a quitclaim deed to these 800 acres, December 6, 1833, the consideration mentioned being $2,000. Lancaster held it a little more than ten years, selling only six acres in the mean- time, three of which were sold to Blanchard & Rider for a mill site at the mouth of McCoys Creek; on May 1, 1844, he deeded the remainder back to Francis I. (J.) Ross, the consideration being $2,500. Francis J. Ross conveyed it to William B. Ross March 24, 1845, and William B. Ross sold it to James Winter February 6, 1847. Winter died in possession of the property and his estate descended to his heirs. On April 23, 1866, Uriah Bowden bought a portion of these lands from the com- missioners of the Winter estate. Miles Price finally acquired the bulk of the Winter estate, and on June 8, 1868, he con- veyed 500 acres to E. M. Cheney¢ in trust to be conveyed to John M. Forbes (a Boston millionaire) for $10,000 in gold.’ The property was platted for Forbes into lots February 1, 1869, and named “Riverside”, provision being made for a park of 14 acres, now Riverside Park.¢ John Jones, 1801—Isaac Hendricks, 1804. (LaVilla) Under date of February 11, 1801, John Jones obtained a concession of 350 acres in a triangular tract on the north side of the River San Juan beginning at the mouth of McCoys Creek and lying north of it. Jones seems to have forfeited his title to this tract, for it was re-ceded to Isaac Hendricks by the Spanish governor in February, 1804, and on Septem- ie HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 43 ber 28, 1816, Isaac Hendricks received title of absolute prop- erty to the same from Governor Coppinger. In presenting his claim to the land-grant commissioners Isaac Hendricks exhibited the original patent to Jones and also produced a deed from Jones’s heirs to himself. The commissioners con- firmed the title to Hendricks. Isaac Hendricks had in the meantime given the property to his wife, Catherine Hen- dricks, by a Deed of Gift. The confirmation was for 500 acres, bounded south by McCoys Creek, East by the Taylor Grant, Northwest by public lands.¢ After Mrs. Hendricks, the title appears in Rebecca Jones (who later married Calvin Reed). Rebecca Jones on October 21, 1831, sold the east half of the tract, 250 acres, afterward known as East LaVilla, to John W. Richard. Richard on July 26, 1836, deeded an undivided one-half interest in 249 acres of this tract to Adin Waterman, Trustee for Lydia V. Pinkston, wife of Milo K. Pinkston, in accordance with a pre-marriage agreement between Lydia Waterman and Milo Pinkston, whereby certain property was required to be placed in trust for the sole and separate use of Lydia. Then began a series of amusing transfers. and inter-transfers, and after traveling around for several years the title came back to Adin Water- man, Trustee for Lydia V. Pinkston, safe and sound; and in another chain also the half interest of John W. Richard, amounting in all to 225 acres. Adin Waterman, Trustee, etc., under power of attorney from Lydia V. and Milo K. Pinkston, transferred the property on January 15, 1842, to Rev. James McDonald,° who was then the pastor of the Baptist Church in Jacksonville. The chain of title to West LaVilla was not so complicated. Calvin and Rebecca Reed deeded the 250 acres July 29, 1839, to J. W. Richard. Three days afterward (August 1, 1839) Richard quit-claimed to John Warren. On March 19, 1842, John Warren deeded these 250 acres to James McDonald.¢ Rev. McDonald had acquired East LaVilla the previous Janu- ary and thus nearly all of the original grant was brought together under single ownership. Mr. McDonald disposed of these holdings in 1851. On Jan- uary 28, 1851, he sold 350 acres to Samuel Spencer, and the remainder February 1, 1851, to Rev. Joseph S. Baker, who had succeeded Rev. McDonald as the Baptist pastor in Jack- sonville. Mr. Baker acquired Samuel Spencer’s interest June dd HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 9, 1851, and the property was again brought together under one ownership.‘ Rev. Joseph 8S. Baker held the tract until after the war when he sold the bulk of his estate to F. F. L’Engle and others and the property was subdivided and much of it incorporated in the Town of LaVilla. It has been published that when Mr. Baker bought the McDonald farm his son, J. McRobert Baker, remodeled the McDonald home and named the plantation LaVilla. He built a school house on the land and named it LaVilla Institute. This school continued until the beginning of the War Between the States.’ Robert Hutcheson, 1815. (Willowbrook Park Section and Ingleside) Robert Hutcheson (often spelled Hutchinson in the rec- ords) on December 12, 1815, obtained a Spanish grant com- prising 150 acres on the northwest side of the River San Juan, described by surveyors’ measurements. The tract was nearly square and had a river frontage extending from a point between James and Cherry Streets to about Donald Street. It lacked only a few hundred feet of adjoining the Dell tract on the east. Robert Hutcheson died in possession of the property. His widow, as administratrix, sold the land (together with the Hutcheson concession adjoining on the southwest, see page 48) to Dr. Whipple Aldrich, October 25, 1830. Dr. Aldrich conveyed to William McKay March 19, 1886. Mr. McKay died in possession, and in settlement of his estate, this property was sold, his heirs joining in quit- claim deeds, to Francis D. Scarlett March 2, 1850. Francis D. Searlett sold it April 11, 1850, to Elias G. Jaudon. Elias G. Jaudon sold a part of the original grant (it is the grant and not the Hutcheson concession that we are tracing here), lying mostly east of Willow Brook to Ewell Jamison. Elias G. Jaudon and wife on May 15, 1869, deeded the remaining part of the grant south of Willow Brook (and a narrow strip of a few acres of the concession joining on the south) to Sarah J. McKinlay, their daughter, as her proportion of the estate. This “Gift of Love and Affection” to Mrs. McKinlay is now Ingleside and Pinehurst. The records do not indicate why the narrow strip of a few acres was included. Maybe some interesting little cir- cumstance was involved, possibly of a topographical nature. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 45 George Atkinson, 1816. (Shadow Lawn, Arden, Fishweir Park) George Atkinson, on February 22, 1816, obtained a con- cession from Governor Coppinger of a tract of land lying along but mostly north of Fishware (Big Fishweir) Creek. Two years later Robert Hutcheson obtained a concession embracing lands adjoining his (Hutcheson’s) grant. When the survey of the Hutcheson concession was made it was found that it included lands claimed by Atkinson. A con- troversy arose between Hutcheson and Atkinson in regard to the “over-lap” and it was taken to the courts. The land- grant commissioners confirmed the over-lap to Hutcheson,’ and a court decree in December, 1829, did likewise and estab- lished the line. There was no question about the other lines of the Atkinson concession and the land commissioners con- firmed to him that portion outside of the over-lap. Accord- ing to the survey it contained 219 acres. *From the decision of the commissioners and the court, Atkinson had no legal claim to the over-lap. If he really needed more land the opportunity for securing it was knocking at his southern door, for there was an unclaimed stretch along the riverfront between his land and that of McQueen (McIntosh) equal in size if not greater than the part in controversy that he no doubt could easily have acquired under the Donation Act. The controversy between Hutcheson and Atkinson started in Spanish times. Atkinson owned the tract for a great many years and died in possession. It was deeded to Fannie L. Fehrenbach No- vember 25, 1881, by Henry Young, executor of the estate of George Atkinson. Mrs. Fehrenbach platted the property in 1882¢ and put it on the market in acreage tracts. This is now Shadow Lawn, Arden, and Fishweir Park. Maria Taylor, 1816. (Jacksonville, west of Market Street) During the “Patriot” troubles a Spanish subject named Purnal Taylor was killed in a skirmish with a scouting party of the “Patriot” army in the inland passage to Fernandina. His widow, Mrs. Maria Taylor, afterward petitioned the Span- ish governor and was granted 200 acres of vacant land on the 46 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA north side of the River San Juan, opposite Fort San Nicholas. A copy of the land-grant to Mrs. Taylor follows :¢ (Translation) Don Jose Coppinger, lieutenant colonel of the royal armies, civil and military governor pro tem., and chief of the royal finance in the city of St. Augustine, Florida, and its province: Whereas by royal order of the 29th of March, 1815, his majesty has been pleased to approve the gifts and rewards proposed by my predecessor, the Brigadier Don Sebastian Kindelan, for the officers and soldiers both of the line as well as the militia of the said province, who contributed to the defense of the same at the time of the rebellion, being one of said rewards, the partition of lands in proportion to the number of family each individual may have, That Dona Maria Suarez, widow of Turnel (Purnal) Taylor, having presented herself soliciting the quantity she, her deceased husband, children and slaves were en- titled to, on account of the said husband being killed in the attack made by the enemy upon the river St. Johns during the insurrection in this province, as she has proven by certificate, then was granted by my decree on the 12th of the present month two hundred acres of land on the opposite side of the military post of St. Nicholas, on the river St. Johns, at the mouth of the creek known as McCoy’s Creek, bounded on the west by the plantation of John Jones and on the other sides by vacant lands; ail conformable to the regulation established by this gov- ernment for the partition of lands and the number of persons and slaves her said family is composed of, as is set forth in the proceedingss insti- tuted by the above-mentioned Dona Maria Suarez, on file in the govern- ment notary’s office. Given under my hand and seal and countersigned by the under- signed notary of the government and royal finance, in the city of St. Augustine, Florida, September 18, 1816. JOSE COPPINGER. By order of his Excellency, Juan de Entralgo, etc., etc., etc. The award of the land-grant commissioners confirming the original title in Hogans (Taylor) was made April 26, 1824,7 almost two years after the town of Jacksonville had been surveyed and founded. J. D. Hart eventually got hold of all of the Taylor grant, excepting ten acres. In 1821 he bought 18 acres in the southeast corner nearest the ford; this tract was later included in the original survey of Jack- sonville. On July 10, 1831, he acquired another section of the Taylor grant; May 28, 1834, another; and April 15, 1836, all of the remaining portion,” except the ten acres referred to above. The boundaries of the Taylor grant as filed with the HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 47 land-commissioners were: North by public land; South by River St. Johns; West by lands formerly granted to John Jones (the Hendricks grant); East by lands granted to Maestre.2 Juan Maestre, 1816 (Jacksonville, east of Market Street) Juan Maestre (referred to in English as John Masters), a “Skipper in the Boats of the Royal Domain’, representing himself as being in straitened circumstances, petitioned on November 18, 1816, for 100 acres of “vacant hammock lands on the north side of the river St. Johns, opposite the battery of St. Nicholas”. The Spanish governor ordered that Maestre’s petition be granted and it was done on December 13, 1816. He was granted only 50 acres, however, as that was all he was entitled to under the Spanish law,? but the land actually granted was increased by subsequent surveys to about 80 acres.’ His land was bounded East and North by Hogans Creek, West by the Maria Taylor grant, and South by the River St. Johns. It was surveyed February 21, 1817, by George I. F. Clarke.¢ On June 21, 1820, Maestre sold the tract to John Brady for $200. Brady conveyed it John Bellamy January 27, 1823, after Jacksonville had been founded and some lots had been sold. I. D. Hart got control of John Bellamy’s interest July 26, 1826, but he did not get title by conveyance from Bellamy until May 4, 1836. On December 18, 1836, for $1100, I. D. Hart conveyed his right, title and interest in this property to William J. Mills, in trust for Mrs. Maria Doggett.« Daniel Hogans, 1817 (East Jacksonville, Fairfield) Daniel Hogans, under date of March 18, 1817, obtained a concession from Governor Coppinger of 255 acres, situated on the north bank of the St. Johns River, nearly opposite the battery of San Nicholas, and east of Hogans Creek. Daniel Hogans conveyed this land to E. Hudnall November 11, 1818, the consideration named being $330.2 On May 10, 1838, Elizabeth Hendricks (widow), formerly the widow of E. Hudnall and holder of the title to the Daniel Hogans tract, conveyed the property to Rev. David Brown (who at that time was rector of St. Johns Church in Jacksonville, 48 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA and editor of the Jacksonville Courier newspaper) ; the con- sideration named in this transfer was $700. David Brown, on October 18, 1849, sold to John Brantly and Mrs. P. W. Bryant (afterward Mrs. George Houston), jointly, for $500.¢ Mr. Brown seems to have lost money in this deal, if the con- sideration given in the deed, $500, was the full selling price. John Brantly and Mrs. George Houston in January, 1850, reached an agreement for the division of the property, the transaction being properly drawn up and recorded. Both Brantly and Houston began to sell parcels to different par- ties, some for saw-mill sites and others for other purposes.’ Robert Hutcheson, 1818 (Avondale, Ribault Place, Ingleside Heights) Robert Hutcheson (often spelled Hutchinson in the rec- ords) on January 9, 1818, obtained a concession from Gover- nor Coppinger of 350 acres bounded Northerly by his (Hutcheson’s) grant of 1815, Easterly by St. Johns River, Southerly by George Atkinson’s lands, Westerly by vacant land. (This is the property involved in the “over-lap” con- troversy described on page 44.) The land-grant commis- sioners approved Hutcheson’s claim to this property June 17, 1824.2 Robert Hutcheson died in possession, and Eliza- beth Hutcheson, his widow, executrix under his will, sold both the grant and the concession to Dr. Whipple Aldrich, October 25, 1880. Grant and concession both trace through the same chain to Elias G. Jaudon, namely, Whipple Aldrich to William McKay, March 19, 1836; to Francis D. Scarlett, March 2, 1850; to Elias G. Jaudon, April 11, 1850.¢ Elias G. Jaudon died in possession of the concession in 1871, except the narrow strip along the northeasterly line previously deeded to his daughter Sarah J. McKinlay. His will provided that the property, then known as “Magnolia Plantation”, be divided equally among his wife and four children, naming them. This was done March 10, 1872, by three regularly appointed commissioners. The division was platted as Lots 1 to 5 inclusive, and assignment made :¢ Lot 1, Jane I. Jaudon; Lot 2, Laura A. Weeks; Lot 8, Mary E. Duffie. Avondale and Ribault Place are subdi- visions of these lots. Lot 4, Thomas H. Jaudon. Ingleside Heights is a part of Lot 4. Lot 5, Ella L. Jaudon, now subdi- vided into building lots. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 49 John R. Hogans, 1820 (Springfield) During the latter part of the year 1820, John R. Hogans settled on land north of Hogans Creek, and under the Dona- tion Act received title to 640 acres. This is called Hogans’s Donation. He conveyed these 640 acres to W. G. Dawson July 24, 1823.2 On February 3, 1829, I. D. Hart, ex-officio administrator of the estate of W. G. Dawson, deceased, con- veyed the tract to John Warren. John Warren conveyed it to I. D. Hart October 25, 1829. Hart sold it to Thomas G. Saunders in 1846. On September 9, 1847, Thomas G. Saun- ders conveyed it to Adeline Jones.¢ *Adeline Jones was the daughter of John Middleton and Captain Middleton bought this property for her for $450 in gold. On August 4, 1849, Adeline and husband sold 50 acres _for $50 to E. A. DeCottes; this is now Hansontown. In 1867, 4 acres were sold to Frank Franklin (colored) for $100; now ealled Franklintown.g With the above exceptions Hogans’s Donation descended to Eliza Jones (afterward Mrs. W. M. Bostwick), daughter of Thomas W. and Adeline Jones. The bulk of it was sold to the Springfield Company in 1882, and by that company platted into lots.¢ The name Springfield was given to the section north of Hogans Creek about 1869, it is said by C. L. Robinson, and the name was really suggested by a spring of good water located in a field through which West Fourth Street would now pass.é Along the Riverfront When the United States acquired Florida (1821) the en- tire riverfront on the north side from Commodore’s Point to Ortega was held under Spanish grants or concessions, ex- cept for two little breaks. There was a gap about as wide as a city block at the foot of King Street where the Dell and the Hutcheson lands failed to meet; and another of a few hundred yards south of Fishweir Creek between the Atkin- son and McIntosh (McQueen) lines. Elsewhere in this locali- ty on both sides of the river and in the back country were other grants and concessions and donations, but those traced here have the most important bearing on the built-up por- 50 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA tion of the city. The chain of title to these is remarkably complete, especially for the early times, when the filing of a deed was considered a matter of no vital importance, as a transfer of land then became a matter of public knowledge. Sometimes deeds were held for years before they were re- corded. Bibliography, Chapter III aAmerican State Papers, Public Lands, Vol. IV; bBill of Complaint in suit to quiet title; cTitle abstracts; fNewspaper account; gMrs. W. M. Bostwick; Florida Reports, Vol. V, p. 216; Vol. VI, p. 483; Vol. XIV, p. 162. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 51 CHAPTER IV JACKSONVILLE FOUNDED First Settlers Robert Pritchard, as has been noted, was the first white settler on the site of Jacksonville when he established him- seif here in 1791. Whether the overseers cultivating the land for the Pritchard heirs joined the Patriots in 1812 or were driven off by them is not known. The grant made to Mrs. Maria Taylor in 1816 comprised a part of the land formerly occupied by Pritchard. Mrs. Taylor married Lewis Zachariah Hogans shortly after she procured the grant, and they at once began building a home. About Christmas time (1816) they moved across from the south side of the river and occupied their new home. The house was built of logs, but it was larger and more carefully constructed than the usual log cabins of that day. It stood near the northwest corner of Hogan and #orsyth Streets, partly in Forsyth Street, immediately west of the present Duval Hotel. Hogans cleared a field east of his house and fenced it; his eastern fence ran alongside a swamp, about where Laura Street is now. In the spring of 1817 he planted a crop from which he gathered in great abundance.? ‘The old Hogans well, situated where the U. S. Government building now stands, was a landmark remembered by citizens up to afew years ago. The log cabin gave way to a better house (frame) before the War Between the States. *L, Z. Hogans laid down his life in the Spring of 1837 in the war with the Seminoles. He left practically no estate. The grant made to Juan Maestre, also in 1816, joined the Maria ‘layior grant at what is now Market Street. Maestre took possession of his land in 1817 and built his cabin at what is now the southwest corner of Forsyth and Liberty Streets. It was a typical one-room log cabin. Maestre cleared a field and put in a crop in the spring of 1817, but he never gathered it. The “Carthagenians” took possession of Fer- nandina about that time, and fearing a repetition of the Patriot troubles, the Spanish garrison at San Nicholas and 52 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA — the Boats of the Royal Domain to which Macatvaye was at- tached, were withdrawn to St. Augustine. He therefore was taken away from his new home and lost his crop. Maestre never returned to the St. Johns.¢ John Brady arrived at the Cow Ford in the summer or fall of 1818, and occupied Maestre’s cabin, probably under some sort of rental contract, until June 21, 1820,when he ob- tained title to the grant by conveyance from Maestre. Brady fixed the cabin up, built an addition to it and erected a shed for a stable. He bought a dugout for the purpose of sculling passengers across the river, as he no doubt saw the need of a ferry and figured that it would increase his income. The cabin was on the side of the road near the ferry and travelers usually rested here and fed their horses, furnishing another means of revenue for the pioneer.” *John Brady moved to Alabama in February, 1823. The First Store Among the early travelers to the St. Johns country were two men from Georgia, William G. Dawson and Stephen E. Buckles, who foresaw that some day a town might be built at this point. They decided to remain and open a store; this was probably in 1819. They built a log house near the King’s Road (south side of Adams Street, about 150 feet from the southwest corner of Market) ; brought down a stock of goods by sailing vessel from New York, and opened a mercantile establishment.¢ This was the first store in this section of the country, and Dawson & Buckles worked up a good business. It was not what we usually picture as a general country store carrying all kinds of small articles; the stock comprised such goods as blankets, saddles and bridles, farming imple- ments, buckets, and the like. Sometimes the proprietors sold out of goods entirely, for transportation by sailing ves- sel was slow and uncertain, prohibiting the regulation of supply and demand.? . *Stephen E. Buckles returned to Georgia probably in 1822. William G. Dawson died in Jacksonville October 19, 1826; he was prominent as a man of affairs, and at his death owned the 640 acres now known as Springfield and other property of considerable value. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 53 Isaiah David Hart was the next settler at the Cow Ford; he came in January, 1821. Hart was not a stranger to this locality, for he was a Patriot of 1812. Accounts of the store that had been opened at the Cow Ford reached him while he was living on his farm near the St. Marys River; hearing of Dawson & Buckles’ success and that John Brady was doing well, he decided to move here and locate permanently.¢ On May 12, 1821, I. D. Hart bought 18 acres from L. Z. Hogans (bounded east by Market Street and south by the river), paying $72 for the 18 acres, it is said in cattle. He built a double log cabin (about where the Church club now stands, on the south side of Forsyth Street between Market and Newnan) ; brought his household goods here by boat and his family across country. Daniel C. Hart, his brother, came at the same time. First Hotel Up to this time, the traveler wishing to spend the night in the future metropolis of Florida, had a miserable exper- ience ahead of him.? John Brady was kind-hearted and of- fered such as he had, but his cabin afforded little that was inviting, and his guests usually slept under the trees with a saddle for a pillow. Often Dawson & Buckles came to the rescue by offering the use of the attic above the store, and occasionally in special cases spread stock blankets on the store-house floor for the comfort of some visitor. Dawson & Buckles were the first to see the need of better accommo- dations for those who wished to stay and see the country, and they built a frame house east of their store (at the south- west corner of Adams and Market Streets) for a boarding house. It was constructed of lumber sawed in a sawpit and was the first frame house in this section of the country. Upon its completion in 1821, its owners sent down to St. Johns Bluff for Mrs. Sarah Waterman to come and take charge. Upon her arrival the population of the settlement increased one hundred per cent, as she brought her four daughters and two young sons with her.¢ *They were Helen; Ann (married Joshua Hickman); Louisa (married Wm. H. Burritt); Lydia (married Milo Pinks- ton); Adin. The name of the other son is not known. Mrs. Waterman died Sept. 4, 1830. Adin and Lydia figured in the LaVilla land titles. 54 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Mrs. Waterman’s boarding house, called the “Inn”, was frequently mentioned in the newspaper (St. Augustine) ac- counts of the early court days in Jacksonville. A young bar- rister writing for the St. Augustine paper stated that he was glad to sit down to supper “at which a good-looking girl pre- sided.’’4 Joseph Andrews, brother-in-law of I. D. Hart, was the next settler to arrive at the Cow Ford. He built a frame house on what is now the south side of Adams Street, mid- way between Newnan and Ocean Streets.¢ This was the resident population when Jacksonville was founded. All resided within the limits of the town as later surveyed, except L. Z. Hogans. Jacksonville Founded, 1822 When the actual transfer of Florida to the United States was accomplished in July, 1821, travel from the States in- creased, and most of the land travel to East Florida came down over the Kings road and, consequently, to the settle- ment at the Cow Ford. I. D. Hart had not been here long when he conceived the idea of laying off a townsite. He experienced considerable difficulty in convincing his neighbor, John Brady, of the possibility of developing a town here; bur finally, though not enthusiastic about the matter, Brady con- sented to donate the land necessary for the streets. When all was in readiness for the survey, a question arose that nearly broke up the plan, for Brady and Hart could not agree as to the dividing line between their lands from which the survey was to begin. After considerable dispute they at last agreed to accept the claim of L. Z. Hogans that the corner tree stood on the river bank at the foot of the present Market Street, and the survey should start from there.¢ *There is a note in an old abstract that I have examined stating that this tree was a fine old bay. The naming of Bay Street may have been influenced by this fact. The town was surveyed in June, 1822, under the super- vision of three commissioners, residents of the neighbor- hood, namely Francis J. Ross, Benjamin Chaires and John Bellamy. The surveyor was D. 8S. H. Miller, who formerly was connected with the Spanish post San Nicholas as “Cap- tain of the Rural Militia of the St. Johns River, District of uy ; Sem ¢ LOY SA ie w ive ¥ bboy Be pecs Z ae soe ¢ Ve ar Deh SR Fadia: y! ceva Sy ante . Yi } Dd awe at n ¢ 4 ‘ i Way oy Ce } < ? . i ie a ; ay . ), af i = : i eS? é a as 7 -Y ‘ T ra ig. r ‘ee : ‘ 4 ie ‘tere ay > Pe va le mt ve ¢ oO. — Ane rh F ¥ “ap . ‘ ‘a ' f “N ‘ + . * : ? ae < 4 ’ é 2 ' Ae nl r i. 4 a . te a @ ‘ , . 4 y * seh ah ° 7 ek ed » 7 ale 5 : : r 1 *| > a ts ; n ’ } ' is 6 _ \< a) 5 1 > er * y Pm oe. cin! ° 4 * v a iar F , é ’ | P oe y A — ie, be * a 4 a re ‘ ’, _ é 5 @ A < - _-—s es ad i a ia, 3 (ty £ : » i 7 Y iF a8 , =e > 4 . a h ’ ‘ * * ’ ; ® PS we , } ' 4 ‘ + | OSS ae eee en eet re os. eee ~ VINA SNHOP LS — sa a ae pe ee mg reer eae ee SiO PACE ES eas ee TO eee Oe Z ee > ee 7 Veal ol Fe re! | [meee ie meraer et ae pene mong ee] EY Pee tee i le ee eee eee] | ek ee ELS AVY NVNMIN S77 90g Sao /l NOSMVO MO SMIAIGNY 3 a é 2 Q) S Q ALYTII/7 ELS: SWYVOV | LS FOYNO/WY ip fon 80 He Wiehe fon y= fd be ec8l NI GHAHAYOS ATIVNIDIXO SV ATIIANOSHOVE HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 55 San Nicholas, and Deputy Surveyor”. John W. Roberts acted as Clerk./ It was decided that there should be six lots, each 105 feet square, in each block—two lots adjoining north and south (210 feet), and three lots east and west (315 feet). The sur- vey began at the corner tree agreed upon and thence north- erly a street was surveyed, eighty feet in width, the proper- ty owners on each side donating 40 feet. This was Jackson- ville’s first street and was given the name Market Street, but why it was so named seems to have become a lost record. The next street laid off was Bay Street with a width of seventy feet. The first square designated and numbered was east of Market and north of Bay, and in compliment to Brady as the first settler present upon the land in that part of the survey, it was designated Square No. 1. The next square was across Market Street west of No. 1, and it was desig- nated No. 2. The square north of it was numbered 38; and east of that, 4. When the survey was being made of Square No. 1, it was found that Brady’s house would be in the street, according to the original plan; so another tier of lots was added on the east side of Square No. 1, making this square eight lots instead of six, but saving Brady from living in the middle of the street. Thus the tier of blocks between Liber- ty and Market Streets is composed of eight lots instead of Six. The survey was then extended to Square No. 5 east of No. 1, the King’s road leading north from the river between them. The street was named Liberty Street, but in the old records it seemed to have been occasionally called Ferry Street also. The square north of No. 5 was designated No. 6; north of that, No. 8; west of that, No. 7; and west of No. 7, No. 9. This was the surveyor’s wrong marking and was not cor- rected on the original plat.¢ From the survey of Square No. 9, the commissioners came back to Bay Street and ran off Square No. 10 west of No. 2; and north of No. 10, they surveyed Nos. 11 and 12, respec- tively. Again they came back to Bay Street east of Wash- ington Street and laid off Square No. 13 east of No. 5; and north of No. 18, they surveyed Nos. 14, 15, 16 in the order named. Then they turned west and surveyed Nos. 17, 18, 19, and 20. Here they stayed their work and never resumed it.¢ 56 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Town Named By unanimous agreement the town was named Jackson- ville, in honor of General Andrew Jackson, popular idol of that day in Florida. The name was suggested by John War- ren, a resident of the locality, but not of the town; he had served as a volunteer in the army of General Jackson during the Indian troubles in West Florida. General Jackson was not present when the town was surveyed, as some accounts have stated; in fact, there is no authentic record that he ever visited this part of Florida at all. | Street Names The streets named by the commissioners in 1822 still bear their original names. Market and Bay cannot be definitely traced as to their meaning. Liberty and Washington indi- cate the patriotism of the commissioners. Newnan was named for Col. Daniel Newnan, here with the Patriots and who made the famous campaign against the Indian King Payne in central Florida; and afterward was Inspector-Gen- eral of Georgia. Forsyth was named for General John For- syth, U.S. Minister to Spain, who conducted the negotiations for the acquisition of Florida. Adams Street was named for John Quincy Adams, then Secretary of State in President Monroe’s cabinet, and who had a great deal to do with the cession of Florida; Monroe Street for President James Mon- roe; and Duval Street for Governor William P. Duval, first civil governor of Florida. First Realty Transfer At the time Jacksonville was platted and named the town- site was in St. Johns County. Duval County was not created until two months afterward, or on August 12, 1822. Conse- quently, the first deeds specify St. Johns County in their description. The first transfer of a lot in the town of Jacksonville was from John Brady to Stephen Eubanks, conveying Lot 2, Square 1, including the margin to the river, for $12.00. The deed was dated July 1, 1822, and described the lot as follows :s One quarter acre of land lying in St. Johns County, in Jacksonville, on the St. Johns River, in the front street leading from the ferry, to- gether with the margin below sd. lot on the river side, to Hart’s land- ing, 3d lot from sd. ferry. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 57 The margin on the river mentioned is now Water Lot No. 22, between Market and Liberty Streets in front of the Clyde Line piers. D. 8. H. Miller, the surveyor, acquired several lots in Square 5, maybe in payment for his services as surveyor of the townsite. John Bellamy bought the northwest corner of Liberty and Bay Streets, and John Warren bought lots in different locations. Conveyances of lots were made at in- tervals during the next few months at prices ranging from $10 to $25 a lot.¢ Jacksonville’s Situation The original survey extended to Catherine Street on the east, Duval Street on the north, Ocean Street on the west, and St. Johns River on the south. All along the river from the foot of Liberty Street westward to L. Z. Hogans’s east- ern fence (Laura Street) was a hammock through which no one ever passed; the present Main Street south of Duval was aswamp. Eastward of the ferry (Liberty Street to Catherine Street) was a high bluff; east of Catherine Street was low marsh land. North of Forsyth Street was open pine land ex- tending back almost to Hogans Creek. The Kings road led in from the northwest, passing in front of Dawson’s store and the “Inn”, thence to Liberty Street east of Brady’s cabin, where it turned down Liberty Street to the old Cow Ford. Amidst these surroundings, and with this artery of travel leading to the outside world by land and the St. Johns River by water, Jacksonville was launched upon its career. The Founder of Jacksonville When I. D. Hart arrived at the Cow Ford in January, 1821, there were already here a store and two settlers. It is said that upon arrival he pitched a tent at the foot of Liberty Street and lived there until he built his cabin and brought his family here from the St. Marys. The next year, 1822, the town was surveyed after the arrival of several other settlers. I. D. Hart was the originator of the idea and de- serves the credit of being Jacksonville’s founder. He lived to see the settlement develop into a town of two thousand inhabitants. At one time or another he owned nearly all the land now known as the old city, and the most of Springfield. 58 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA He also owned a farm near the present settlement of Mariet- ta; this place he called ‘Cracker Swamp”, and he seems to have cultivated it to a certain extent with slaves and free labor. His homestead was in Jacksonville, first in his log- cabin; then at the northwest corner of Bay and Market Streets, and finally, for many years, at the southeast corner of Laura and Forsyth Streets. I. D. Hart outlived all of the early settlers. Both he and his wife, Nancy, died in 1861, and were buried in a vault that had already been erected by him for his family, located on a plot of ground on the east side of Laura Street between State and Orange, back from the Laura Street line about 100 feet. His tomb bore this queer inscription: When I am dead and in my grave, And these bones are all rotten; When this you see, remember me, That I may not be forgotten. In 1896, the Hart vault was broken into by vandals who removed everything of value, including the silver name- plates. This led to an investigation by a reporter for a local newspaper, who published the fact that there were evidences that nine bodies had been placed in the vault, namely, I. D. Hart, his wife and children, and Mary E. Hart, a favorite niece. *The children of I. D. and Nancy Hart were: Ossian, Lodusky, Laura, Daniel, Julia, and Nancy. Nancy was an in- valid and met the sad fate of being burned to death. Laura and Julia Streets are named for two of these children. It has been said that Ocean was formerly Ossian Street, but the Child map of 1847 designates it as Ocean. The fire of 1901 greatly damaged the old Hart vault and instead of rebuilding it, the remains it contained were moved to a lot in Evergreen cemetery and the vault in the city de- molished. Bibliography, Chapter IV aHistory of Florida, Webb; bDescriptive article in East Florida Herald (St. Augus- tine), Dec. 20, 1825; cFlorida "Times-Union and Citizen, Jan. 1, 1900; dEast Florida Herald (St. Augustine), April 14, 1826; cFlorida Reports, Vol. VI, p. 491; fMemoirs of Florida, Fleming; gCounty (Archibald) records; hEarly newspaper accounts. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 59 CHAPTER V COUNTY AFFAIRS Duval County was created August 12, 1822, by the first council under Governor William P. Duval’s administration. Its original boundaries were: Suwanee River on the west; a line drawn from the mouth of the Suwanee River to the foot of Liberty Street in Jacksonville (designated in the Act as the Cow Ford), thence down the St. Johns River as it mean- ders to the ocean was the southern boundary, while the St. Marys River and the Georgia line constituted the northern boundary.? Jacksonville was selected as the county seat of the new county. The governing board of the county comprised four jus- tices, one of whom was the presiding justice. While it was termed a county court its jurisdiction was extremely limited in that respect and the name county commissioners would have been more appropriate for the duties performed. Asa court their jurisdiction did not approach the importance of our present justices of the peace.” The first meeting of this court was in Jacksonville on December 16, 1822. The justices were: Thomas Reynolds, presiding ; William G. Dawson, Rig- non Brown, and Britton Knight. George Gibbs was the clerk.< They proceeded to lay off the county into road dis- tricts, apportioned the work of building the roads, and at- tended to other matters of a like sort.2. James Dell was the first sheriff of the county, but he did not serve long; Daniel C. Hart was his successor, being later appointed U. S. mar- shal and holding both positions until his death.¢ First Regular Court The half a dozen houses comprising the Town of Jackson- ville, in 1823, were all situated in plain sight of the Kings road that led down to the ferry at the foot of Liberty Street. Travelers coming and going, or stopping for awhile, produced no exceptional stir; but on the last day of November, 1823, which was Sunday, it became evident that an event of un- usual importance was about to transpire. People had been coming in all day looking for a place to lodge. Mrs. Sarah Waterman’s Inn was filled to the limit. Joseph Andrews had 60 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA all the guests that he could accommodate and I. D. Hart’s abode had no vacant space. Abraham Bellamy offered the use of his 10x12 law office recently erected next to Brady’s old cabin, and W. G. Dawson went further and spread blan-' kets on the fioor of his store for some of the overflow to sleep. L. Z. Hogans, over on the hill beyond the swamp, played host to one or two. So Jacksonville and vicinity went to bed that night crowded to capacity. When the morning glow of Monday (December Ist) be- gan to brighten over the roadside settlement on the St. Johns, it was the dawn of a new day for Duval County. By 10 o’clock, 200 people had assembled in the vicinity of Market and Forsyth Streets to witness the convening of the first reg- ular court of law held in this part of the country. It was an impressive spectacle. Standing bareheaded, with no roof above them except the forest trees, they listened intently to the words of Judge Joseph L. Smith in the opening proceedings of what was then called the Superior court. The ceremony was new to the most of them, but all were apparently pleased with the scene, signifying that civil law had stepped in to take the place of the long established custom of personal settlement of differences.? *The corner-stone of the handsome junior high school in Springfield was laid in 1928, and the building dedicated to the memory of General Edmund Kirby Smith, the famous Confed- erate general, who fought for the just cause as he saw it. There is also another association here, for it was the centen- nial of the event described above, when General Smith’s father established the cause of justice for the county at Jacksonville. First Grand Jury From among those assembled at the opening proceedings of the court, a grand jury was drawn and impanelled the next day, December 2, 1823. The members of this first grand jury of Duval County were: John Bellamy, foreman; Stephen J. Eubanks, John Houston, Isaac Tucker, Charles Broward, Sey- mour Pickett, John Broward, John Price, James Dell, William Matthews, Cotton Rawls, A. G. Loper, Llewellyn Williams, Charles Seton, John D. Braddock, J. C. Houston, Nathaniel Wilds, Stephen Vinzant.¢ HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 61 First Civil Case The first civil case called for trial was that of Ephraim Harrison vs. John D. Vaughan. The record does not show the nature of this litigation, but evidently it was of some importance, as Judge Smith ordered the continuance of the case until the next term. The record recites :° “(In case) This day came the parties aforesaid, by their attorneys, and thereuponcame a jury, to wit:—F. D. McDonnell, Lewis Christopher, Britton Knight, James Rouse, William Sparkman, John Higginbotham, David Turner, Matthew H. Philips, John G. Brown, John G. Rushing, William G. Dawson and Lewis Thigpen, who were sworn well and truly to try the issue joined between the parties; and on motion of the plain- tiff by his attorney, and for reasons appearing satisfactory to the court, it is ordered that the jury be discharged from rendering a verdict here- in, and that this cause be continued until the next term, upon the plain- tiff paying all costs of the defendant herein expended.” County Courts In 1823, the Legislature made some changes in the origin- al method of county government and appointed new jus- tices, but it was not until the following year, 1824, that the law vested them with powers about equal to our present justices of the peace. They had jurisdiction over probate matters, over the police of the county, and performed the duties of county supervisors. As a court they had a certain amount of jurisdiction in minor cases.¢ The first incumbents under this law, appointees of the governor, were: John L. Doggett, presiding ; F. Bethune and John Houston, appointed December 30, 1824.¢ The minutes of this court in the early years are still preserved. The actual duties seem to have been mostly with matters pertaining to the roads of the county and to the question of raising funds for the comple- tion of the court house and keeping it in repair. Even as late as 1840, the notation “Met and adjourned, there being no business” often appears. *“Court Day” in the early days was the time when the people of the county came to town whether they had court business or not. They assembled to trade, to hear the “news” and to mix with their fellow men. Here and there among the trees could be seen little groups dickering on a horse trade; others in the stores bargaining with the storekeepers for im- plements and supplies, while loitering around the court house 62 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA whittling away the time for the “Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye”, etc., of the court crier were those whose business or curiosity led them there. Leaving for home they raced out Kings road in a cloud of dust. First Lawyer in Jacksonville Abraham Bellamy, son of John Bellamy the commis- sioner, was the first lawyer to settle at the county seat. This was in 1823. He built a little office west of John Brady’s cabin, which was then owned by his father, and here he drew up most of the early legal papers for the residents of this section. Enough odds and ends of descriptions have been gathered to picture it as a typical country lawyer’s office, equipped with a table and time-worn chairs of home manu- facture; a few law books scattered here and there amidst a disorderly array of bundles of papers; a map tacked up against the door; plenty of dust, and finally a box spittoon filled with sand. Nevertheless, Abraham Bellamy’s ability as a lawyer was greater than his surroundings indicated, for he was afterward a familiar figure in the Territorial councils and at one time was president of that body. *John Bellamy moved to Middle Florida in 1826 and Abraham Bellamy likewise sometime later. First Marriage License One of Duval County’s oldest official records is a court copy of the first marriage license issued by the county. It reads :¢ Territory of Florida County of Duval To any Judge, Justice of the Peace, ordained Minister of the Gospel, I license or permit you to Join together in the Holy State of Matrimony Mr. Robert Robertson and Miss Sarah Tucker, and this shall be your sufficient warrant. After the above marriage is solemnized you are hereby commanded to return the same certified on this license to my office. October 7, 1823. J. BELLAMY, Clerk. The First Court House Court evidently was held under the trees until 1825, as prior to that time there was no building here suitable for the purpose. In 1825, John Warren erected a two-story building HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 63 _at the northwest corner of Bay and Newnan Streets. The lower story was for a time used as a dwelling and was after- ward divided for a store. The upper floor was one room; here the Superior court held two or three terms, with con- siderable discomfort as there were no sash windows, and the wind and rain had full sweep through./ When it became known that Jacksonville had been selected as the county seat John Brady conveyed the lot at the north- east corner of Market and Forsyth Streets (actually valued at $15) to Benjamin Chaires and Francis J. Ross in trust to be conveyed to the county as a site for the court house.® Preparations for building a court house were started in 1824, but actual construction did not begin until the summer of 1825. Immense hewn timbers were hauled to the lot and when they were laid out for framing the people of the county voluntarily gathered and under the direction of Seymour Pickett raised them in two days.2. When this was done Messrs. Chaires and Ross deeded the lot to the county (July 13, 1825) in compliance with the trust from Brady. The court house remained in this state more than three years, with only the framing standing. In 1826 the base- ment was roofed over and subsequent terms of court were held there when the weather was good; or else in the hall over John Warren’s place.f About 1828-9, the framing was boarded in and the roof put on. The temporary hewn tim- bers supporting the construction were removed and brick pillars of great size and strength were built and the building correctly leveled. The court house faced the river. A long, broad portico, supported by brick pillars was before the front and broad steps led up to it from the ground. Back of these was the entrance to the basement, which was ten feet in the clear. The main entrance was ten feet high and was pro- vided with wide double doors. Inside steps led up on the east and the west to the upper story. The windows, seven feet high and four feet wide, were provided with double shutters of white pine, which closed out the wind and rain and also the light.? This court house was known far and wide as the best constructed building in all of this part of the country.” The difficulties confronting the county authorities in raising funds for the completion of the court house are recorded in their minutes. They petitioned the U. S. government to 64 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - complete it, as the Superior court was using it more than any other, which brought about an arrangement whereby the government paid the county rent for its use; they had diffi- culty sometimes in collecting this rent promptiy. They peti- tioned the Territorial Legisiature for permission to run lot- teries in order to raise the $6,000 needed to complete the court house. Joseph B. Lancaster, I. D. Hart and William J. Mills were authorized by the Legisiature to conduct the lottery. These gentlemen were ali church members and one was a deacon; the inference is, that iotteries in that day were not considered gambling. *Something is hidden somewhere behind this struggle for funds to complete the court house, for the people of this section in the 1830’s prior to the Seminole war and the panic of 18387, were evidenily enjoying prosperity, as they were laying plans for a $75,000 bank and a million dollar railroad for the county seat. Yet they opposed a special tax levy to raise the $6,000 necessary to complete the building. The court house was not finally completed until sometime in the early 1840’s, from funds derived from a scrip issue. The building was burned by Federal troops March 29, 1868. *Duval County has built three court houses. The second court house was built on the site of the one burned in 1863, but faced Market Street instead of orsyth. It was solidly built of brick, with unusually thick walls. Construction was com- menced in 1834 and the building completed and occupied in November, 1886. ery, = Ow ae TROD AE Atal eee > ; : ’ * HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 65 Judges of Duval County: Thomas Reynolds (presiding), 1822-1828; Benjamin Chaires (sole), 1823-1824; John L. Doggett (presiding, then sole judge), December, 1824, to January, 1844 (died in office); Farquahar Bethune, 1844- 1845; William F. Crabtree, 1845-1849; Felix Livingston, 1849-1855; Benjamin Hopkins, 1855-1856; R. R. Rushing, 1857; Oscar Hart, 1857; R. R. Rushing, 1858-1859 ; Chandler S. Emery, 1859-1861; Francis F. L’Engle, 1861-1863; None in 1864; F. I. Wheaton, 1865; Aristides Doggett, 1866 to July, 1868; W. A. McLean, July, 1868, to December, 1888; W. B. Owen, 1889-1892; William H. Baker, 1893-1900; Henry B. Philips, 1901-1920; John W. DuBose, 1921 to date. Bibliography, Chapter V aActs of the Territorial Councils ; bHistory of Florida, Webb; cMemoirs of Florida, Fleming; dDescriptive article in Jacksonville Courier, January, 1835; eRecords in County Judge’ s oftice; fEast Florida Herald (St. Augustine) of the period. 66 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER VI DEVELOPMENT OF JACKSONVILLE For several years after the survey of Jacksonville in 1822, I. D. Hart must have experienced severe disappoint- ment, for his dream of a boom town at the Cow Ford did not materialize rapidly. Brady and Hogans, who scouted the idea in the beginning, no doubt expressed themselves upon occasion, “I told you so”. Brady shortly afterward sold out and moved away, but L. Z. Hogans remained to perpetuate the expression. Up to 1828-30, the development of the place was confined to the building of about one house a year within the town limits. A dismal picture was drawn of it by a writer in the East Florida Herald of St. Augustine, December 20, 1825; he said: When this town (Jacksonville) was laid out on the St. Johns river, great expectations were formed of its rapid increase, commodious houses were soon to be built, commerce and useful mechanic arts were to flourish, and the soil improved by cultivation and industry. But alas! none of these fond expectations have been realized. There are not more than eight or ten houses erected of any description, most of which are rudely formed of logs, and affording only a feeble protection against the cold, the wind, and the rain. There is not a sash window in the whole town; but few of the houses have even a chimney. There appears to be very little trade of any kind carried on in the place. There is, indeed, one store of goods, but whether well or ill supplied, the writer of this article is unable to state, for although he was several days in the place, during the late term of the Superior court held there, and was desirous of purchasing many necessary articles of merchandise, usually kept in country stores, he never found this store open or any person ready to attend upon purchasers. He therefore presumed it was only a warehouse for the deposit and trans- portation of goods into the country and not for their sale at the place. It was, perhaps, a wholesale and not a retail store. As to mechanics, there does not appear to be a single working individual in the whole place. The building appropriated for the use of the court would scarcely be considered fit for a barn. It is open to the wind and rain at almost every point of the compass. There is, indeed, the frame of a pretty large courthouse erected, which has the appearance of having been in that state for some time. Nothing has since been done to it. Yet nothing can be more beautiful than the natural situation of HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 67 the place. It commands an elevated, picturesque, and extensive view of the St. Johns river at its majestic bend from the south. It is admirably situated for commerce; the water is of sufficient depth for ‘ vessels of upwards of a hundred tons burden, to moor close to the shore. The regular term of the Superior court, directed by the Legislative council to be held twice a year, lately drew together at this place a pretty numerous assemblage of strangers. Every house was crammed as closely as possible. The judge of the court, with several members of the bar at St. Augustine, having been detained by the badness of the famous King’s road from that city to the Cow-ford, on their arrival at Jacksonville were unable to obtain any kind of lodging there —even on the floor. They were therefore compelled to take up their quarters at Mr. Hendricks’s on the other side of the river, a respectable planter, who does not professedly keep a public house, though often infiuenced by hospitality and kindness to accommodate travelers. He is licensed to keep the ferry on that side of the river, and promptly afforded the Judge and the gentlemen who had business in court every facility in crossing the river. This is one of a number of descriptive articles on Jack- sonville published in the St. Augustine paper prior to 1828. All stress the beautiful situation of the village, but complain about the accommodations at court terms. “Junior Bar- rister’” in the Herald of March 26, 1826, remarked that it was customary for the grand jury to lodge in the open air and suggests “with the intention of keeping their heads cool, in order to deliberate with more caution and prudence.” First Sawmill In 1828 or 1829, Charles F. Sibbald built the first steam sawmill in East Florida at Panama on Trout Creek. He also operated a brick kiln. Judge F. Bethune, in his diary 1829-33 (still preserved), frequently refers to the steam sawmill and brick kiln at Panama, in connection with building operations at his ‘““New Ross” plantation on the river four miles above Jacksonville. During the summer of 1829, Judge Bethune built a small sugar mill. The lumber and brick were brought up from Panama in the brig “Venus”; he sent to St. Augus- tine for a carpenter, and the mill was ready for operation by January 1, 1830. He began grinding cane, but soon after- ward his cane mill broke down and he had to send again to St. Augustine for the carpenter. In three weeks it was repaired and he began to grind again. This was probably 68 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA just an ordinary cane mill, and the circumstances are recited to show the difficulties confronting the pioneers of this section. Judge Bethune’s crops were sugar cane, rice, guinea corn, arrow root, sweet and Irish potatoes, rye, and a varied as- sortment of vegetables. He had a peach orchard and an orange grove. He owned some slaves, but at harvest time he hired outside help or free negroes. When his slaves were sick he sent to Jacksonville for a Doctor Hall, no doubt the first doctor to settle here. It is interesting to note that the usual method of treatment was “bleeding”: “Andrew sick; Dr. Hall came and bled him” is a characteristic note when any of the slaves were sick. And when one died he noted the fact as “Dick and George making Peggy’s coffin; buried the old and faithful servant in the evening”—a simple eulogy full of meaning. The sawmill and brick kiln at Panama revolutionized the method of construction in this section and the log-cabin era in Jacksonville was brought practically to a close. The skeleton of the court house was boarded in with lumber from this mill and its pillars were built of the brick from the kiln. The sound of the axe and the crash of falling trees in and around Jacksonville became more frequent with respect to clearing up for a building; in the high-flown language of Mr. Secretary Walton, “the lofty pines and oaks yielded their shade to the saw and their quietude to the hammer’. It was now not a rare occurrence for the “Venus” to be tied up at the foot of Liberty Street unloading sawed lumber for houses or brick for chimneys. In 1880, I. D. Hart buiit what was then considered a very large two-story boarding house at the northwest corner of Bay and Market Streets’ (and this was continuously a board- ing house or hotel site for more than 70 years). Hart’s inn furnished accommodations for people who desired to spend the winter here. The sons and relatives of weaithy men in the North came during the winter months and the climate helped them; they went back home greatly benefited, carry- ing an enthusiasm that is easily communicated to others. So the healthfulness of the locality was established—the greatest asset in the upbuilding of a place and the greatest advertisement it could have. People continued to come. Some stayed and entered into business; some settled in the surrounding localities. In 1830, it is estimated that the ‘) : Us Mi IO) - f P, ge Nt ‘N ’ : ee Oe as Ay Sr AS Ny dys Sao aegie th rs a . Si i . " ene STU hy “N = > at Fi eta d it Ae» (an ne ¥ + ORME WeAMaees A NC NAR He Ms mh) . w) e) From old woodcut. eek. r a ” , Dwellings of the log-cabin era at the month of McCoys C 70 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA population of Jacksonville was about one hundred. I. D. Hart now had his turn with L. Z. Hogans with respect to “I told you so”. The settlement on the St. Johns was approaching the stage when its citizens wished to incorporate and have a bona-fide town government. It was soon accomplished. Act No. 70 of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, Session of 1832, was Jacksonville’s first charter. This char- ter is worthy of careful reading, for it gives an insight into the conditions of the time, either existing or expectant. The charter follows in full. Jacksonville’s First Charter, 1832 Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the Governor and the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, That all the free white male inhabitants of the age of twenty-one years and over, comprehended within a line commencing at a point on the South bank of the river St. Johns, oppo- site Hogan’s creek, on the north side, running north half a mile up said creek, thence west one mile and a half to McCoy’s creek, thence south to a point on the south side of the river St. Johns, opposite to McCoy’s creek, thence east to the point of beginning and their successors be, and are hereby declared to be a body politic and corporate, by the name and style of the Town of Jacksonville, with all the rights, lib- erties, privileges, powers, and authorities incident to and appertaining to a corporation, body politic, or a natural person; and by the said name and style may sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, hold, possess, and enjoy real estate and personal property; and dispose of and transfer the same, and so dispose of and manage the funds of said city, as shall be most beneficial to the interests thereof. Sec. 2. Be it further enacted that the government of said town, shall be vested in a person to be called a mayor, and four aldermen to compose a council for the management of the affairs of the town. The Mayor and aldermen shall be elected annually, on the first Monday of April, from among such of the qualified voters of said town hereby incorporated, as shall have resided within the limits thereof at least one month, and shall be housekeepers therein. Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That the said Council shall have the power and authority to pass all laws and ordinances, that may be necessary and expedient for the good government of said town, and the preservation of the public morals; Provided, that they are not inconsistent with the constitution and laws of the United States, and the power hereby granted, Provided no law or ordinance in this respect, shall be inconsistent with any law of this Territory—They shall espe- cially have power to regulate, improve, alter, and extend the streets, lanes, avenues, and public squares, and to open new streets, and to cause encroachments, obstructions, decayed buildings, and old ruins HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1 to be removed; making the parties injured by any improvement, a just compensation, and charging upon those benefited a reasonable assessment, to be ascertained in such manner, as shall be agreed upon by the parties, or by a jury of twelve men, to be organized in such manner, as, by ordinance, the said council may provide; They shall have power to prevent and abate nuisances, to order and compel the owners or occupants of lots, upon which pools of water are, or are likely to accumulate, to fill them up, to regulate and compel persons by ordinances or otherwise, to erect and keep in repair partition fences; and may pass all laws and ordinances that may be necessary to pre- serve the public health—They shall have authority to guard against the introduction of infectious or malignant diseases, and for this pur- pose, may prohibit or regulate the ingress, or approach of vessels into the waters within the limits of said corporation, and whenever neces- sary, may compel them under fixed and certain penalties to perform quarantine, and observe such other rules and regulations, as to the said Council may seem proper by ordinance to establish. They may construct wharves, keys, and docks, and regulate wharfage, dockage, and mooring and anchoring vessels, erect bridges and ferries and establish the rates of ferriage and tolls; They may erect all necessary public buildings, and dispose of the same as the interests of the town may require; and make and sink wells, erect pumps, dry drains, and do and perform all such other act or acts, as shall seem necessary, and be best adapted to the improvement and general interests of the town, and pass all necessary laws to guard against fires, and to ensure the sweeping of chimneys; they may establish and regulate markets, and require all persons bringing fresh provisions into the town, to exhibit them for sale at proper market hours, establish and regulate the weight and assize of bread, the inspection of provisions and other produce, being the growth or manufacture of the Territory, that may be brought in said town for sale, or which may be sent from it; the gauging of liquors, the measuring or weighing of any articles of pro- duce or merchandise, and the storing of gunpowder; and all naval and military stores, not the property of the United States. They shall have the power to tax auctioneers, and license and tax retailers of goods, and liquors, hawkers, peddlers, tavern and public boarding house keepers, hackney carriages, carts and drays; restrain lotteries, tippling houses, gaming houses, houses of ill fame, and theatrical or other public exhibitions, suppress riots and disorderly assemblies, and may provide for the punishment of all persons guilty of breaches of the peace, within the limits of said town, by fine and imprisonment; Pro. vided the fine shall in no case exceed five dollars and the imprisonment five days. Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That the said Town-council shall further have the power and authority to provide by tax, or otherwise, a fund for the support of the poor, the infirm, the diseased and insane; to establish public schools and provide for their maintenance, and to 72 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA organize patrols, and provide for the punishment of negroes and per- sons of color. Sec. 5. Be it further enacted, That the said Council shall have the power to assess, levy, and enforce the collection of all taxes, and other impositions, as may be necessary for the support of the government of said Town, and the improvements thereof—Provided, that no higher rate of tax shall be levied upon real estate than one half of one per cent on the assessed value thereof, to be determined by assessors chosen in such manner as said council may provide, and the said taxes to be collected by distress and sale, after default shall be made in the pay- ment thereof, in the most convenient and least expensive way, as to the said mayor and aldermen shall be deemed expedient—and the said council shall have power further to provide for the trial of all offenses that may arise under the ordinance of said town, and shall enforce the collection of all fines and penalties that may arise as aforesaid, in such manner as said council by ordinance may provide. Sec. 6. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the mayor to see that the ordinances of the town are faithfully executed, recommend for appointment all necessary town officers and report and cause their removal, whenever by negligence or misconduct the interests of the town may require it—he shall preside at all meetings of the board, and propose such measures as he shall think important to the public interest, but shall only be entitled to a casting vote, and shall have power to convene the board whenever it may be deemed necessary—he shall have, possess, exercise and enjoy all the powers, duties and privileges and receive the same compensation as a justice of the peace. Sec. 7. Be it further enacted, That the mayor and two aldermen shall form a quorum for the transaction of all business; they may compel the attendance of their absent members, under such pains and penalties as by the rules may be prescribed; judge of the qualification of members, and of the sufficiency, correctness, or regularity of election returns; settle their own rules of proceeding, and upon the recommen- dation of the mayor, appoint and remove all officers, and fix their com- pensation, and establish such fees as may or ought to be allowed for such services, as may be required of them—their meetings shall be public, and they shall cause a journal of their proceedings to be kept and regularly authenticated by the signatures of the mayor and clerk, which shall be kept open for the inspection of all who may be inter- ested in the proceedings of said council: The ayes and noes upon any question, shall be entered upon their journals upon a call of any two members—they shall make public all their ordinances and resolutions, before they shall have force and efficacy, by posting written copies thereof in two or more public places in said town. Sec. 8. Be it further enacted, That all white male inhabitants of the age of twenty one years and over, who shall have resided within the said town, at last one month immediately preceding the day of HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 73 election, shall be entitled to vote for mayor and aldermen, they being citizens of the United States—All votes shall be given by ballot. Sec. 9. Be it further enacted, That the elections shall be conducted by three inspectors, to be appointed at least two weeks before the day of election, by the mayor; the said mayor shall also appoint the place of holding the said election, and give public notice thereof for the like period of time. Sec. 10. Be it further enacted, That the said inspectors shall be judges of the qualifications of voters; and it shall be the duty of them, or any two of them, on the day appointed by law for holding the elec- tions, to open the poll for the reception of votes, and to cause the names of voters to be recorded in a book to be kept for that purpose, which shall be deposited at the close of election amongst the archives of the corporation; the polls shall open at nine o’clock in the morning, and close at five o’clock in the afternoon, after which the inspectors shall proceed to count the votes, and declare the persons elected, as mayor and aldermen, and make out a written certificate thereof, at the foot of the poll list, and deliver a copy to the mayor elect, who, upon receipt thereof, shall signify his acceptance or refusal. Sec. 11. Be it further enacted, That if the said mayor elect shall signify his acceptance of said office, the former mayor shall as soon as practicable, at any time within five days, assemble the board, and in their presence, administer to him the following oath: “I, A. B. do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will to the utmost of my power sup- port, advance and defend the interests, peace and good order of the town of Jacksonville, and faithfully discharge the duties of mayor of said Town, during my continuance in office; and I do further swear, that I will support the Constitution of the United States”; and the Mayor elect, upon being thus qualified, shall then administer the like oath to the aldermen elect, and thereupon the duties of the former board shall cease. Sec. 12. Be it further enacted, That if the Mayor elect, or any of the Aldermen, shall decline to accept the office to which he or they may have been elected, or if accepting any or either of them, shall not qualify, by taking the prescribed oaths, within five days, that then the Mayor in office, or any person exercising the duties thereof, shall by proclamation, direct an election to be held for supplying such seats in the board as may be vacant, giving at least one week’s notice there- of, designating at the same time, the persons appointed to superintend and conduct said election. Sec. 13. Be it further enacted, That if the office of Mayor, or any Alderman, shall at any time become vacant, by death, resignation, removal, or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the Mayor, or the person exercising the duties of mayor, agreeably to this act, in like manner as is provided in the preceding section, to order a new election to fill such vacancy or vacancies. Sec. 14. Be it further enacted, That Isaiah D. Hart, John L. Dog- gett, and Henry H. Burritt, be and they, or any two of them, are 74 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA hereby appointed inspectors to superintend the election for Mayor and Councilmen, on the first Monday in April, 1882: Provided, that nothing hereby enacted shall be construed to exclude the legislature of this Territory from the right to repeal, alter, or modify this act as it may deem proper. . Passed Feb. 9, 1832. Approved Feb, 11, 1832. The town limits were greatly enlarged by the charter. Jacksonville now embraced the territory between Hogans and McCoys Creeks south of about Church Street. The elec- tion was held in accordance with the provisions of the char- ter and William J. Mills was elected mayor; he was therefore the first mayor of Jacksonville. Jacksonville was the ninth town incorporated in Florida. Those previously chartered were: St. Augustine, Pensacola, Fernandina, Key West, Quincy, Magnolia, Apalachicola, and Ochesee.? 1832-1835 During the period between the incorporation of Jackson- ville (18382) and the outbreak of the Seminole war (1835) the village increased in population, almost doubling in size. In 1834 plans were laid for a railroad from Jacksonville to Tallahassee, later to be extended to the gulf coast. The company organized as the Florida Peninsular & Jacksonville Railroad Company, and among the directors were J. B. Lan- caster, I. D. Hart, W. J. Mills, F. Bethune, and Stephen Eddy all of Jacksonville. The capital was limited to $1,000,000,¢ a sum almost unheard of in that day, yet these men were in earnest about the matter. In 1835, the Bank of Jacksonville was incorporated with a capital of $75,000, though it did not open until 1837. In January, 1835, Lorenzo Currier, of Boston, published the first issue of the Jacksonville Courier, an ably edited weekly newspaper.¢ There is a record that S. L. Burritt & Co. embarked about this time in a wholesale trade with Cuba and thereby laid the foundation for Jacksonville’s claim to the wholesale distributing center of Florida. They shipped lumber, bar- relled fish and other goods to Cuba and brought back sugar, coffee, rum, molasses, salt, cigars, fruit, etc. This firm brought in on one occasion a vessel load of sugar, the first HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 75 cargo of sugar ever brought here, and greatly overstocked the market in all this part of the country.* Jacksonville in 1835 was probably a place of 250 people, far too small in itself to warrant the establishment of a bank and a newspaper, or even to think about building a million dollar railroad; but settled all around, both up and down the river, were men wealthy for that day, who transacted their commercial and legal business here, and it was their support as well as the progressive spirit of the citizens of Jackson- ville that inspired these important measures. They were drawn into the whirl of enthusiasm and speculation that was sweeping the country about that time and which ended in the panic of 1837-40. Great Freeze of 1835 February 8, 1835, was the coldest day ever known, before or since, in this section. At 8 o’clock that morning the ther- mometer stood at 8 degrees above zero, Fahrenheit, and the actual minimum was undoubtedly lower. Along the river bank the water was frozen several rods from the shore and afforded the inhabitants a spectacle as new as it was dis- tressing. Fruit trees of every description were destroyed, roots and all, and even some of the forest trees were killed by the cold. This freeze is the basis for all subsequent com- parisons. BW is Bibliography, Chapter VI aWebb’s History of Florida; bActs of Territorial Council; cJacksonville Tri-weskly Sun, Feb. 19, 1876; dCopies are still in existence; eRecords in possession of Weather Bureau. 76 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER VII THE SEMINOLE WAR PERIOD: *Gradually the Seminoles were driven southward in advance of the white man as settlement in the peninsula of Florida in- creased. Finally the desire arose to get rid of the Seminoles altogether and they were enticed into an agreement to emi- grate to the West and occupy lands in what is now Indian Ter- ritory. Some of the chiefs, among them the famous Osceola, did not enter into this agreement to emigrate, and when the time came for them to go they refused. The attempt to force the removal brought on the Seminole war, which developed into the longest and most disastrous Indian war in the history of the United States. In the summer of 1835, it was known that the Indians were on the verge of outbreak, but every one thought the war would be of short duration and after a few skirmishes the Indians would be so badly punished they would be glad to emigrate to the West. A prolonged war was simply out of the question from the view-point of the whites. Planters went about their farm operations as usual and trade with the interior continued unabated. In the fall there were ominous mutterings of coming trouble, still the popular belief was that it would not last long. Short-time volunteers were called for to frighten the Indians into agreeing to emi- grate. The war opened December 29, 1835, when Osceola and twenty followers shot and killed General Wiley Thompson and others at Fort King, now Ocala, and Major Dade’s com- mand was massacred in Sumter County, near the present town of Bushnell, two separate events on the same day. The news of these disasters spread through the country like wild- fire. People everywhere in the interior abandoned their homes and collected in the towns for protection. Many of them came to Black Creek and on to Jacksonville. Trade with the interior gradually ceased, and although it was ex- pected that hostilities would be confined to the middle portion of the peninsula, the stoppage of trade with the interior, a large portion of which was handled through Jacksonville, was perceptibly felt in business circles here. — 2 a ee a ae oe HISTORY OF JACKSONV ILLE, FLORIDA 77 The Block House The Governor of Florida issued a proclamation to the people advising them to build block houses in every com- munity, as a means of protection against the Indians. One was built in Jacksonville, probably in 1836, at the northeast corner of Ocean and Monroe Streets. This structure was one of the famous buildings here and is mentioned in nearly every account of the early town. It was a structure of logs— a large square room raised high above the ground on a pedestal-like base. It was entered through a door in the floor, by means of aladder. In the event of attack, the ladder could be drawn up and the opening closed. Portholes were provided on all sides, and also in the floor, through which to shoot. The object of the overhanging construction was to prevent its being set on fire, since in trying to fire the house an Indian could be shot from overhead. The block house stood at what was then the frontier of the town. All north and west of it was barren waste. Every rumor of Indians in this section caused the timid residents to seek its protection at dark. Sentries did guard duty at night and “many an amusing scene could they relate, caused by the electric imag- ination of the weak-nerved when it came their turn to go on post’. During its fifteen years of existence the block house served the community well, first as a fort and then as a place for holding religious services. Jacksonville was a supply depot during the war, sub- commissary to the chief post at Middleburg. The govern- ment built a long one-story wooden building on the south side of Bay Street, between Main and Laura, near Laura, as a storage for supplies. This was popularly called the “‘govern- ment building’. It was built high above the marsh—for that region was then nothing more than marsh land, and along the Bay Street side a raised sidewalk furnished an entrance. This building stood for many years. Attacks by the Indians In the summer of 1836, roving bands of Indians attacked and destroyed several plantations along the lower St. Johns, among them those of Colonel Hallowes and Mr. Travers. They also appeared here and there in Western Florida, be- tween the Suwanee River and Tallahassee. The settlements in the Black Creek country and on the east side of the St. 78 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Johns above Jacksonville had, many of them, been broken up, although a few planters who had been kind to the Semi-’ noles, remained on their farms and were never molested. On September 15, 1836, a band of Indians attacked the house of a Mr. Higginbotham seven miles west of Jackson- ville, but they were driven off by members of the household, who barricaded themselves in the house and fired at the Indians. After the Indians left, Mr. Higginbotham rode post-haste to Jacksonville to give the alarm, and Major Hart and twelve men immediately went in pursuit. Major Hart’s party found all well at the Higginbotham home and pushed on down the trail toward the Tallahassee road. When they reached the Fleming Johns farm they found the house a heap of smoking ruins in which were the charred remains of Mr. Johns. Several miles farther on, at Mr. Sparkman’s, they found Mrs. Johns, severely wounded, but still alive. Mr. and Mrs. Johns were attacked at 10 o’clock in the forenoon, while they were in the yard of their home, and although Mr. Johns was shot through the chest, both he and his wife managed to reach the house and close the door. The Indians broke open the door and shot Mr. Johns dead. They dragged his wife to the door and told her to go, but at that moment an Indian shot her through the arm and neck. She fell through the doorway, but they dragged her back into the house and - with a large butcher knife scalped her. They then plundered the house and set fire to it. Mrs. Johns, though greatly weakened from loss of blood, managed to crawl out of the burning house after the Indians left. Fainting from weak- ness at frequent intervals, she at last reached a nearby swamp, got some water, and lay down to die. Here searchers found her at 2 p.m. They took her on a horse and conveyed her to a neighbor’s, Mr. Sparkman’s, several miles away. She was later removed to Jacksonville and placed in a com- fortable boarding house, where medical attendance and humane attention soon relieved her of much of her physical suffering and she finally recovered.¢ An Englishman persuaded Mrs. Johns to go to Washing- ton to apply for a pension. Her likeness was taken and hung in the capitol. She was afterward exhibited, but the Eng- lishman ran off with the money. Mrs. Johns then returned to Savannah where she married a man named Mathas. Some years later Mathas was stabbed by a crazy man and died in HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 79 Savannah. Mrs. Mathas returned to Florida and died here in 1874.¢ The year 1836 closed with the Indians holding their own everywhere. They overran the country, killing express riders, attacking wagon trains, and burning farm houses, and as a result no operations, except those of a military nature, were carried on in the country districts. The comparatively extensive trade that Jacksonville had enjoyed with the in- terior was entirely destroyed, and on account of the public unrest such enterprises as were contemplated were aban- doned. Instead of being.a small affair that would terminate with a display of force and a few volleys from the troops, the war wore on for seven years. As time went by, however, the field of operations receded from this section and went farther and farther southward. . Panic of 1837 In 1880, there began an era of extravagant speculation and reckless enterprise in the United States. Population was increasing and production was increasing even faster than population. As the means of communication between producer and consumer were decidedly inadequate, a uni- versal need was felt for transportation facilities that would insure quick delivery at moderate prices. The popular de- mand for railroad and canal construction became so great that conservatism and good judgment were swept aside. States, cities, and towns all over the country were drawn into the whirl of enthusiasm, and many of them made large bond issues to carry on the work of construction. Naturally business in all lines became inflated, and when such is the case a crisis is inevitable. An over production in the cotton crop of 1836 caused a drop in prices and hastened the panic that had its beginning in 1837. During the hard times that followed many of the States had to resort to extraordinary measures to pay the interest on their debts, and some actually repudiated their debts and refused to pay. The States had issued bonds in the aid of the construction of railroads and canals, and in the South especially subscribed to bank stock for the purchase of which they also issued bonds. There- fore, many bank failures occurred when the crash came.¢ Florida had a better excuse for repudiating her debts than the other States, as the disastrous Indian war, which was 80 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA still going on, had cleaned out her treasury. Jacksonville had experienced the inflation and she was feeling the result. The ambitious enterprises that had been planned were aban- doned. There was, though, another side to it for Jacksonville. Besides the army officers and troops that came to the State, the war drew many people here, desirable citizens and adven- turers alike, for there is something about a new country like Florida was at that time, that lures people. The adventurers did not settle and left when peace was at last restored, while a number of good people stayed and made this their perma- nent home. The effects of the panic gradually wore away and the zone of hostilities receded until the town returned to almost normal business conditions, despite the fact that rov- ing bands of Indians still made an occasional attack upon some outlying settlement. Trade with nearby points was resumed and gradually extended to the interior. Some light is thrown upon the conditions in this section in letters from Mandarin about this period; the following are excerpts :/ Mandarin, March 13, 1839. * * * But 1 must broach the all absorbing, all exciting theme—the mulberry. I thought when at New York I had made a good contract, but it has proved far otherwise, for | found much to my surprise that the fever was raging higher here than at Hartford or New York, for not only had some of the mulberry planters returned from travelling at the North, but several Northern men had come here to buy mulberry and plant here to avail themselves of our climate; so instead of finding plenty of opportunities for buying cheap, as I had every reason to expect, I found only buyers riding through the country in search of it. This was a double disappointment, for in the first place I had formed a plan * * * to purchase up all the mulberry in my neighborhood as soon as I arrived and with my own take it to New York and make quite a speculation with it * * *. I have barely time to say that I have sold what I could spare and reserved enough to make a great number this season, but such was my fear that something might occur to reduce the price * * * that I sold them too soon and did not get more than half as much as I might soon after, for such is the rage for planting that they have risen to the enormous price of 8 cents an eye for cut- tings. The Davenports have shipped a great quantity. One lot of trees at St. Augustine sold for $50,000. Mandarin, July 10, 1840. ** * The unaccountable or rather abominable circumstances of the war, keeping me out of the possession of my place and the total failure of the mulberry market, deprives me of all resources for the present. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 81 * * * Neither can I do anything at improving my orange grove without exposing myself to danger, for Indians are bolder than ever. They have dispersed themselves into small parties and prowl about like wild beasts. They have committed murders near us upon the public roads that have been travelled in safety until this season and the prospect never has been darker than the present for its termination. There is no way to account for this state of things, but by the political condition of our country, being on the eve of a presidential election. * * * (Near) Mandarin, Jan’y. 1, 1842. ** * You will doubtless think I had some cause for melancholy refiections when I tell you that I was but little better than a guard for protection—the Indians came into the very neighborhood of Mandarin, murdered one family and plundered and burnt out three, and that I had just gotten settled at my place again after spending 2 or 3 months’ time and some money. This is the third time I have been obliged to abandon my place and sacrifice time, money, and everything but my life. * * * In all former wars with the Indians they never were known to come into Mandarin settlement before. And during this war of more than six years they never have come nearer than Julington Creek {to my neighbor, Mott, adjoining me); therefore at this late period when this part of the country had been so long quiet the inhabitants of Mandarin thought no more of Indians than if there were none in the Territory, but now their fears are as great or greater than at any time since the war broke out. It had been long reported and was generally believed that the troops had gotten almost all the Indians out of the Territory and that the war would soon be terminated. But alas! we have just experienced another cruel disappointment and there is no more security or prospect for its termination than at its commence- ment. * * * JI have barely room to say that the creeping, skulking Indians never would have ventured into Mandarin settlement but that there are no troops within 100 miles (20 or 30 except); they were all taken south in pursuit of Sam Jones and his warriors. I hear that troops are on their way to be stationed near us for our protection. If so I may return to my place, for all that return to reoccupy their places are now furnished with provisions till the next crop season. * * * Bibliography, Chapter VII aSee histories of Sprague, Williams, and Coe in relation to the Seminole war; bHistory of Florida, Webb; cTerritory of Florida, Williams; dNewspaper account written by nephew of Mrs. Mathas; eInternational Encyclopedia, see ‘‘Crisis’’, ‘‘“Repu- diation,” etc. ; {Letters of J. P. Belknap in possession of M. A. Brown of Jacksonville. 82 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER VIII IN THE FORTIES With the ending of the Seminole war and the recovery of the country from the hard times following the panic Jack- sonville’s growth became more pronounced. In 1842 the population was 450 and in 1847 it was 750,° an increase in five years of 67%. Though much smaller in population than St. Augustine, Jacksonville had by this time come to be con- sidered the most important town in East Florida, on account of its location with respect to marketing the principal reve- nue-producing commodity of the time—cotton. Cotton was grown extensively on the plantations of this section and it was brought to Jacksonville and shipped from this point by sailing vessel. A considerable amount of timber was also shipped from here.? Thus Jacksonville grew to be the trad- ing point for a large surrounding territory. Steamer com- munication with Savannah was more or less regular on a weekly schedule bringing the mail, and a steamboat made weekly trips up the river as far as Enterprise. These boats were small, but they marked the beginning of a most impor- tant transportation facility for Jacksonville, which later on contributed largely to its growth. Local Conditions in the Early 1840’s The dwellings here were mostly one story wooden struc- tures of rough boards as there were no planing mills then. Many of them were unplastered. Stoves had not come into use; the fireplace was the only means of heating and this was looked upon as a luxury for the well-to-do. The stores were rough buildings with rude fittings. The ordinary neces- sities could be purchased in the town; most of the stores car- ried general stocks, and from the rear of many of them came that unmistakable odor that permeates the air where whis- key kegs are kept. The stores usually closed at dusk; the stillness of the town at night after 9 o’clock, the curfew hour, signified that Jacksonville had gone to bed.? There was an event known to have occurred in the early 1840’s that must have shaken the community with excite- ment. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 83 The Pelot-Babcock Duel This was a fatal duel between two citizens that had been the best of friends. They had been drinking and during a game of billiards a controversy arose and the lie was passed. In that day to call a man a liar was equivalent to a challenge, and this case was not an exception. The principals were Dr. Pelot and Mr. Babcock, both residents of Jacksonville. Rifles were agreed upon as the weapons, the duel to be fought at 100 paces. Amelia Island was chosen as the place. For ten days the principals practiced for the affair. They met at the appointed time and place. The day was raw and very cold. The paces were stepped off and each principal received his instructions. At the word both fired simultaneously. Pelot fell, shot through the stomach, the ball severing the spine; he died shortly afterward. Dr. Henry D. Holland of Jack- sonville was Dr. Pelot’s second. Babcock went to New Or- leans where, in utter grief, he drank himself to death. *The code of ethics under which men lived in those days was undoubtedly wrong in some respects, but certainly not in all. Much of it was founded upon the principle of morality in the truest sense. It was an honor system backed by public sen- timent, without which no law is effective. Drinking was their sin. This incident in the life of the early town was of the nature to be perpetuated in the memory of the citizens, and the succeeding generation became familiar with the circum- stances through hearsay. The account here given was writ- ten by a citizen of Jacksonville at the time. First Bulkhead During a gale in October; 1846, the water from the river was backed up by the wind until it reached across Forsyth Street; water stood in the stores on Bay Street two feet deep. The brig ‘Virginia’, owned by Capt. Willey, dragged her anchors and was driven from the foot of Market Street into Ocean Street, her bowsprit extending across Bay. This led two years later to the bulkheading and straightening of the river front from Ocean to what is now Main Street. Hewn logs were laid one upon the other and fastened together by staples and chains. It was called a “buttment” and served the purpose for a long time./ A Ee Oe A ET Oe CR OEE pre SP aPC ALES > (2 SNHOL: AEG SEITE edt 88 GTA Oo ge Le P/IANOSMIVL Xo hu OL st ff NY LIZIALS Sis] sfNH otha oe! 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In the winter of 1842-3, George M. Grouard, of Washington, D. C., established the Tropical Plant; he published the paper until 1845. I. D. Hart, who was running for (probably a State) office at the time, started what he called the “Florida Whig and People’s Advocate” in the interest of his candidacy—he was a Whig. This paper became defunct in about 30 days. In the fall of 1845, the News was moved from St. Augustine to Jacksonville and published by A. C. Gillett and A. B. Hazzard; it was Demo- cratic in politics. In 1848, the Florida Republican was estab- lished with Columbus Drew as editor. At this time national politics and policies were undergoing an upheaval and the two local papers were frequently engaged in a spicy news- paper war in the interest of their respective parties. They did not print much local news and often used a considerable amount of “clipped” matter; yet it is remarkable that Jack- sonville with a population less than a thousand should offer inducements for the support of two good newspapers. First Epidemic In 1849, an epidemic of what was called “Broken-bone Fever” started in Jacksonville. It was so general that in many families all members of the household were sick at the same time. Fortunately the epidemic was of short duration and no deaths occurred as a result of the visitation. This was probably a mild form of what is now called dengue. Jacksonville passed through this period 1840-1850 with- out any serious set-backs to its growth and advanced its position from a village to that of a small town. In the latter half of the decade the timber business began to come forward as a large industry, which developed into a relatively enor- mous lumber business in the 1850’s.f Bibliegraphy, Chapter VIII aColumbus Drew ; bNewspapers of the period; cFlorida Union, March, 1881; dIndl- eated in early accounts; eH. S. Farrar; /‘‘Kecollections.” Z a - ew, 7 La /. bt i A = As y Eats eA es 7T-< < rr ee > ¥ aa re h. + ) . ‘ 15 a D>. 90e oem UK a, ree : Aa - ™ ’ Pe! - 7 ry rN ie , An > hae es ' 6 a > ata APL OE tard Silent ae ; S a eit aa o> yt 7 yy : - Pg -)* mh Ae he Oe

hee “> ate ; “Cieagerenes fe" Fo 2 , ae q ss : y t ee 4 1 ha ks P TY a. ; “ a? : on ee: atrg . 4 cave j ; "he iat i e ata ul 4 ey, a ; a a eee F t Py ri ¥ Fi Uae % ‘ ; ’ —_ a em P . { od FI as oe 7’ - vk , é — ¢ ‘Hae * be nahh ¢ z -. Aami, i“ 74) Daal =~ 4 4 ‘ a Vy . Bs log eee ea ‘ ; nope amine wy AA) n 4 4. ‘. b G4.5) ear ved TEP gtd ‘ae =) r, , ; gr: : oy pan # op. Pes St , Hyer ‘ q . - t. id : on ’ ‘ i - . ‘ ys i i 3 " ; Ga? ’ = ed y os : 7 ; 1 >) ‘ * y J aif 4 1 . _ * -. , ji%«< * ol es oe ans, hay wl iwi. S 6 { aa Se , e 4 - mt ea . Q i -—y ak 4 a ‘es Ase . ' o>) cae vf 1 - ~, vy, ve, mae ay? @ at 4 L b JACKSONVILL] O DWELLINGS; @ IST0rE 7?. CATHOLI CH. &) PRESBYTER/A BY CHAPEL ie) TURPANETT 1 pomwseTT DO _ ‘ ~ q — ne yeeg a 4 2 n ee fo gee iene |S AR Ky oo 74400 Se? : _- 3) fas « A / PP x DoRMAN NY. S 0 N DyeceU gatowrA Des : Q i See ad a . EPR ZY) c LENGLE i S DD oe a fe z + Pe aula Z bya OIE G History of JacksonviMe as Sees aa: By 7 Frederick Da V/s ep aE Se ee CC Between Duval and Church Streets near Pine (now Main) was a pond where the sports- men of Jacksonville used to shoot ducks. The drainage was down Pine Street to the river, and south of Adams Street was a quagmire. Wooden bridges were built across Pine Street at Forsyth and at Bay. TE EARLY 1850's x] Bee CLLDGS; AH BovRawe Hs ; W/sT | EP/SCo clk | Cw . Sia = A ae es 37 W 00D FFLLLOWS SS x 0 LIVINGSTON iia SS w) < S & S| O 404MS mS % % x FEALY ~~ S Wares EI | NI HESISVING] : S SWE ak De Colo ee] aes VANDERGHIFT. oe oO 4orvwory me 0 hig Me sh lig | a EE SO eee nee } PPIVEF? ee en Copyrighted | The business district was Bay Street between Newnan and Ocean. It was a pastime to stand in the rear doors of the stores on the south side of Bay Street and practice marks- manship with rifle and pistol upon the alligators that came out to sun themselves on the banks of the St. Johns. —_ HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 87 CHAPTER IX JACKSONVILLE IN THE EARLY FIFTIES The built-up portion of the town was bounded by Wash- ington Street on the east, Laura on the west, Duval on the north, and the river on the south. Bay Street, South Side There were neither wharves nor stores on the south side of Bay Street between Ocean and Laura, except a long one- story, wooden building near Laura, called the “government building’, built by the United States government during the Seminole Indian war as a commissary for supplies. Just west of Pine (Main), on the river front stood a saw mill operated by J. B. Barbee. Fire destroyed it at an early date, consuming with it a human being, one of the sorrowful events of those early times. Across Ocean Street on the south side of Bay, east, Thomas Ledwith had a store and a wharf; he was succeeded by Alsop & Bours. Several other stores occupied this block, among them Gunby & Fernandez, later Fernandez & Bisbee, and later still Bisbee & Canova. East of this store was that of S. N. Williams, and near the corner of Newnan was Mc- Rory’s book store. The first brick building built in Jackson- ville adjoined the Ledwith store and was occupied by C. D. Oak, jeweler and watchmaker; this was about 1850. A building stood on the southeast corner of Newnan and Bay and was occupied from the earliest times, by different parties. Finegan & Belchasse are among the first recalled; later Dr. T. Hartridge. Next to this store was that of Bel- lows; then Santo. Next to Santo was Morris Keil, a small store, tailoring done by husband and the store kept by the wife. Captain Charles Willey had a dwelling on the corner of Market, and a wharf from which he ran a line of sailing vessels to Charleston and another to Key West. These names are remembered in connection with this dwelling: Mrs. Libby, mother of Mrs. Willey; Frances Yale, daughter of Captain Willey. Afterward Columbus Drew, Sr., occupied this house and issued from here a Whig paper called the “Republican”. 88 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA At the foot of Market Street a fish market stood over the water. This was the first market in the town. East of Market Street the entire block was vacant. At the foot of Liberty Street there was a ferry to cross the river, operated to connect with the road to St. Augustine. A gar- rison was kept at Fort Marion at that time and cattle were forded at this ferry and driven to St. Augustine to fur- nish beef for the soldiers. Lighters conveyed passengers, vehicles, and freight across. The block east of Liberty Street contained a fine grove of trees. Public, out-of-door functions, such as barbecues, Fourth of July celebrations, etc., were generally held here. There was only one small building on the block—a carpenter’s shop near the water’s edge. East of Washington Street, the river bank was very much higher, affording a steep sand hill that the children of the neighborhood used as an amusement place, rolling and jump- ing in the soft, white sand. Beyond this hill E. A. DeCottes had a dwelling, and on the corner of Bay and Catherine, Stephen Vandergrift and family lived. The next block was vacant, except a small machine shop near the middle of the block. John Clark’s sawmill was near Hogans Creek. Finegan’s sawmill was on the river front on the east side of the creek, and his family resided there, in- cluding Constantia, Dora, and Martha Travis, daughters of Mrs. Finegan by a former marriage. Bay Street, North Side On the north side of Bay Street, westward from Hogans Creek to Catherine Street was a corn field until the early 1850’s, when a grist mill was built near the creek. From Catherine to Washington was unoccupied until Tony Canova built a residence at the northeast corner of Washington. At the northwest corner of Washington Street stood the Merrick House, famous as the “haunted house’. Peculiar noises were often heard within, yet no ghosts appeared. Some of the less superstitious said there was an underground river at that point that caused the noises. All was vacant thence to Liberty Street until 1851 or 1852, when J. C. Hem- ming built a residence on the northeast corner of Liberty. A store house stood on the northwest corner of Bay and Liberty Streets, used for storing freight awaiting ferriage are ea "ky HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 89 across the river, and later as a school house. The Burritt homestead stood near the northeast corner of Bay and Mar- ket, and it was the most pretentious house in the town. There were large grounds, with stables, servants’ quarters, and Mr. Burritt’s law offices. The vacant lot on the river front, also Burritt property, abounding in shrubbery and shade trees, gave beautiful surroundings. At the northwest corner of Bay and Market Streets, I. D. Hart owned a boarding house, which was kept successively by Mrs. Hatch, Mrs. Flotard, Mrs. Maxey, and Mrs. Taylor, the ownership passing to Mrs. Taylor’s daughter, Mrs. Hed- rick, in 1853. West of this building was inclosed, but unoc- cupied—owned by Mrs. Philip Frazer, inherited from her first husband, Captain Zeb Willey. Dr. Byrne built two stores between this inclosure and the corner, probably in 1852. Across Newnan Street, the entire block to Ocean was occupied by business houses. On the northwest corner of Newnan and Bay, names not remembered until occupied by Paul Canova. Next to the corner was the firm of Miller & Blackwood, wines and liquors; thence west in order were: Dr. Foreman, general merchandise, afterward Gunby; Bar- nard & Farrar, general store, later Moss & Ambler, later still, Ambler & Hoeg; Rosenthal, the first Hebrew merchant in town; Goff, tailor; and on the corner of Ocean, Mr. Cutter, afterward Morris Keil. The three last stores were owned by Thomas W. Jones. On the northwest corner of Ocean and Bay Streets, A. M. Reed had a store—groceries and dry goods. West of this was Calvin Oak, gunsmith. From here to Pine Street was unoccupied, in fact Bay Street was almost impassible at this point. A pond of water north of Duval Street drained down- ward through Pine Street, making a quagmire at its lower end, over which bridges were built across Pine at Bay and at Forsyth Streets. An attempt was made to improve the approaches to the bridges by laying logs lengthways across the street; this “corduroy” construction was very rough. Across Pine Street Dr. Baldwin owned two lots, the corner being a garden very much in need of drainage. Dr. Baldwin’s dwelling was on the next lot; also his office. West of that was a dwelling occupied successively by A. M. Reed, Walter Kipp, Mrs. Herbert, Captain L’Engle, George Powers, and finally 30 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA by Judge Rodney Dorman. Cyrus Bisbee owned a dwelling on the northeast corner of Bay and Laura, where he lived many years. This was the western boundary of the town for a long time. Later Mr. Kipp built a residence on the northwest corner of Bay and Laura. Captain L’Engle then lived close to the river across from the Kipps. Beyond Laura Street there was nothing more until a small creek was crossed where Julia Street is now. Mr. Boulter owned a mill and a dwelling on the west side of this creek; the mill was burned, and the dwelling was afterward occupied by Hal Sadler. Thence to McCoys Creek every- thing was woods. A rude bridge crossed McCoys Creek near the foot of the present Broad Street, and to the west of this bridge, on the creek was a small house occupied by the Curry family. Across the creek was P. Moody’s saw mill and dwelling, and beyond was the Lancaster place, called “Lancaster’s Point”. Then the plantation of Elias Jaudon, and across McGirts Creek, now Ortega, was the Sadler plan- tation. Forsyth Street, South Side At the southeast corner of Laura and Forsyth, I. D. Hart lived in a large two-story house. Thence to Pine Street was vacant, until Dr. Foreman built on the corner of Pine. The southeast corner of Pine and Forsyth was owned by the Douglas and Reed families. Stables occupied the corner, with a garden beyond, and a dwelling on the corner of For- syth and Ocean, where A. M. Reed lived, then Thomas Douglas. On the southeast corner of Forsyth and Ocean was a very old dwelling, known as the Mills house; it was occupied by different families, among others, Mrs. Bowman, and then J. W. Bryant. Between Forsyth and Bay, on Ocean Street, Thomas W. Jones and family lived on the east side of the street. Next to the Mills house, east on Forsyth, William Douglas lived as early as 1847, and afterward a Ross family. This yard was large and here, under a tent, a traveling daguerreotypist took some fine pictures. This was probably the first artist to come to Jacksonville. Captain Armstrong lived on the southwest corner of Forsyth and Newman; he had no family. Between Forsyth and Bay on Newnan there were a few small shops. On the west side were: Captain HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 91 John Middleton, small store; Dr. Rex, an office; and Henry Houston, colored, barber shop. On the opposite side of the street was a large building used for offices. On the southeast corner of Forsyth and Newnan, Judge J.C. Cooper lived. East of this was the Zeb Willey property, known afterward as the Philip Frazer house. Dr. J. D. Mitchell bought here later. Then Mr. Harrison built on the southwest corner of Forsyth and Market, where the law exchange now stands. Across Market Street were S. L. Burritt’s office and grounds, occupying half the block. The Doggett family owned the other, or east half of this block, on which were two houses. The Doggett residence was near the southwest corner of Forsyth and Liberty. In the middle of the block between Liberty and Washing- ton, the Watermans lived, afterward the Hickmans, and later Dr. Murdock. This was one of the oldest houses in the town. On the southeast corner of Forsyth and Washington was another old house in which Mr. Adams lived, afterward Mr. Gillett, and later the Mooneys. For a long time nothing but a corn field was east of here to Hogans Creek. Forsyth Street, North Side On the north side of Forsyth Street, west from Hogans Creek, there was nothing to Washington Street, until Felix Livingston built on the northeast corner of Washington about 1850. At the northeast corner of Forsyth and Liberty Streets was a very old house of peculiar construction. The founda- tion was of stone, perhaps six feet high, and on top of this wall was a one-story wooden structure with a piazza on three sides. It was said it was the abode of a sea captain, a bucca- neer, who, being too old to follow the sea, amused himself with a spy-glass watching the river above and below. Dr. Theodore Hartridge built on this corner in 1853, at the same time building a smaller house on the northwest corner of Forsyth and Washington for his mother, Mrs. Hobby. Across Liberty Street Mr. Barbee owned and lived many years. The next lot was owned by John Pons, where also lived his son-in-law, Jack Butler, a lively jovial Irishman so pleasantly remembered by many. A small house west of this was. occupied by different ones, the first remembered being 92 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Mrs. Herbert, a school teacher. On the northeast corner of Forsyth and Market stood the court house, and in the court house yard, back from the street, was the jail. The jail was inclosed by a high brick wall, on top of which was a barbette of broken glass. Across Market Street, on the northwest corner, was the Clerk’s Office. Next was the dwelling of Mrs. Maxey. On the northeast corner of Forsyth and Newnan was a small building used by William Grothe as a jewelry shop. The post office was in this building for a long time also. Dr. H. D. Holland’s residence was on the opposite corner, stables on the Forsyth Street side and his office on Newnan. A small house stood on the lot west of Dr. Holland’s resi- dence, where William Grothe lived, and next to this was a large two-story house occupied at different times by the Barnards, Crabtrees, Gregorys, Allisons, Hearns, Suttons, and Crespos. On the corner was a dwelling house occupied successively by the Kipps, Flotards, Traceys, Hallidays, and Sandersons. On the northwest corner of Forsyth and Ocean Mrs. Dewees lived in a large two-story house, and back of her, between Forsyth and Adams, her daughter, Mrs. Poinsett lived, afterward the Kipps, and later the Keils. There were no other houses on Forsyth to Pine Street. On the northwest corner of Forsyth and Pine was a house occupied by the Donaldsons, later the Thebauts. A small house stood in the middle of the block back from the street, where Jane and Dick, servants of Mrs. Douglas, lived. West of here was a fine grove of trees, where barbecues and cele- brations of different kinds were sometimes held. Near the northwest corner of Forsyth and the present Hogan Streets was the site of the old Hogans house. Adams Street, South Side Thomas W. Jones built a two-story dwelling on the south- east corner of Adams and Laura in 1850. In 1851, Judge F. Bethune moved from his plantation a few miles up the river and bought this house for a residence. East of this, in the middle of the block, was the Myers dwelling. The southwest corner of Adams and Pine was vacant many years. The Turknetts lived on the southeast corner of Adams and Pine. A small house, used principally as a servants’ HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 93 house, stood on the next lot. There was nothing on the southwest corner until 1854. The southeast corner of Adams and Ocean was vacant a long time, the Crespos later building a boarding house at that point. Two houses owned by Mr. Crespo stood here; the first was burned. In the middle of the block were out-buildings used by the Buffington House, which occupied the southwest corner facing Newnan. Across Newnan, Stephen Fernandez and family lived; afterward Dr. R. P. Daniel. Next was the dwelling of 8S. N. Williams. There was nothing on the southwest corner of Market for many years. The Odd Fellows owned the southeast corner of Adams and Market, but the lodge building was on the inside of the lot facing Market. The lower story of this building was used as a school room, the upper story for the lodge. The corner was inclosed and was used by the children as a play ground. Thence to the southwest corner of Adams and Washington was vacant; here Mr. Pons built at an early date. There was nothing east of this to Hogans Creek. Adams Street, North Side Returning west on Adams Street there was nothing between Hogans Creek and the northeast corner of Market, where Mr. Fennimore lived. Mrs. Fennimore was the dress- ‘maker for all the belles of that day. Across Market were the Flemings; next Captain William Ross, and on the corner of Newnan was a boarding house. On the northwest corner of Adams and Newnan were the Buffington House stables, afterward converted into a boarding house, called the California House. The weather- boarding on this building was placed up and down—an inno- vation at that day. Next, the Gibsons, man and wife, lived. An unfortunate mistake disrupted this family. A large boarding house in the town burned and Mr. Gibson was accused of setting it on fire. He was threatened with a coat of tar and feathers unless he left the town. He left and never returned. In later years it developed that a careless servant had placed hot ashes too near the building, causing it to catch on fire. Mr. Congar lived on the northeast corner of Ocean and Adams. 94 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The Ledwiths lived across from the Congars, on the northwest corner, not quite on the corner, as that was a fine plum orchard. Next to the Ledwiths was a Spanish family by the name of Ximanes, whose income was derived from fishing, and the sale of mocking birds to the northern tourists that came here during the winter. The corner of Pine was not occupied, as the land was low and damp. Monroe Street Columbus Drew, Sr., was really a pioneer when he built his house at the corner of Monroe and Laura in 1851. East of this there were no buildings to the northeast corner of Ocean, the site of the old, block house. Here stood a large building used as a hotel, and conducted successively by Mrs. Coy, Creighton, and Mattair. In the opposite block, south side of Monroe Street, inside from the corner, the Presby- terians had a small meeting house, where weekly prayer meetings were held. Judge Lancaster resided on the south- west corner of Monroe and Market, afterwards the Hearns, Suttons, and Garnies. Duval Street The Episcopal church occupied its present site at the head of Market Street. One of the early residences was built at the southeast corner of Duval and Market, and was occupied at different times by J. W. Bryant, Judge Daniel and Judge Pearson. There were two other churches on Duval Street, one near the northeast corner of Newnan, and the other across the street on the northwest corner. Back of this, north, were the homes of the free negroes, mostly west of Ocean Street. These negroes occupied land belonging to I. D. Hart; this quarter was called ‘‘Negro Hill’. Bibliography, Chapter IX Years ago a number of the oldest residents of Jacksonville at the time used to meet and talk over “old times’”’ and their recollections were promptly written down by the Secretary. This remarkable record was preserved by Mrs. W. M. Bostwick and is included in this chapter. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 95 CHAPTER X 1850-1855 The first attempt to beautify the town was in 1850, when April Saurez, an old slave, under the direction of Dr. A. 8. Baldwin and Gen. Thomas Ledwith planted the oaks that lined the streets of Jacksonville before the fire of 1901. These trees grew to be the pride of the city; most of them were destroyed in the fire of 1901. In 1850, the first circular sawmill ever built in East Flor- ida was erected at the mouth of Pottsburg Creek and in the following year John Clark built the second circular sawmill, on Kast Bay Street, near Hogans Creek. Mr. Clark then added a planing mill, the first in East Florida. About 1853-54 there were five or six sawmills at Jacksonville, and as many more in the immediate vicinity. The lumber industry had grown to be the principal one here. A great quantity of live oak timber was exported annually, for use in the construction of vessels.* Considerable cotton continued to be brought here for shipment also, Jacksonville being the shipping point for quite a large territory tributary to the St. Johns River. These industries put into circulation much money that natu- rally found its way into all lines of business. Nearly all the merchants were well-to-do, gauged by the standard of that early time. Business was conducted without rancor and with the utmost integrity. Salaries were not what would now be called large, but the cost of living comfortably was within the reach of all—a condition having an important bearing upon the community. Abject poverty was a state unknown and seldom was a door locked or a window closed out of fear of petty thieving.? Relation Between Master and Servant The question of master and slave was seldom referred to. The master considered it his duty to protect those who served him, and the servant felt that he was accountable for his master’s social position and other responsibilities. The slaves were treated with a consideration and trust with- out a parallel at this day. The children loved their colored ‘“mammies”, and the mammies felt that they were respon- 96 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA sible for the obedience of the children, “manners” being held at a premium and duty the first consideration.’ The relation between master and slave differed little from that prevailing in other portions of the South before the war——a sincere and confiding affection on one side, and on the other a kind and considerate regulation of the simple lives reposed in the white owner’s care. When an entertain- ment was given by the colored people, it was not at all un- usual for the mistress to lend her jewelry to her maid for the occasion, showing plainly the interest taken in the pleas- ure of the slaves; and in sickness they were provided for and given the best attention. There were, of course, exceptions in both cases.° This advertisement, appearing in the Florida News, a local newspaper, is interesting, indicating as it does, one method of recovering runaway slaves: Twenty-five Dollars Reward. RUNAWAY in November last my negro woman HANNAH. She is about 5 ft., 7 or 8 inches high, black, no front teeth and about 40 years of age. Hannah has a mother in Newnansville or Tallahassee known by the name of Mary Ann Sanchez, formerly the property of Roman Sanchez of Newnansville. The above reward will be given upon her being lodged in any jail where I can get her or upon being delivered to me at Palatka or Jacksonville. Louis M. Coxetter. Jacksonville, June 5, 1852. The Tallahassee papers will please copy and send their bills to this office. This same paper contained another item of interest, one that would indicate that the Town Council was composed of citizens serving for the best interest of the community: Proceedings of the Town Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber, August 6, 1852. Council Met:-—Present, His Honor, Henry D. Holland, Intendant;* Messrs. Buffington, Cooper, and Canova, Councilmen. Mr. Townsend, elected a Councilman to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Wm. Alsop, appeared for the purpose of taking the oath of office, which was objected to by Councilman Buffington, on the ground of his not possessing the requisite qualifications for the per- formance of the duties of the office. * * * Attest, F. C. Barrett, Clerk. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 97 Transportation Railroads and the telegraph had not yet come to Jackson- ville. Steam packets ran to Savannah and Charleston, and sailing vessels communicated with the more distant cities and the West Indies. It was almost as customary to taik about Hayti and Martinique then as it is about New York today.2 _ Communication with the interior of the State was by means of a stage line to Tallahassee and intermediate points. It was a three days’ trip, avoided as much as possible, except at court sessions and when the Legislature met. The Central Stage Line ran this advertisement in the Jacksonville paper during the summer of 1852: Central Stage Line From Jacksonville to Tallahassee Semi-Weekly The proprietor takes pleasure in announcing to the public that he has just placed upon the route a new and splendid FOUR HORSE COACH and that he is prepared to convey passengers through in the shortest possible time. He has relays of the best horses at different points, so that no more time is lost than is necessary for their change. The stage leaves Jacksonville every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon, immediately after the arrival of the steamers from Savannah and returns in time to connect with them on their return trips. These steamers connect with others at Savannah for Charleston and New York, thus affording the travelers from the North and others visiting Talla- hassee or interior towns of Florida a speedy transit. A coach connects with this line to and from the White Sulphur Springs in Hamilton County. Fernandez, Bisbee & Co., Agents. G. R. Fairbanks describes the stage trip as one of “‘ups and downs, jolts and bumps; roots lying on the surface, the impact with which would send the unprepared passenger up against the top, or with a painful jerk against the standards. The weary drag during the long, dark nights, for the hacks kept on night and day, was an experience to be long re- membered”. Smallpox Epidemic Jacksonville experienced an epidemic of smallpox during the summer of 1853. J. W. Bryant, one of the foremost lawyers in the town, contracted the disease at some place in Georgia, where he had gone on legal business. Upon his return, he was taken sick at the Buffington House, then the 98 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA fashionable hotel of Jacksonville. Numerous friends visited him before the case was diagnosed as smallpox, and there- fore the epidemic started among prominent people. Those at the Buffington House were the first to take the disease, and soon afterward sporadic cases began to develop until, finally, the epidemic became general among both white and colored. It was severe and a good many deaths resulted, while those who recovered were in many cases badly pitted.? Local Conditions in the Early Fifties It is said that some of the merchants were extremely fond of playing cards, and even during business hours would gather for a quiet game. Should a customer appear, a sen- tinel placed on watch would report, ‘Mr. So-and-so, some- body is going in your store’, whereupon the game would be temporarily “called”. Whenever children or servants were the purchasers, the storekeeper usually gave them a small present, such as a sweet cracker or a piece of candy; this was called ‘‘coontra”’. It has been impossible to trace the deriva- tion of this word, but the custom doubtless originated from the fact that the money divisions in those days were in frac- tions of a cent, and the small present was given, rather than to consider the fractions in carrying accounts. The silver dollar was the standard, but it was reckoned eight bits, in- stead of one hundred cents. There were half bits, 614; bits, 1214; two bits, 25 cents, and so on. If “coontra’” was not given to the negroes it was always asked for by them, but the white children were forbidden by their parents to do so, as it was not considered “‘good manners”’.’ About a third of the houses had glass windows. Stoves had not yet come into general use. The stores on Bay street had no way to heat them and when the weather was cold, fires were built in front in the street; here the citizens would collect, crack jokes, and discuss the questions of the day. The town maintained a small market house with one stall, open in the early morning. Beef sold at 4 to 8 cents and pork at 8 to 10 cents a pound. Fish were brought in boats to the shore near the market, the arrival being announced by ring- ing the market bell, when the people would rush down to purchase. Milk as a commodity was scarce. Collards and sweet potatoes were the vegetables usually offered for public sale.‘ HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 99 There were no soda fountains in those days, and it was seldom that ice could be obtained. Ice was brought from the North in sailing vessels. Lemonade and tamarind water were the most popular “soft” drinks. The tamarind is a species of bean that grows in the West Indies, and from it a sticky substance exudes. The beans were put into a pitcher and hot water poured over them; this concoction was allowed to cool, when the drink was ready for use. It had a semi-acid taste, and was considered very healthful. Drinking water came from wells and cisterns. Rain water, when filtered through an earthen vessel called a “monkey”’, was consid- ered a great luxury.? In the spring of 1846, Captain John L’Engle bought for $300 the square bounded on the north by Bay Street, east by Laura, west by Hogan, and south by the river. In 1858, the northwest corner lot at Bay and Market Streets, including a two-story boarding house, was purchased for $2,500; and A. Judson Day, of Maine, bought haif the block, west half, between Julia and Hogan Streets from Forsyth through to the river for $3,0U0. A year or so later, the northeast corner of Bay and Ocean was soid to Ambier & Hoeg for $3,000. Residence lots a few blocks back from Bay Street sold for less than $100. Springfield was a wilderness and Riverside acorn field. Northwest of Hemming Park, between Forsyth and Church, Clay and Jefferson Streets was a dense swamp, where in places the water stood several feet deep. LaVilla was an island, owing to the course of several small streams that have since been filled in./ The building material used in Jacksonville at that time was mostly pitch pine, very inflammable, and as there was no adequate way of controlling large fires, it was but a ques- tion of time when the town would suffer a general conflag- ration. It came on April 5, 1854. The Great Fire of 1854 A description of this destructive fire was published on the following day in an “Extra” gotten out by the Florida Republican, a copy of which follows, except that typograph- ical errors have been corrected :¥ 100 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA FLORIDA REPUBLICAN, EXTRA. Jacksonville, Florida, April 6, 1854. GREAT AND DISASTROUS CONFLAGRATION Jacksonville in Ruins. Seventy Houses Consumed. Loss over $300,000. i'wo printing ofiices destroyed. Yesterday at 1 o’clock p. m., the alarm of fire was given in this town and in iour hours aiterwards ail the business portion of the town was in ruins. ‘Yhe fire originated in S. N. Williams’ hay shed, on the whart, communicated, as 1s supposed, by a spark from the Charleston steamer “riorida’. it extended with astonishing rapidity in every direction, spreading first aiong the biock ot stores on the south side of Bay street, between Newnan and Ocean streets; thence communi- cating with the square opposite on the north which was all consumed; thence with the store of A. M. Keed and the Bank agency adjoining on the west side of Ocean street, which were both destroyed; thence with the square east of Newnan street and fronting on Bay, which contained the large and handsome block known as byrne’s building; nearly the whole square being consumed; at the same time with the buildings on Bay street east or the point at which the fire originated, and ot Newnan street, which was at once swept away. ‘This was principally the course of and the area which has been devastated by the devouring element. The wind was blowing strongly at the time, and caused the course of the fire, at first, to be to the westward by which several private dwellings at the extreme west end of the town, and several stores, Moody’s, Holmes’s, and Fairbank’s mills, and the new hotel of Messrs. Day, were set on fire, but extin- guished before any material damage was sustained. Still, the intense heat from the first block was so great that that of itself ignited the squares on the opposite side, and on the east, and the immense amount of goods thrown from the stores along the whole of Bay street, formed from the same cause an immense conflagration of spirits, oil, paints, etc. By this fire seventy buildings were entirely destroyed. Of these, twenty-three were stores, of the following persons, viz: F. Waver & Co., provisions; C. D. Oak, and Wm. Grothe, jewelers; S. N. Williams, grocer; J. P. Sanderson, dry goods and provisions; Bloodgood & Blouse, do; H. Timanus, do; T. Hartridge, do; J. Mode, dry goods; James Han- ham, grocer; Mr. Hernandez, tobacconist; C. DeWaal, auctioneer; L. Capella, fruit store; J. Santo, do; A. M. Reed, dry goods and provisions; M. Keil, do; A. B. Hussey, grocer; Mr. Moore, fruit store; J. L. Hogarth, tinner; Ambler & Hoeg, dry goods and provisions; J. L. Ripley, cloth- ing; J. C. Brown, fruit store; L. B. Amerman, dry goods; T. McMillan, druggist; T. G. Myers, grocer; A. C. Acosta, fruit store; J. B. Howell, HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 101 grocer; Joseph Hernandez, tailor; C. DeWaal, bakery; Geo. Flagg, jeweler; R. H. Darby, tailor; C. Poetting, boot and shoe maker. The law offices of Geo. W. Call and G. W. Hawkins and the office of F. C. Barrett, Notary Public, etc., in the Byrne block, were also destroyed, a portion only of their legal and official documents being saved. The office and warehouse of Mr. Joseph Finegan and the furniture store of L. M. Fulsom, destroyed. McRory’s Insurance Agency, office in the Sammis Block, also went by the board, together with a portion of his papers. The Custom-house, Mr. McIntosh’s Law office, Capt. Willey’s residence, J. Hanham’s store and residence, J. Mode’s store and elegant residence, as also the law office of P. Frazer, Esq., we note among other buildings destroyed. The two and only printing offices of the place—the Republican and the News, were consumed, the latter entirely, and but enough of the Republican material has been gleaned from the harvest of the terrible Reaper to furnish this Extra! We shall order new type and a press, however, by the mail for the north tomorrow morning, and hope to be “fully on our feet” again in the course of a month; and in the meantime shall endeavor to issue copies enough of our paper for our exchanges on a foolscap sheet, on an improvised press—our two iron hand presses being utterly wrecked. We therefore throw ourselves upon the indul- gence of our advertising and reading patrons “for a little while,” being determined not to desert the “burning ship”—being utterly opposed to any species of “ratting”. As we are doing advertising for merchants in Charleston and Savannah, we request our contemporaries in those cities to note our situation. The steamer “Florida” was lying at her wharf at the time of the fire, and drew off into the stream as it progressed: the “Seminole” from Savannah bringing the mail (the Gaston being taken off the line) had passed up the river. Every exertion was made by the citizens, firemen, and even the ladies, who were found here and there lending assistance. to arrest the fire, the negroes also laboring faithfully to do their utmost. But the fire became unmanageable, and as the intense heat extended itself, confusion and exhaustion rendered human exertion less efficient. A portion of the fire apparatus unfortunately fell into a situation which brought it in contact with the flames, and it was lost. Upon the amount of property lost, it is estimated that one-half is insured, some in New York and New England offices, and some in Georgia. The two printing offices were insured, our own for a little more than half its value. We lost all the printing paper, and a large quantity of letter, which we had on hand for jobbing. Our “set up” forms have run into a molten mass. Mr. Andres Canova was severely burnt and is disabled, and Mr. J. C. Hemming was severely stunned and for some time hurt, but he is now better. We regret also that the family of Mr. Philip Frazer, who were ill, were forced to remove. 102. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Scarlet Fever Epidemic This was a period of misfortune for Jacksonville, as a severe epidemic of scarlet fever was raging in the town when the fire occurred. There were two versions as to how the fever started here. One is that the infection was introduced by means of a letter written by a lady while holding a baby sick with scarlet fever in her lap. The other is that the nurse one day took little Ally Dell, daughter of Philip Dell, down to the boat yard and it is supposed that the child played with sailors from a vessel lying at the wharf and on which there was a case of scarlet fever. In afew days she was taken desperate- ly ill. Mrs. Mary Turknett nursed this child and it died in her lap. This was in February, 1854. The attending physi- cian diagnosed the case simply as one of fever, but when the little corpse was prepared for burial, scarlet fever symp- toms were noticed in the peeling skin. Mrs. Turknett shrouded the body, at that time wearing a black woolen skirt. When she returned to her home she hung the skirt up in a closet and did not wear it again for nearly a month. Then she wore it, and in a few days scarlet fever broke out in the family.° The disease spread through the town and the type was most malignant. Numbers of persons died, the Turknett family in particular being afflicted, five grown sons dying within a space of eight days, April 2 to 10, two of them on the same day and were buried from the same bier.¢ Yellow Fever Quarantine Thus twice had Jacksonville suffered from diseases intro- duced from outside sources, so when the yellow fever broke out in Savannah in the summer of 1854, the citizens deter- mined to keep it from coming to this place at all hazards. The authorities prohibited the Savannah steamers stopping or even passing by on their way up the river, as it was thought that the yellow fever might be introduced in that way. Captain Nick King, of the Savannah steamer, carried the mail, and he laughed at the proclamation of the citizens prohibiting the passage of steamers by Jacksonville, and passed by heedless of the warning. A party of citizens then got an old condemned cannon, took it to the river bank at the foot of Catherine Street, and loaded it with a 32-pound shot. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 103 About dark the steamer hove in sight coming up the river, close in on the opposite side. When in line with the pointed cannon the gun was fired, the ball passing through the for- ward gang-way of the vessel. The gun was rapidly loaded again, this time with a 6-pound shot, and fired; the ball passed through the cabin, just grazing the neck of a negro who was in the act of lighting a lamp. When it is considered that the muzzle of the gun was kept in place and moved by a hand spike, this was spectacular shooting. The steamer made no more trips until the epidemic at Savannah was de- elared at an end,° and the determination thus displayed by the citizens of Jacksonville in all probability prevented the introduction of the fever in that year. Bibliography, Chapter X aHistory of Florida, Webb; bSee bibliography, Chapter IX; cReminiscences of an old citizen, Jacksonville Tri-weekly Sun, Jan. 22, Feb. 1, 1876; dO. L. Keene in Jack- sonville Metropolis, Dec. 12, 1908; eSee Florida Reports; fReliable data from various sources ; gThe author possesses a copy of the Extra; hShown on map of Jacksonville of 1859. 104 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER XI 1855 to 1860 Jacksonville recovered rapidly from its reverses of 1854. Its people with wonderful energy set to work building better stores and houses in the burned area. Larger steamboats and tug boats for towing appeared on the river. The rail- road to western Florida was assured and actual work on it was about to begin. Travel from the State and from abroad increased. More interest was taken in Church and school attendance. Prosperity was evident everywhere; the people were united and anything that promised to advance the in- terest of the town was liberally pushed forward. A board of trade was formed to advertise the locality. Trade There was a large local trade in furnishing supplies to the mills and loggers, and there was also an extensive river and back-country trade. The country trade came in the well- known country cart, from distances of 60 miles and occasion- ally 100 miles, bringing in cotton, syrup and country produce and exchanging for goods. Trains of six-mule teams were maintained regularly between Alligator (Lake City) and Jasper and Jacksonville. Owing to the shallowness of the bar large schooners could not come in; the water on the bar at high tide was not more than 10 feet. A cargo of lumber of 100,000 feet was considered tremendous; yet there was an annual exportation of more than 25 million feet.¢ With a property valuation in 1856 of $400,000 Jackson- ville had put its calamities behind it and was looking forward into the future. But the end was not yet. Another Big Fire At 4:30 a.m., November 15, 1856, fire broke out in a wooden store on the south side of Bay Street between Pine (Main) and Laura, and before it stopped the entire block was in ashes. The volunteer fire department, with their bucket brigades, had a difficult time in keeping the fire from wiping out the new structures east of Pine Street erected since 1854. Ey HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 105 Damaging Freeze January 19th and 20th, 1857, were the coldest days since 1835. Temperatures of 16 and 18 degrees, respectively, were recorded, and ice two inches thick formed on pools and along the margin of the river. People were seen sliding and trying to skate on the ice.? Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1857 In the early part of the summer of 1857, an epidemic of yellow fever raged at St. Marys, Ga., and from that place it was brought to Jacksonville in August, it was said later bv Nathan Vaught. Mr. Vaught’s house stood on a bluff just east of the intersecton of Bay and Broad Streets, and it was there that the epidemic started.f That locality was never eonsidered very healthful; McCoys Creek near-by was a dirty, stagnant stream, and much of the land in the vicinity was low, marsh land. The summer was described as hot and murky, with frequent rains and much decaying vegetable matter. It is a noted fact that three crops of weeds grew during the season, and some people tried to connect this un- usual circumstance with the spread of the fever.* In these surroundings the disease gained a foot-hold. The McFalls lived near the Vaughts and soon took the fever; then it spread to the Currys living close by on the bank of McCoys Creek. Inthe meantime some of the other residents, both men and ladies, hearing of the distress out there (that section was considered out of town then) went to nurse the sick.‘ In this way the contagion spread through the town. Most of the people left, and there was an entire suspension of busi- ness. But one store remained open-—a drug store conducted by Dr. E. P. Webster. Dr. Webster kept his store open all during the epidemic and dispensed medicines gratuitously to those who did not have the means to pay.* During the period of the disease the streets were deserted and grew up in grass. The steamers did not stop here and the town was isolated from the rest of the world. Doctors and clergymen courageously remained, and those of the resi- dents that stayed ministered to and nursed the sick night and day and buried the dead. Clothing and food were freely dis- pensed to those in need. Never were a people more sympa- thetic and generous. Fortunately there came an early frost (on October 26th, and on November 20th the temperature 106 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA fell to freezing). There were 127 deaths, a fearful death rate, when it is considered that not more than 600 people had the fever. An idea of the malignity of the disease may be gained from the mortality in the Mott family, composed of twelve members, all of whom had the fever and nearly all of them died. The Turknett family, that had suffered so se- verely in the scarlet fever epidemic of 1854, lost two more members by yellow fever.c Numbers of the best citizens met death upon the altar of brotherly love. The grave stones in the old city cemetery bear mute witness to the terrible visitation. Some of the ignorant persons looked upon the spread of the disease with reverential fear and considered it a visita- tion of The Almighty.¢ Others thought it was due to the excavation being made for the railroad through wet and marshy land, thus exposing the freshly dug soil to the hot and sultry weather, thereby causing a malarious atmosphere. Still others advanced the idea that it might have originated at the old market, and cautioned the authorities to permit nothing that might be detrimental to the public health to exist there, especially in hot weather. But there was a pa- thetic feeling of dread and doubt, common to all in regard to the proper treatment of the fever and the best method by which to combat its spread. With the approach of cold weather, the residents began to return, and in the course of time the conditions that had ex- isted before the epidemic were resumed. The lumber indus- try recovered from the depression of 1857, and a succession of good crop years again placed everything upon the high road of prosperity.¢ And so, armed with Faith and Pluck, these early citizens won their fight with Adversity. New wharves and business houses were built, as were residences of a better class than had previously existed. Streets were opened and extended, and there was a general improvement in walks and roads. The city was governed without paid officials, only the marshal receiving a small salary for his services, and taxation was not burdensome.? In 1858, there were built here a large barque, called the American Eagle, and a schooner, the Martha. The Martha was lost at sea in May, 1876. What became of the American Eagle is not known.* HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 107 Town Ordinances (Of record in 1859) These old laws are interesting and valuable historical records, furnishing a good insight into the spirit of the time. Under the town charter fines for violation of the town or- dinances were limited to not exceeding $100 for each viola- tion, and imprisonment to not exceeding 30 days. Running at random through them we find: An Ordinance Relating to Abusive Language and Drunkenness: Be it ordained by the intendant (mayor) and councilmen of the town of _Jacksonville, That any person or persons who shall be guilty of using any abusive or provoking language to any other person or persons, or of making any threats of violence, or of making use of any obscene language, or of immoral conduct, or of profane cursing or swearing, or being drunk in the streets, or of making any noise or disturbance cal- culated to disturb the public peace and quiet, or of aiding or abetting or being guilty of a riot within the limits of the town of Jacksonville, on conviction thereof shall, at the discretion of the intendant, be fined for each and every offence herein enumerated, not exceeding fifty dollars, or imprisoned not more than fifteen days. An Ordinance Relating to Sale of Beef: Be it ordained by the in- tendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That any person or persons, bringing beef, pork, or mutton, to sell at the public market of said town, shall ring the market bell, at least one minute before ex- posing the same for sale, and shall remain at the market at least one hour after ringing said bell, unless he sooner dispose of said meats, and shall also bring the hide and ears of each beef, and the ears of each hog and sheep, which shall be inspected by the marshal, and the marks and brands of the same be recorded in a book to be kept by him for that pur- pose, together with the name of the person or persons who shall bring said beef, pork or mutton for sale, and for such and every record of entry so made, the owner or seller of said beef shall pay the marshal twenty-five cents for each beef, and the owner or seller of said hog or mutton, twelve and one-half cents for each hog and sheep; and any person failing to comply with the provisions of this ordinance, shall be fined not exceeding ten dollars for each and every offence, at the dis- cretion of the intendant. An Ordinance Regulating Patrols: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That the town marshal furnish the intendant, at such times as he may require, a full and com- plete list of the names of all white male inhabitants of the town of Jacksonville, between the ages of sixteen and fifty-five years; and it shall be the duty of the intendant to require and make said persons do and perform patrol duty within the limits of said corporation of Jack- sonville, at any time and at all such times as he may deem necessary, 108 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA and to order out as many of said persons as he may think proper, who shall be summoned by the marshal by 4 o’clock p.m. (except in case of emergency), and of the men so ordered out to do patrol duty, one shall be appointed captain by the intendant or marshal, who shall be required to give a true and correct account of his conduct and of the conduct of the men under him, to the intendant or marshal. The captain of the patrol shall be governed by the order of the intendant or marshal, and the laws of the state regulating patrol, and if any person or persons who may have been ordered by the intendant or summoned by the marshal to do patrol duty, shall fail, refuse, or neglect, to do the same, according to his or their order, or fail or neglect to provide a substitute, who will willingly perform the duty, he or they so offending, shall, upon conviction, be fined in the sum not exceeding three dollars, at the dis- cretion of the intendant, for each and every such offense; provided nevertheless that no member of the town council shall be subject to regular patrol duty, excent in case of emergency. An Ordinance Establishing Brick Limits (Passed Nov. 18, 1856— three davs after a large fire on south side of Bay Street). Defines the limits, Pine to Julia, south of Forsyth, except wharves and warehouses over the water, and provides: Be it further ordained, That any person or persons may and shall be stopped in their labors, in and about anv such building or structure as aforesaid (except buildines of brick, tahbv, or other fire-proof ma- terials), and their work shall be demolished, by and under the direction of the intendant of said town, or the person acting as such, either by himself or the town marshal or his deputy, either or all of whom are hereby authorized to summon a “posse comitatus” from the citizens for their assistance. Be it further ordained, that any and every person so summoned as aforesaid, either verbally or otherwise, to aid and assist said intendant or marshal as aforesaid, failing or refusing to assist them, shall each and every one of them be fined in a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more tkan thirty davs, at the discretion of the intendant. An Ordinance Relating to Pay of Marshal: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That the com- pensation of services of the marshal shall be fixed at the following rates, and to continue until altered or renealed. viz: Snecific annual salary, $150; 5 per centum on taxes collected; 5 per centum on money collected for swimming or flatting cattle across St. Johns River: 50 ner centum of all fines collected; and allowed the same costs as a constable. An Ordinance Relating to Fire: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That anv person or persons, who shall make use of fire in any manner unusually dangerous to his or her neighbors, or any citizens of the town, endangering their prop- erty, or any property in the town, by their chimneys or stove pipes not being in a usually safe and fit state for use, or for such use as they are put to, or shall otherwise endanger their neighbors, or other citizens HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 109 of the town, by neglect, carelessness, or imprudence in the use of fire in any way, shall be subject to a fine, if a white person, not exceeding one hundred doliars, or imprisonment not more than thirty days, for each offence, and the like penalty for every repetition thereof; and if a negro or mulatto, to whipping not exceeding thirty-nine stripes, at the discretion of the intendant. An Ordinance Relating to Houses of Ill-F'ame: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That any per- son or persons, who shall keep a disorderly house, or house of ill-fame, and every owner of a house or houses, or other person who may rent or cause to be rented, any house to be used as a house of ill-fame, shall be fined not exceeding twenty doliars, or imprisonment not over five days, on conviction, for every day the house is so kept, at the discretion of the intendant. Circumstances from which it may be reasonably in- ferred that any house which is inhabited by disorderly persons of im- moral character and notoriously bad fame, shall be sufficient to estab- lish the fact, that such house is a disorderly house, or house of ill-fame, according to the meaning of this ordinance; and all adult persons in- habiting and living in such house, shall be considered the keepers there- of, and be subject to the penalties of this ordinance. An Ordinance to Prevent Nuisances: Be it ordained by the in- tendant and councilmen oi the town of Jacksonville, That any person or persons in said town, who shall keep on his or her premises any nuisance to the annoyance of his or her neighbors, or detrimental to the health of said town, and suffer the same to remain after being notified by the marshal to remove the same, shali, on conviction, be fined not exceeding twenty dollars, nor less than three dollars, at the discretion of the intendant, and pay in addition to said fine, the cost of removing said nuisance. An Ordinance Relating to Selling or Giving Liquors to Slaves: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That any person or persons, who shall give or sell any spirituous or in- toxicating liquor to any slave (except by written permission from the owner, agent, or employer of such slave), within the corporation limits, shall, on conviction, be fined not exceeding fifty dollars, or imprisoned not more than fifteen days, for each offence, at the discretion of the intendant. An Ordinance Punishing Resistance to Authority of the Marshal: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jackson- ville, That if any person or persons resist or oppose the marshal of the town of Jacksonville, in the exercise of his duty under any of the or- dinances of said town, or being called upon by the marshal, shall refuse to give him active aid and assistance in apprehending any person or persons accused of any crime, or acting in any unlawful manner, he or they so offending shall be fined not exceeding twenty dollars, or im- prisoned not more than five days at the discretion of the intendant. An Ordinance Relating to Non-Attendance at Council Meetings: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jackson- 110 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ville, That any member of the council failing to attend a meeting of the same, after having been duly summoned by the marshal of the town, shall be fined in the sum of two dollars, unless a good, sufficient, and satisfactory excuse be rendered. An Ordinance Relating to the Market: Be it ordained by the in- tendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That it shall not be lawful for any person to sit, stand, or lounge upon the benches or meat- stalls of the market house, and any person or persons violating the pro- visions of this ordinance, on conviction thereof, shall be fined five dol- lars, or imprisoned one day, at the discretion of the intendant. And be it further ordained, That the rent of the stalls in the town market, shall be five dollars per month; and no stall shall be rented for a less period than one month; and said monthly rent to be paid to the marshal, in all cases, in advance. An Ordinance Relating to Paupers and Vagrants: Be it ordained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That no person shall knowingly and willfully bring or introduce, or cause to be brought or introduced, into the town of Jacksonville, any pauper or vagrant, or any person not having property to support him or her, and who is unable or unwilling to work, or otherwise support himself or her- self in a respectable way, with intent to make such pauper or vagrant chargeable upon the charity of the town or citizens thereof. For each and every day that such pauper or vagrant shall remain in this town, the person so introducing, or causing him or her to be introduced, shall be adjudged to be guilty of a new violation of this ordinance. Every violation of this ordinance shall be punished by a fine not exceeding fifty dollars, or imprisonment not more than fifteen days. An Ordinance Regulating Trial in Intendant’s Court: Be it or- dained by the intendant and councilmen of the town of Jacksonville, That the trial of all offences that may arise under any of the ordinances of the town of Jacksonville, shall be had before the intendant, the said intendant sitting and composing a court for that purpose; and all trials shall be conducted according to the usual forms and rules adopted in the courts of justice. And be it further ordained, That all actions or prosecutions brought under the ordinances of said town, shall be brought in the name of the town or city of Jacksonville. And be it further ordained, That all fines, penalties, and taxes shall be levied and collected by warrant from the intendant or mayor. First Telegraph The first telegraph line from Jacksonville was built in 1859, to Baldwin, where it connected with the Cuban line and with the North. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 111 Aurora of 1859 On September 2, 1859, from midnight to 4 a.m., a fine auroral display was observed by the citizens of Jacksonville. At times it was very bright and red, occupying the northern heavens from northwest around to northeast and east. Streamers would be sent up from different points almost to the zenith, then fade away and flicker up again. At 3 a.m. the whole heavens shone with a brilliant red light, even the south was quite red. The more ignorant people were very much frightened, and many amusing incidents were told of how the negroes began to pray, thinking that the end of the world was at hand. There appears to have been a period of special auroral frequency from 1870 to 1882. More or less pronounced auroral displays were observed in Jacksonville on September 24 and October 14 and 25, 1870; February 4, 1872; June 4, 1877; and on November 17, 1882, there was a well-marked display that attracted general attention.’ Just Prior to the War In the years 1850 to 1860, the town, notwithstanding its many setbacks, doubled its population; the census of 1860 gave more than 2,000 inhabitants. During 1860, there was no cessation of business. Travel and the mails increased; likewise the telegraph business. Steamers and other vessels came and departed regularly. But with the mutterings of the coming trouble a nervous tension found its way into every occupation. The public mind drifted into political, rather than into commercial channels. Groups of men would collect on the streets and discuss the grave questions of the day. News of the attack on Fort Sumter at once suspended all business with the North and the mills, with one exception, closed down. Then the mails ceased coming, and the town began gradually to subside into inactivity,* only soon to be drawn into the whirlpool of war. Bibliography, Chapter XI a“Old Citizen’? in Jacksonville Tri-weekly Union, Feb. 1, 1876; bRecords 6f Dr. A. S. Ranliwin : cReliable data; old newspaper clipping; dHistory of Florida, Webb; eMrs. Geo. S. Wilson aD. M. Bostwick; gAs published in Florida Times-Union. 112 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER XII SOCIAL LIFE BEFORE THE WAR A large percentage of the citizens were men of education and ability, some of them being specialists in their profes- sional lines. Given to entertaining among themselves, and the “‘strangers within their gates’, they formed a distinct set where culture and refinement were the dominant character- istics, thus creating a social condition that was morally healthful and uplifting. Cooking and serving were done entirely at home, by servants trained in the art for genera- tions. Domestic service was then free from nomadic annoy- ance; therefore the ease and pleasures of entertaining were unhampered. The chief amusements were dinner parties, cards, and dancing. Besides the old-fashioned square dances, reels, ete., graceful Spanish dances and gliding waltzes were in- dulged in. All danced, the matron as well as the maid; grandmothers could be seen dancing with their grandsons. No dance was ever given without the patronage of married people—this was a strict social requirement. Marcellini, an old Spanish negro, was the chief functionary at all the dances, as it was his “fiddle and bow” that furnished the music, the mention of which caused one lady to exclaim, “Sweet memories of happy days are revived with the thought of Marcellini and his dancing fiddle”, while another says in verse: I see him yet, his rolling eyes, his scanty woolen hair, His swaying form, his conscious pride, his almost lordly air, When all the white folks waiting stood, till he would draw his bow; * * * * * * And when he touched the familiar notes, the sober and the staid, Just felt the music in their heels, when Marcellini played. Picnics in the summer-time and oyster roasts in the winter were pleasures that all could partake of. Camping for several days on the river bank, called ‘“‘marooning’’, was a popular pastime. A period of moonlight nights was gen- erally selected for marooning, so that moonlight water par- ties might be an attendant feature. Music was on hand to HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 113 be sure, and the soft, mellow notes of the guitar were certain to be heard out on the river as some youth sang the popular ballad of the day: Lightly row, lightly row, as o’er the dancing waves we go; Smoothly glide, smoothly glide, out on the silent tide. Let the winds and waters be, mingled with our melody, Lightly row, lightly row, for music’s voice is low. Gently with the sea-bird’s note, let our dying music float, Lightly row, 1-i-g-h-t-l-y r-o-w. There was serenading by groups of young men, who would visit the home of some popular person and with music and songs entertain the household for half an hour or so, those within in the meantime preparing refreshments for the serenaders. Frequently the presence of some “‘love-sick”’ person would be evinced by the notes of his guitar, as he stood singing softly outside the home of his “lady-love’’. More boisterous was the custom of charivari, or ‘‘shiveree’’, a hideous clamor of tin pans, horns, whistles, and other dis- agreeable noises, indulged in outside the home of a newly married widow or widower. The hilarious amusement always provoked anger on the part of the groom, but it would not cease until the participants were refreshed with cake and wine. This lightness, vivacity, love of pleasure, marks clearly the impress of the Spanish character upon the community. The English occupation also left some of its staunch, staid customs, such as strict attendance upon the Church services; financial provision for the future; propriety the requirement of society’s inner circle; and a rigid obedience to set customs, a disregard of them being considered an evidence of ill-breeding. . All forms of affliction met with the profoundest sym- pathy. Notice of funerals was written on a sheet of letter paper through which a wide black ribbon was inserted, and taken from house to house by a servant, attendance being considered a mark of respect for the living, as well as for the dead. There were no trained nurses and it devolved upon some member of the family, usually the mother or oldest daughter, to perform such duties in case of sickness. When members of a household were unable to provide the necessary attention for its sick, neighbors volunteered. It was nothing out of the ordinary for those occupying the highest social 114 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA position to nurse the poor night and day, or to shroud the dead. Sorrow and sickness obliterated the social boundary line and affliction became public property. Public out-of-door functions, barbecues, patriotic celebra- tions, and the like were of frequent occurrence. Every town improvement, or the inauguration of anything that had as its object the public weal, met with immediate popular favor, and the occasion was usually made one of public celebration, with speech-making and a grand, good time for all. Sucha thing as a circus coming to town was sufficient to cause un- bounded enthusiasm, and the songs and jokes could be heard on the streets long after its departure. In general, the people were kind-hearted, generous, and hospitable. They were happy and contented, with a pro- found fondness for recreation and pleasure; yet they were sympathetic and patient under affliction, and at all times were united in the interest of the town’s improvement. The community was prosperous, and the citizens possessed a business judgment that enabled them to overcome seem- ingly insurmountable obstacles, and to provide bountifully | for the present, and accumulate for the future. Bibliography, Chapter XII First-hand story of old residents of Jacksonville in what they called the “happy days before the war’’. pa af ay an “ So epee .. ose &_A - . 7 . : ; Mes da = re Nef SF myrtehondy: 4 cel Pe Xe : 7m Sine Cin 4 o ' ae x . os boy nm hates eee 0 oer nea st eh a Pd oe 7 4 cy Z 7 , * > os ay 4 oe RE ae nies Feko ae . | - p @ 7 a rh 2. = > ay ¥ \ 7 ~~ a y 7 a a : a mh r : ae 7 are y's © ° MAY? OF THE CITy SAMMIS' BUILDINGS ~ ~ iss hon EY 3 omy are —~— Original at Public Library: Gift of G.D. Ackerly. | “s, SONVILLE, 1859 eee A gO Te BA ee + ee ewe F : =~ fy BUFFINTON HOUSE JUDSON HOUSE = mm 1S 16 Saw + | MILL = =~ aa —_ =—— —_ | imeem Ff VE R. 4iTh OF ENDICOTT & Co & YORe See description page 115 7’ HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Map of Jacksonville of 1859 *No written record applying to the foregoing map of Jack- sonville has been found, but its face bears testimony that tends to place its date in 1859. The shading in the lower center is the area covered by the devastating fire of 1854. The Judson House was built in 1854. The plank road was built in 1856-7. The map bears the title “City”: Jacksonville was created a “City” by change from “Town” class by the charter of January, 1859. The Buffington House was burned late in 1859, and it probably would not have been shown as an illustration and located on the map had the map been prepared at a later time. Therefore it is assumed that the map was prepared in 1859 with some relation to the new charter and change of designa- tion; and also that it was based on a previous map, presum- ably Hart’s map of about 1857. The corporate limits indicated are those of March, 1842, remaining unchanged by the new charter, in fact they so re- mained until 1887. The unnumbered blocks in the upper por- tion of the map lie between Hogans Creek and the South Branch of the creek; the south branch has since been filled in and does not appear on late maps. I. D. Hart acquired all of the Taylor grant except ten acres; the unnumbered blocks referred to comprise about ten acres. In the early days the river was not bulkheaded and almost every severe northeaster backed the water into the stores on Bay Street. Apparently I. D. Hart in his survey attempted to correct this and at the same time increase the value of a larger section of his property by shifting the business center of the town from Bay Street between Market and Ocean to a black- jack ridge, where he provided a public square (now Hemming Park), doubtless intended as a market and general gathering place; and laid off the lots facing it on Duval, Hogan and Mon- roe Streets and the diagonal corners as half lots for store and business purposes. Hart never donated this square to the city, but the executors of his estate did in 1866. It is not known why the block numbered 68 was not divided into lots, unless the purpose was to reserve it for the free negroes settled in that locality. 115 116 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER XIII THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES (1861-1865) Florida withdrew from the Union January 10, 1861, whereupon the Jacksonville Light Infantry offered its serv- ices to the governor and was ordered to the mouth of the St. Johns River to garrison a post at that point. Soon after- ward a company known as the Duval County Cow Boys took up a position on St. Johns Bluff. These posts were main- tained until the approach of the Federal squadron under Commodore DuPont in March, 1862.° Mayor’s Proclamation Early in March, 1862, rumors reached Jacksonville that a Federal expedition, with a large number of troops, was about to embark for the occupation of this town. The mayor then published this proclamation, for the information of the citizens :° TO THE CITIZENS OF JACKSONVILLE. Fellow Citizens: In the present trying crisis, much thought and anxious inquiry have been devoted by the City Council, the citizens, and several of our friends from the country, including Gen. S. R. Pyles and Staff, to ascertain and determine what, under all the circumstances, is best to pe done, and will best promote the safety, comfort, and happiness of the people. On yesterday evening, a portion of the City Council held an inter- view with Gen. Pyles and his Staff, and after full discussion and patient deliberation, it was unanimously determined that inasmuch as all the Confederate troops, arms, and munitions of war upon the St. Johns river and in East and South Florida generally are to be abandoned, it is useless to attempt a defense of the City of Jacksonville, and there- fore upon the approach of the enemy it should be surrendered. This having been decided upon as the sound and proper course to be pursued, Col. M. Whit Smith suggested that the Mayor should make it known to the citizens by proclamation and this suggestion being fully concurred in by all present, I therefore, in conformity thereto, make known to you that all defenses will be immediately withdrawn from the city and the St. Johns river and no military force will be kept on duty, except for Police pur- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 117 poses, and such force will be supplied by details drawn from our citizens. 1 advise and earnestly admonish our citizens to remain at their homes and pursue their usual avocations, and I call upon all good cit- izens to give their aid and counsel for the preservation of good order throughout the entire community. It is the opinion of our most expe- rienced and intelligent citizens (and I think a correct one) that if the enemy meet with no resistance, private property will be respected, and unarmed citizens will be allowed to pursue their usual occupations. T trust, therefore, that our whole population will act with becoming pru- dence, and that no unnecessary provocation may be given that mav furnish a reason for violence from any quarter; and if after we have offered no resistance and given no just provocation, violence should be committed, the whole blame will rest on the aggressors. Every citizen able to perform police duty is hereby required to hold himself in readi- ness to go on duty, upon receiving notice from the Chief of Police. H. H. Hoeg, March 7, 1862. Mayor. This proclamation not only did not produce the desired effect, but on the other hand greatly intensified the alarm. The residents were panic-stricken, and two or three days later, when news was received that Fernandina had been occupied by Federal troops, all the Southern sympathizers who could go away left Jacksonville. Business along all lines was entirely suspended. The one railroad out of the town was taxed to its utmost capacity, carrying refugees to Lake City and other points in the interior of Florida. Others left with their belongings in wagons, some of them, women and children, having no destination and guided and protected only by faithful servants. A recital of the hardships that many of these women and children suffered during the next few years would soften the most callous heart. Numbers of them found refuge with relatives or friends in the interior, but there were some who suffered terrible hardships and were subjected to all the horrors incident to war.? When the city offices were closed the records were secretly buried for safe-keeping. After the war, when these records were exhumed, it was found that they were practically worth- less because of illegibility due to decay.¢ First Federal Occupation‘ Four Federal gunboats, Seneca, Pembina, Ottawa, and Isaac Smith, and two transports of Commodore DuPont’s squadron, crossed St. Johns bar March 11, 1862, and anchored 118 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA in the river. On the same day the Confederates came to Jacksonville, and under orders from the commander of the district, General Trapier, burned all the mills, except one (Scott’s), and 4,000,000 feet of lumber. Mr. Scott saved his mill by raising the British flag over it. They also burned the foundry, and a gunboat on the ways. But this was not all. That night a mob of men composed of refugees from Fernan- dina and Jacksonville came in and from pure malignity fired the Judson House and two or three other buildings in the town.& The next day, March 12th, the Federal squadron came up the river and anchored off Jacksonville. The capitulation of the town is described by a resident, Frederick Lueders, in the Immigration Edition of the Industrial Record (Jackson: ville) of July, 1907, as follows: “One day (March 12th), as I was standing on the river bank at the foot of Laura Street, I saw four gunboats come steaming up the river and drop anchor off the foot of Pine (Main) Street. I was getting pretty well scared, when the thought flashed through my head, ‘If they bombard Jack- sonville, it will be nothing short of murder’. At that time I happened to have a stick in my hand, and noting the guns were turned toward Jacksonville, I took out my handkerchief, tied it to the stick, and waved it vigorously over my head. The commander of the fleet saw the peace signal and with his aides came ashore. Upon landing, I told him the existing circumstances and begged him not to open fire upon the town. He said he would not, and for me to go on board. After I had explained that I was the only officer in the town (he was sheriff) he requested me to sign the surrender papers, which I did. He said his mission here was one of peace and that he hoped Florida would not suffer the havoc of war. Upon my return I found to my surprise that troops had been landed and pickets were out.” It was six companies of the Fourth New Hampshire Regi- ment, under the command of Colonel T. J. Whipple, that Mr. Lueders found in possession of Jacksonville. The occupation was quietly performed on March 12th. The Confederate troops were encamped in the vicinity of Baldwin, but they were more or less disorganized and poorly equipped, and they made no attempt at contesting the landing of the Federal forces here. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 119 The original plan of the Federal expedition was to occupy Jacksonville for only a few hours, for the purpose of recon- naissance; but the representations of the “loyal” residents of the town caused Colonel Whipple to abandon the idea of immediate evacuation. Pickets were stationed and the troops went into camp or were quartered in the vacant buildings. On March 19th, General T. W. Sherman} (U. S. A.), com- mander of the department, arrived. He came for the pur- pose of personally acquainting himself with the situation here, and in his report he stated that the act of Colonel Whipple in regularly occupying Jacksonville was a wise one. In the meantime, the Confederate troops in the vicinity of Baldwin, under the command of Colonel W. S. Dilworth, were recruiting and otherwise preparing to resist any attempt of the Federals to march into the interior of the State. Proclamation of the Loyal Citizens As soon as Jacksonville was thoroughly in the hands of the Federal army, a meeting of the “Loyal Citizens of the United States’, was held, at 10:30 a. m., March 20, 1862, C. L. Robinson, chairman; O. L. Keene, secretary; John S. Sammis, S. F. Halliday, John W. Price, Philip Frazer, and Paran Moody, being the committee appointed to draft reso- lutions to lay before said meeting. The following is a true copy of these resolutions :§ We, the people of the city of Jacksonville and its vicinity, in the county of Duval, and State of Florida, embraced within the territory and jurisdiction of the United States of America, do hereby set forth our declaration of rights and our solemn protest against the abrogation of the same by any pretended State or other authority. First. We hold that government is a contract, in which protection is the price of allegiance; that when protection is denied, through weak- ness or design, allegiance is no longer due. Second. We hold that an established form of government cannot be changed or abrogated except by the will of the people, intelligently and willingly expressed and fairly ratified. Third. We hold that no State of the United States has any legal or . constitutional right to separate itself from the government and juris- diction of the United States. Fourth. We hold that the act of the Convention of the State of Do not confound with W. T. Sherman. §War of the Rebellion—Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Series 1, Vol. VI, Page 251, 252. 120 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA res Florida commonly known as the ordinance of secession, is void, being in direct conflict with the Constitution of the United States, in never having been submitted to the people for ratification. Fifth. We hold that the State of Florida is an integral part of the United States, subject to the constitutional jurisdiction of the same, and we have reason to believe that thousands of her citizens would hail with joy the restoration of the Government, bringing deliverance from the terrors of unrestrained popular and military despotism. We solemnly protest against all the acts and ordinances of the Convention of the State of Florida, which were designed to deprive us of our rights as citizens of the United States. We protest against the despotism fostered by the State and other authorities claiming jurisdiction over us, which has denied us the rights most dear to freemen—freedom of speech and a free press. We protest against the exactions which have been imposed upon us—forced contributions of money, property, and labor; enlistments for military service procured by threats and misrep- resentations. We protest against the tyranny which demands of us as a measure of revolutionary policy abandonment of our homes and property and exposure of our wives and children to sickness, destitution, gaunt famine, innumerable and untold miseries and sorrows. We protest against that mad and barbarous policy which has punished us for remaining in our own homes by sending a brutal and unrestrained soldiery to pillage and burn our property, threaten and destroy our lives. We protest against the denunciation of the governor, who threatens to hang us because we do not tamely submit to such indig- nities and “lick the hand just raised to shed our blood.” From such a despotism and from such dangers and indignities we have been released by the restoration of the Government of the United States, with the benign principles of the Constitution. The reign of terror is past. Law and order prevail in our midst. It belongs now to the citizens of the State who hold to their allegi- ance to the United States to raise up a State government according to those provisions of the State which are not in conflict with or repug- nant to the provisions of the United States: Be it therefore resolved, That we adopt the foregoing protest and declaration of rights, and recommend that a convention of all loyal citizens be called forthwith, for the purpose of organizing a State government of the State of Florida. Be it further resolved, That the chief of the military department of the United States be requested to retain at this place a sufficient force to maintain order and protect the people in their persons and property. Philip Frazer, Chairman. A true copy of the resolutions as passed at said meeting and adopted as their own act. C. L. Robinson, Chairman; O. L. Keene, Secretary. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 121 On the same day, General Sherman issued a proclamation to the ‘‘Loyal People of East Florida’’, confirming and com- mending the foregoing resolutions and stating that the troops of the United States “had come amongst you to pro- tect loyal citizens and their property from further molesta- tion by the creatures of a rebel and usurped authority, and to enable you to resuscitate a Government which they have ruthlessly endeavored to destroy’, etc. Another meeting of the “‘loyal citizens” was held on the 24th of March and a committee of five was appointed to take steps toward obtain- ing the co-operation of other counties in the State in the effort to organize a state government under the jurisdiction of the United States. To this end a convention was called to meet at Jacksonville on April 10, 1862. In the afternoon of March 24th, General H. G. Wright and the 97th Pennsylvania regiment arrived, General Wright assuming command of the troops in Jacksonville. The Con- federates had by this time moved nearer the town and occu- pied a position at McGirts Creek, about 10 miles west in the direction of Baldwin. On the night of March 24th, a Federal picket of two men that had gone beyond the lines was cap- tured, and at 3 a. m. March 25th, the Confederates attacked a picket at the old brick yard in West LaVilla, killing four and capturing three of them. Lieutenant Strange (C.S8. A.) was mortally wounded here. This was the first blood of the war spilled in this vicinity. On the night of March 27th, a Federal picket fired upon a party approaching them in what they thought a suspicious manner, and of the two in advance, one was killed and the other wounded. They proved to be a party of negroes that had escaped from their masters at Lake City. The next day, General Wright, hearing that the Confederates were contem- plating an attack upon Jacksonville, sent to Fernandina for two sections of Hamilton’s battery. Its arrival brought the Federal force in Jacksonville up to 1,400 men. No attack was made, however, and a few days later the evacuation of the town was ordered. The Evacuation General Wright, in his official report, describes the evacu- ation as follows: 122 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA On the 7th (April, 1862) preparations for withdrawing were begun by embarking the public stores, and on the 8th, at 12 noon, the troops were marched on board and the embarkation was completed by 2 p. m. the same day. Owing to the heavy wind which had sprung up during the morning, it was impossible to get all the transports clear of the wharf until near sunset—too late to move safely very far down the intricate channel of the river that night—and it was therefore deter- mined to lay off the town until morning. This I was more willing to do, as it took from our movement all appearance of a hasty retreat. At 6 a. m. of the 9th, the transports, convoyed by the gunboats, proceeded down the river. It is said that General Wright notified the Confederates of the intended evacuation and requested them to resume their occupation of the town, whereupon a detachment of the First Florida calvary rode in and stood on the wharf watching the gunboats sail away. The evacuation of Jacksonville by the Federal forces was unfortunate for “loyal” citizens, the bona-fide ones as well as for those who, supposing the occupation would be perma- nent, sought to further their personal interests by disclaim- ing all connection with the Southern cause and remained within the Federal lines. When it became known that the town was to be evacuated, the greatest excitement prevailed among the people; their principal desire now was to get out of Jacksonville, for fear of vengeance. The morning of April 8th was very hot. There was the greatest confusion, as the loyal citizens hurriedly tried to get their goods, furni- ture, and valuables on board of the transports.” They em- barked with the Federal fleet and were carried to Fernandina and Brunswick and quartered in the vacant buildings there. Most of them had to rely on rations issued from the United States stores. Just before the evacuation, General Wright was directed by the general commanding the department, T. W. Sherman, to issue the following notice: HEADQUARTERS THIRD BRIGADE Jacksonville, Fla., April 7, 1862. (NOTICE). In accordance with an order issued by the general com- manding the Department of the South the troops will be withdrawn from this place, and I am directed by him to notify the people of Jack- sonville that it is his intention to have all the aid and protection afforded the loyal inhabitants of the interior of Florida that is practicable for the security of their persons and property, and for the punishment of HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 123 outrages, and that he holds all persons in that vicinity responsible for the preservation of order and quiet, being fully determined that any outrages upon persons or property contrary to the laws and usages of war shall be visited fourfold upon the inhabitants of disloyal or doubt- ful character nearest the scenes of any such wrongs, when the actual or known perpetrators cannot be discovered. The undersigned trusts that inasmuch as the unoffending citizens of this place have been treated with the utmost forbearance by our forces, it will not be necessary to carry out the intention in the last clause of the above notice. H. G. Wright, Brigadier-General Commanding. The following is the report of Colonel W. 8. Dilworth (C. S. A.) commanding the district of East and Middle Florida, dated April 15, 1862, regarding the operations of the Confed- erate troops in front of Jacksonville during the occupation of the town by the Federal forces: When the enemy first occupied Jacksonville and while all the Florida troops were retreating in confusion and disorder, I, as colonel of the Third Regiment Florida Volunteers, ordered a part of my regi- ment to advance in the direction of Jacksonville and take a position within ten miles of the city, with only 250 effective men. Soon I had eight companies of my regiment with me. After making a thorough reconnaissance of the city, I became convinced that I could not attack the city without heavy loss and could be driven out by the enemy’s gunboats. I then determined to commence a system of annoyances, by attacking their pickets, foraging parties, etc. I made a successful attack on the picket near the city of Jacksonville, killing four and taking three prisoners, when I was ordered to take command of the district. Colonel Davis was then ordered to the command of the forces near Jacksonville, and has most successfully carried on the system which I commenced and which has resulted in their evacuation of the place. JI have further to report that after the evacuation the enemy returned under a flag of truce and were permitted to land 52 negroes, which were taken in charge by the commander of the post. The Yacht America” It was at the time of the first Federal occupation of Jack- sonville that the incident of the capture of the famous yacht America occurred. The career of the America was a notable one. She was built by George Steers for Commodore J. C. Stevens, founder of the N. Y. Yacht Club, and launched in March, 1851. She was a schooner-rigged racing yacht of unusual design and registered 170 tons. 124 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA In 1851 the first world’s exhibit ever held was opened at Crystal Palace in London, and as a sort of culmination of the ceremonies attending the opening there was a great international assemblage of yachts at Cowes. Many races were on the program, chief of which was an international race open to the yachts of all nations for a cup offered by the British Royal Yacht Squadron, the course to be around the Isle of Wight, 81 miles. Commodore Stevens sent the Amer- ica over for this race, the first ever participated in by Amer- ican and British yachts. From the moment of the America’s arrival at Cowes she was an object of curiosity and appre- hension and on one pretext or another the British yacht owners hesitated to accept the challenge that Commodore Stevens issued to the world. Finally the challenge was accepted and the race was sailed on Friday, August 22, 1851. The New York Herald correspondent on the spot described it as follows: Shortly after nine o’clock on Friday morning the yachts were at their stations off the club house, the America lying considerably astern. She was a strange-looking craft enough with her long, low, black hull, her breadth of beam, and her thick, stiff-looking, rakish masts. Pitted against her were fourteen yachts, of which six were schooners and eight cutters. Among these were the flower of the English sporting navy, the choicest products of shipbuilding skill. At ten o’clock the signal was fired from the club house. Before the smoke had cleared away, the fleet was under way, moving steadily to the east with the tide and gentle breeze. The only laggard was the America, which did not move for a second or so after the others. Steamers, shore boats, and yachts of all sizes buzzed along on each side of the course and spread away for miles. If the British heart leaped with momentary exultation over the slowness of the America in getting under way, it was only momentary. She began to creep up on her opponents, passing some of the cutters to windward. In a quarter of an hour she had left them all behind, save only the Constance, the Beatrice and the Fairy Queen, which were well together and went along smartly with the light breeze. In another quarter of an hour the America was clear of them all. Off Sandown Bay, the wind freshening, her jibboom was carried away, but she was well handled and the mishap produced no ill effect, her competitors gaining a trifle, but not approaching her. From the moment she rounded St. Catherine’s Point the race was practically over. When the America finally reached the starting vessel at twenty-five minutes to nine p. m., there was no competitor in sight. The news reached Her Majesty the Queen on board of her yacht. “Who is second?” asked the Queen. “Your Majesty there is no second,” HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 125 replied the messenger. This was true for the moment, but twenty minutes later the Aurora arrived at the stakeboat and was awarded second honors. The America brought the cup home and Commodore Stevens afterward gave it to the N. Y. Yacht Club, where it has since remained. Some time after the race the America was purchased by an Englishman and flew the Union Jack instead of the Stars and Stripes, until the opening of the War Between the States, when a syndicate, tempted by her sailing qualities, purchased her for use as a blockade runner for the Confederacy. As a blockade runner the America’s rendezvous was among the Florida Keys, whence she made flying trips to Nassau and Bermuda. In March, 1862, she entered the St. Johns River while the Federal squadron was lying off the bar. An old resident who was an eye-witness to the occur- rence published this account of it: One moonlight night at Mayport, when the Federal gunboats were just far enough outside for their black hulls to be faintly visible, there came up out of the east on a wholesale sailing breeze a yacht with every stitch of canvas set and drawing. The foam was cut from her bows like a knife would do it and was thrown high over her deck and on her sails. There came a flash and a boom.from a gunboat and a shot ricochetted across her bow, followed by more flashes and shots; but on the gallant craft came, spar and rigging untouched, heeling over now and then and righting herself gracefully. She passed inside the bar safely and when she went by the point (at Mayport) seemed to be flying. She went up to Jacksonville. There being no chance to run the gauntlet again the America was taken to Black Creek when the Federal gunboats entered the river, and was there scuttled, being thus saved from capture as a prize. When the Federals occupied Jacksonville they soon dis- covered the situation of the America and utilizing the old St. Johns River steamboat Darlington, which they had pre- viously captured at the drawbridge near Fernandina, raised her and towed her to Jacksonville. Temporary repairs were made upon the America and she was taken along when the Federal squadron left in April, 1862. She was afterward assigned as a training ship at Annapolis. In 1870, there came from England Mr. Ashbury’s chal- lenge for the America’s cup. It was the unanimous desire of the country that the America be allowed to compete for 126 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA the defense of the cup she had originally won; she had won it against a fleet, and now in 1870 a fleet was to be sent out to defend it against the British challenger Cambria. In the race the America beat the Cambria, but herself was beaten by three other American yachts—the Magic, the Idler, and the Silvie. The America then returned to Annapolis and resumed her position as a training ship. In 1873 she was condemned by the Government and sold to Gen. B. F. Butler. Second Federal Occupation’ Following the first Federal occupation Jacksonville was not regularly occupied by Confederate troops. Confederate detachments occasionally came into town, however, just to see how things were getting along, but after a short time withdrew. In the summer of 1862, batteries were erected by the Confederates on the St. Johns River below Jacksonville, at Yellow Bluff and St. Johns Bluff, on opposite sides of the river. For some time these batteries kept the Federal squad- ron, comprising the gunboats Paul Jones, Cimarron, Water Witch, Hale, Uncas, and Patroon, from coming up the river. The ineffectual effort of the gunboats to reduce these bat- teries, resulted in an expedition of four transports, carrying 1,573 men, which left Hilton Head, S. C., on September 30th, for the purpose of co-operating with the fleet. This expe- dition landed near Mayport Mills during the afternoon and evening of October 1st. Colonel C. F. Hopkins, commanding the battery at St. Johns Bluff immediately requested reinforcements, and the garrison at Yellow Bluff crossed over to reinforce him, bring- ing his available force up to about 500 men. The next day the Federal forces, increased by men from the gunboats, began a movement by land against St. Johns Bluff, the fleet co-operating with the land forces. Late that afternoon, Colonel Hopkins had a conference with his officers, at which it was decided that his force was insufficient to hold the position. It was therefore quietly abandoned at 9 p. m., October 2d. All the guns and a considerable amount of ammunition fell into the hands of the Federal forces. On October 3d, the Paul Jones steamed up to Jacksonville, for the purpose of destroying all boats and otherwise inter- eepting the passage of the Confederate troops across the HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 127 river. In this it was unsuccessful and returned the next morning to join the fleet anchored off St. Johns Bluff. On October 5th, Jacksonville was occupied the second time by the Federal army. A small Confederate force was stationed in the outskirts of the town, for the purpose of observation, but retired when the gunboat Cimarron opened fire upon them. The landing of the troops was completed in the afternoon of the 5th, and the next morning the gun- boats went in search of Confederate steamers which rumor said were secreted in the creeks up the river. The fleet returned on the 9th, with the steamer Governor Milton, cap- tured in a creek near Enterprise in a disabled condition, her boilers being entirely worn out. Jacksonville was evacuated on the afternoon of the 9th, after an occupation of just four days. General J. M. Brannan, commander of the Federal expe- dition, said in his report of October 18, 1862: On the 5th (October) I proceeded up the river as far as Jackson- ville in the transport Ben DeFord, with 785 infantry. I observed a large quantity of corn and other crops on the banks of the river which it was at first my intention either to remove or destroy. This purpose I afterward abandoned as impracticable. Jacksonville I found to be nearly deserted, there being but a small portion of its inhabitants left— chiefly old men, women and children. From this town and neighbor- hood I bring with me several refugees ety about 276 contrabands, including men, women and children. The purpose of this expedition was not mentioned in the reports, but, evidently, it was to keep the St. Johns River open up to Jacksonville. Third Federal Occupation‘ Jacksonville was occupied by Federal troops the third time March 10th, 1863, this time by negro troops commanded by white officers, namely, First Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers (negro), Colonel T. W. Higginson, and a portion of the Second Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers (negro), Colonel Montgomery. These troops were later rein- forced by two white regiments, Eighth Maine and Sixth Con- necticut. On March 18th, General Finegan (C. S. A.), commanding near Jacksonville, issued the following proclamation: 128 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF EAST FLORIDA Camp near Jacksonville, March 13, 1863. I feel it my duty as brigadier-general commanding this district to inform the people of the district and of the State that our unscrupulous enemy has landed a large force of negroes, under command of white officers, at Jacksonville, under cover of gunboats. He is attempting to fortify the place so as to make it secure against attacks. The purpose of this movement is obvious and need not be mentioned in direct terms. It is sufficient to inspire the whole body of the people with a renewed and sterner purpose of resistance. I therefore call on such of the citizens as can possibly leave their homes to arm and organize them- selves into companies without delay and report to me. * * * Jos. Finegan, Brigadier-General Commanding. Whether General Finegan was correct in his supposition, hinted at in his proclamation, is answered in the report of General R. Saxton (U. 8. A.), dated March 14, 1863, as follows: The object of this expedition was to occupy Jacksonville and make it the base of operations for the arming of negroes and securing in this way possession of the entire state of Florida. It gives me pleasure to report that so far the objects of the expedition have been fully accom- plished. The town is completely in our possession and many prisoners. * * * It is my belief that scarcely an incident in this war has caused a greater panic throughout the whole southern coast than this raid of the colored troops in Florida. The negroes are collecting at Jackson- ville from all quarters. Immediately upon landing the Federals began to erect fortifications as though for permanent occupation. To guard the terminus of the railroad where it entered the town, Colonel Higginson caused two forts to be erected, one on the right of the railroad, named Fort Montgomery, and one on the left, Fort Higginson. The gunboats, being provided with heavy guns of long range, commanded the country for sev- eral miles around. The Confederate troops, under General Finegan, were stationed a few miles west of Jacksonville. They consisted principally of cavalry, or mounted infantry, and were poorly provided with artillery. Skirmishing began on the day following the landing of the Federal troops, and continued more or less until Jackson- ville was evacuated. General Finegan made no general attack upon the town, but confined his operations to a system HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 129 somewhat similar to that followed during the first occupa- tion—attacking outposts, pickets, foraging parties, etc. There was some loss of life on both sides. Surgeon Meredith (C. S. A.) was killed on March 11th. On March 17th, Colonel McCormick (C. 8. A.), by direc- tion of General Finegan, notified Colonel Higginson to remove the women and chiidren from Jacksonville within 24 hours, or that after that time they would remain in the town on his (Higginson’s) responsibility. Colonel Higginson immediately _ordered his wagons to convey all those who wished to leave to the brick yard church, where they were met under a flag of truce by a Confederate escort. Thus all the women and children, except a few families, were removed from Jackson- ville and sent to Lake City. March 22d and 23d two white regiments arrived, Eighth Maine, Colonel John D. Rust, and the Sixth Connecticut, Colonel John L. Chatfield. Colonel Rust being the ranking officer took command of the troops here. Skirmishing now became more frequent and heavier. About this time Lt. T. E. Buckman devised the plan of mount- ing a cannon on a flat car, coupling on a locomotive and run- ning it down the track to within range of Jacksonville. The railroad battery became celebrated for its effectiveness. Francis Sollee, of Jacksonville, commanded this gun, and he was commended in the highest terms for bravery and skill in serving it. This battery figured also in the battle of Olustee afterward. The medical officer of the Eighth Maine describes the damage done by the railroad battery of the Confederates as follows:! Wednesday, March 25, 1863: At 3:30 this morning the rebels came down on the railroad and opened on the town with an 8-inch rifled gun. The first shot went through an unoccupied house next to our medical headquarters and exploded, turning us all out in a hurry. Just as I got out of doors the second one broke over our heads. The third one struck the roof of a house where a Union man and his wife were sleep- ing; the shell passed through the side of the house and imbedded itself eight feet in the ground without exploding. Several of us dug out the shell and found it to be an 8-inch rifle of English manufacture. They got seven of these shells into the town before our gunboats got a range on them, when they beat a retreat. After guard mounting this morning four companies of the Eighth Maine, three of the Sixth Connecticut, and three of the negro regiment started out to tear up the railroad track to prevent the rebels from 130 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA getting near enough with their steam gun to shell us. We had a 4-inch rifle gun mounted on a small flat car and shoved it by hand. When four miles out we began to tear up the track and just then the rebels made their appearance down the track with an engine and a large 8-inch gun on a flat car and they at once opened on us. The first shot struck in the center of the track just short of where Captain McArthur and myself stood, exploded and a large piece of the butt of the shell ricochetted to the right, making a high curve, cut off the top of a tall pine tree, and fell into the ranks of Company I, Eighth Maine, who were marching in four ranks by the right shoulder shift on a piece of plank road. It struck the musket barrel of Thomas Hoole of Bruns- wick, Me., taking off his head. Passing to the next rank it took off the shoulder of Joseph Goodwin, of Lyman, Me.—he lived two hours. Pass- ing to the next rank it took off the leg below the knee of another man. I soon had the ambulance at work. Hiding the piece of shell under the plank road, turning over all the planks that had blood on them, and scattering soil over the spot, we very quickly obliterated all signs of anyone being hurt. We got back to town at 3 p. m., with no further loss. Evacuation and Burning of Jacksonville The Federal troops were withdrawn from Jacksonville for the purpose of taking part in the operations against Savannah and Charleston.« Describing the evacuation, the correspondent of the New York Tribune, writing from Jack- sonville under date of March 29, 1863, said: Before entering upon the details of this lamentable destruction of property, allow me to return to Hilton Head, which place I left last Thursday morning. At that time at an early hour, it was whispered around headquarters, although the utmost secrecy had been enjoined, that Jacksonville was to be evacuated by the soldiers of the National army, who had promised the loyal inhabitants protection and had assured them that the city would be held by our troops during the war. Desiring to visit this portion of the Department of the South before the grand expedition set sail, and also to witness the evacuation, I took passage on the steamer Boston and arrived here with the accompany- ing transports, the Convoy, the Delaware, the Cossack, and the Tillie, on Friday evening. At Hilton Head much surprise, indeed much indignation had been expressed the moment it was made known that we were to abandon this important point; not perhaps so much because it was important, but because so many loyal people would be utterly ruined by the move- ment. Arriving at Jacksonville, I called upon the leading officers and found that they, too, could scarcely restrain their indignation. It is an outrage, it is villainous, it will injure our cause terribly, were the most frequent expressions. It was in vain that one tried to demonstrate that — HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 131 it was of the greatest importance at this moment that all the troops in this department should be concentrated for the grand conflict in Charleston or Savannah harbors. Either of these important cities taken, the whole state of Florida would be, as it were, flanked and the enemy compelled to abandon it instantly. Jacksonville was occupied on the 10th of March by a negro brigade, under the command of Colonel Higginson. What they achieved, and how admirably, I have already written you, up to as late a date as the 25th instant. Before alluding to the events of today, it remains for me to fill up the interval from the 25th to the 29th. Ten days ago General Hunter, upon representations made to him, not by Colonel Higginson, but by several loyal men of much influence, long residents of Florida, decided to reinforce Colonel Higginson with two regiments of white infantry—the Eighth Maine, Colonel Rust, and the Sixth Con- necticut, Colonel Chatfield. Colonel Rust, outranking Colonel Higgin- son, took command of all the forces in Jacksonville. Colonel Higginson had, by the severest labor his black troops could endure, so strengthened his position that he deemed himself sufficiently strong to hold Jackson- ville against all the forces the rebel General Finegan could bring to bear against it. The natural defenses of Jacksonville are very considerable. The only weak point was on the southwest, or in that portion of the city where the railroad enters it. To guard this point, Colonel Higginson erected two forts. To give range to the guns from these forts, a large forest of pine and oak trees had to be cut down and about fifty dwellings, mostly of an inferior class, destroyed. Fort Higginson not only commands the left of the railroad, but the approach on the south to Jacksonville, by the St. Johns River. All the work upon these forts was done by the black troops. I have seen about all the earthworks in Virginia, and do not hesitate to say that these hastily constructed works compare very favorably with the best ever thrown up by the Army of the Potomac. & * * * * * * I am now writing on the deck of the fine transport ship, Boston. From this upper deck the scene presented to the spectator is one of most fearful magnificence. On every side dense clouds of black smoke are seen. A fine south wind is blowing immense blazing cinders right into the heart of the city. The beautiful Spanish moss, drooping so gracefully from the long avenues of splendid oaks has caught fire, and as far as the eye can reach, through these once pleasant streets, nothing but sheets of flame can be seen, running up with the rapidity of light- ning to the tops of the trees and then darting off to the smallest branches. The whole city is being lapped up and devoured by this fiery blast.+ One solitary woman, a horse tied to a fence between two fires, and a lean, half-starved dog are the only living inhabitants to be seen TFrom his position on the river, this correspondent quite naturaliy obtained an exaggerated view of the fire. Fortunately, it was not as extensive as it appeared to him. 132 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA on the streets. Is this not war, vindictive, unrelenting war? Have we gotten up to the European standard? * * x % H s > There must have been some understanding among the incendiaries with regard to the conflagration. At 8 o’clock the flames burst from several buildings in different parts of the city, and at a later hour still more were fired. The wind then rose to a stiff gale and the torch of the incendiary became unnecessary to increase the fire. * * * * * * The Sixth Connecticut charge it upon the Eighth Maine and the Eighth Maine hurl it back upon the Sixth Connecticut. Six o’clock p.m. Mouth of the St. Johns—a fierce northeast storm is raging upon the ocean. Gunboats and transports are lying here in safety waiting until it abates. Again we are witnessing a conflagration. Some of the soldiers have gone ashore and found a fine steam sawmill at Mayport Mills, said to belong to a Union man in Maine. Much indig- nation is expressed on board. In regard to the burning of the city, Dr. Alfred Walton, medical officer of the Eighth Maine regiment, wrote in his diary :! Sunday, March 29, 1863: Before we were ready to embark the boys began to set fire to the city and soon we had to hurry up for the smoke was getting rather uncomfortable. On my way down (to the wharf) I ran into St. Johns church and groping through the smoke and fire I took from the altar a large guilt-bound prayer book with the inscription on the cover “St. Johns Episcopal Church, Jacksonville.” Farther down on Market Street I entered a building that appeared to be some kind of office, (probably the Clerk’s office) and from the table or desk I took a manuscript map of the city of Jacksonville. Farther down I saw some negro soldiers setting fires and from their songs and shouting they appeared to be having a good time. *Dr. Walton returned the prayer book to St. Johns Church in 1866. The manuscript map he returned to the city in 1893./ About six blocks was the area burned over, destroying in the neighborhood of 25 buildings, including the Episcopal Church and the Court House. While reconnoitering from a position on the river, General Finegan saw that Jacksonville was on fire in several places and that the transports were being loaded with troops. He pushed on into the town, arriv- ing just after the departure of the last gunboat, but in time to extinguish the fire in some valuable buildings. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 133 Fourth Federal Occupation/ On January 13, 1864, President Lincoln wrote General Q. A. Gillmore (U. S. A.), commanding the Department of the South as follows: “I understand an effort is being made by some worthy gentlemen to reconstruct a loyal State gov- ernment in Florida. I have given Mr. Hay a commission of major and sent him to you with some blank books and other blanks to aid in the reconstruction.” Elaborate plans were made, and an expedition of more than 20 vessels, gunboats and transports, carrying in the neighborhood of 7,000 troops, under the command of General T. Seymour, left Hilton Head, S. C., for Jacksonville before daybreak, February 6, 1864. This expedition arrived at the mouth of the St. Johns River early on the morning of the next day, crossed the bar and proceeded to Jacksonville. The transport Maple Leaf was the first vessel to reach the dock, and at 3:40 p. m. (7th) began landing troops. In a short time the other transports came up. There was a small Confederate picket, 20 men, in the town and they fired on the Hunter, one of the transports, and killed one man, but were immediately forced to retire by a cavalry company that had been hastily landed from the Maple Leaf. Later in the after- noon, the U. 8. gunboat Norwich went up to McGirts Creek to capture the St. Marys, a river steamer being loaded with cotton consigned to Nassau, N. P. Finding himself hemmed in, the commander of the St. Marys sank his vessel in McGirts Creek, and two days later it fell into the hands of the Federals. There was considerable friction between the Federal army and navy officials as to who should claim the prize, the army or the navy ; the official reports donot indicate how the question was settled. In his official report, General Gillmore states that the object of this expedition to Florida was: 1. To procure an outlet for cotton, lumber, timber, tur- pentine and other products of the state of Florida. 2. To cut off one of the sources of supplies for the Con- federates. 3. To obtain recruits for his colored regiments. 4, To inaugurate measures for the speedy restoration of the state to her allegiance. For the purpose of carrying out these plans, the bulk of the Federal army set out on the afternoon and evening of 134 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA February 8th, on the march westward to Baldwin and Lake City. This movement culminated on February 20th, in the famous battle of Olustee, or Ocean Pond, where General Sey- mour was defeated by the Confederates under Generals Col- quitt and Finegan. Thus it seems that two clauses of Gen- eral Gillmore’s plans, namely 2d and 4th, were practically annulled in the very beginning, General Seymour having reported a day or so before that “I am convinced that what has been said of the desire of Florida to come back now is a delusion.” After its defeat at Olustee, the Federal army returned to Jacksonville. The churches and some of the largest houses were used as temporary hospitals. The floors were strewn with hay and on this the wounded soldiers were placed in rows, white and black side by side, as they were brought in from the front.* Fortifications were erected to strengthen the town against attack, and soon the arrival of reinforcements brought General Seymour’s army upto 12,000 men, splendidly equipped in every department. Among these troops were six negro regiments. The Confederate forces on February 26th occupied a position on McGirts Creek at a point where the wagon road and the railroad crossed the creek, ten or twelve miles west of Jacksonville. They were now under the command of Gen- eral W. M. Gardner, who, outranking General Finegan, took command after the battle of Olustee. Breastworks and stockades were erected at McGirts Creek, the post being named Camp Milton. Afterward, when the Confederates abandoned these works, the Federal officers spoke of them as magnificently constructed fortifications, beautiful in detail. March 6th, General J. Patton Anderson assumed command of the Confederate army near Jacksonville. At that time it numbered about 8,000 men, some of them poorly equipped. On March 1, 1864, General Henry (U.S. A.), with 500 cavalry and 2 pieces of artillery, left Jacksonville for the purpose of making a reconnaissance in the direction of Camp Milton. The movement developed into quite a skirmish at Cedar Creek,} six miles west of Jacksonville, lasting from 10 a. m. until 3 p.m. The Federal loss was one killed, four |) See ¢There are several creeks near Jacksonville called Cedar Creek. The one here men- tioned is a branch of McGirts Creek, HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 135 wounded, and five prisoners. The Confederates lost Captain Winston Stevens, killed; other casualties not reported. During March, Palatka was occupied by a strong force sent from Jacksonville, estimated by General Anderson at 1,500 men. St. Augustine and the eastern side of the St. Johns were also in possession of the Federal army, together with the north side of the river below Jacksonville, with a battery at Yellow Bluff. There was constant and uninter- rupted communication between these posts and the base at Jacksonville until the navigation of the St. Johns River was made extremely hazardous by the Confederates, who, on the night of March 30, 1864, placed 12 torpedoes, each containing 70 pounds of small-grain powder, in the river channel near Mandarin Point. At 4 a. m., April 1st, the U. S. transport Maple Leaf, returning to Jacksonville from Palatka with the camp equip- ment of three regiments, struck one of these torpedoes and sank in seven minutes. The Confederates then boarded her and burned her to the water’s edge. On April 16th, the Hunter, another U. S. transport, returning from Picolata with quartermaster stores, struck a torpedo and sank imme- diately, near the wreck of the Maple Leaf. One man was drowned. Again, on May 9th, the U. S. armed transport Harriet A. Weed was destroved at the same place, with the loss of five men. Thus within 40 days three vessels were destroyed at this point, with nine torpedoes still in the river. Farther up the river, at a place called Horse Landing, Lieu- tenant Letford, of Captain Dickison’s command, captured and burned the U. S. steamer Columbine, killing 25 and cap- turing seven commissioned officers, 9 seamen, and 47 enlisted negroes, himself sustaining no loss whatever. On April 2, 1864, General Henry made another reconnais- sance in the direction of Cedar Creek, and in the skirmishing that followed had 8 men wounded. The Confederate casual- ties were not given in the reports. These forces, the greatest number mobilized in Florida during the war, remained facing each other until the middle of April, when heavy drafts were made on both Federal and Confederate armies in this vicinity, for service in the armies of Sherman and Grant, Lee and Johnston. Beginning with the 8th of April and continuing thereafter until the middle of May, transports loaded with Federal troops left Jackson- ville almost daily. The Federal forces in this vicinity were 136 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA finally reduced to about 2,500 or 3,000 men, largely negroes, the bulk of which occupied Jacksonville. Afterward, rein- forcements came, but did not remain long. The Confederate troops began leaving April 14th, for assignment elsewhere, until only one regiment and two battalions of cavalry and three companies of artillery remained in East Florida. Gen- eral Anderson then changed his headquarters to Lake City, leaving in front of Jacksonville the Second Florida Cavalry and four companies of the Fifth Battalion Florida Cavalry, to oppose the overwhelming force in the strongly fortified posi- tion at Jacksonville. On the night of May 31-June 1, a force of 2,459 Federal troops left Jacksonville in two columns, to attack Camp Mil- ton. The small Confederate detachment occupying the post at that time was surprised and driven from Cedar Creek and Camp Milton back upon Baldwin. A portion of the works at Camp Milton was burned or otherwise destroyed, but the next day the Confederates advanced, skirmishing with the advance guard of the enemy, and reoccupied Camp Milton. Overwhelmingly outnumbered, this remnant of Florida cavalry performed miracles. It met and defeated raiding parties, one of which was almost annihilated in the streets of Gainesville by Dickison and his men, aided by citizens of the town; attacked and captured outposts and pickets; threatened the Federal communications on the St. Johns River, and was nearly successful in the attempt to obstruct the navigation of the river below Jacksonville in the vicinity of Yellow Bluff, by placing torpedoes and mines in the chan- nel. That these harassing tactics came near causing the evacuation of Jacksonville by the Federal army is indicated in the following communication from Federal headquarters at Hilton Head to General William Birney, commanding at Jacksonville, dated July 16, 1864, to-wit: I am instructed by the major-general commanding to inform you that the number of troops now in your command is considerably greater than that section of the department demands in a military point of view. If you cannot properly guard the St. Johns River you must prepare to make St. Augustine your base, keeping Jacksonville and Picolata as ad- vanced posts, if practicable. In case of immediate danger of the St. Johns River being rendered impracticable for navigation by reason of the enemy gaining possession of points along the banks or by reason of their planting a great number of torpedoes in the river, the com- munication from Jacksonville to St. Augustine must be by ferry across HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 137 the river, which you must provide in season, and by land across the country. All of this was in face of the fact that Jacksonville at that time was protected by inclosed works, redoubts and lunettes, connected by rifle pits and manned with eight bat- teries of the most improved artillery. There was considerable skirmishing during the latter half of July in the neighborhood of Trout Creek, and near Baldwin and Camp Milton, which the Confederates again evacuated and reoccupied. By this time they had dwindled to 216 cavalry, 40 mounted infantry, and a battery of 4 guns. When a force comprising 3 negro regiments and 1 white regiment of infantry, 1 cavalry regiment, and 4 pieces of artillery was sent out from Jacksonville against Camp Mil- ton, the remnant of Florida troops permanently evacuated that post; this was on July 26th, 1864. Insofar as armed op- position was concerned, this ended the war in the vicinity of Jacksonville, but occasional Federal raiding parties continued to be sent down the State until the surrender in the spring of 1865. In the meantime, the question of Florida’s return to the Union was revived, although nothing ever came of it further than the calling of a convention by Unionists within the Fed- eral lines, to be held in Jacksonville in May, 1864, for the purpose of selecting delegates to the national convention soon to be held in Baltimore. Two delegates were appointed from St. Augustine, one from Fernandina, and three from Jacksonville. The Jacksonville delegation was: John W. Price, Paran Moody, and John 8. Sammis.* It will be remem- bered that a similar convention was held during the first Federal occupation of Jacksonville when the drastic ‘‘Decla- ration of Rights” was directed against the Southern people. Bibliography, Chapter XIII aMemoirs of Florida, Fleming; bQ. L. Keene in published account; cRecords of Florida Historical Society ; dStated by residents who were here at the time; eBook of Jacksonville, Paul Brown; fWar of the Rebellion—Official Records of Union and Con- federate Armies, Series 1, Vol. VI; g“Old Citizen” in Jacksonville Tri-weekly Sun, aa 27,1816: Newspaper clipping ; iWar of the Rebellion, etc., Series 1, Vol. XIV; jDo, Vol. XXKV; kFlorida Gazetieer, Hawks, 1871; /Diary of A. Walton, medical officer 8th Maine Reg., pub. in Jacksonville Evening Telegram, Oct. 30, 1893; mFrom accounts published in the early local newspapers. 138 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER XIV REORGANIZATION AND RECONSTRUCTION (Political) Effort to Restore Civil Government (1865-1866) Judge William Marvin was appointed provisional gover- nor of Florida by President Andrew Johnson in July, 1865. On August 2, Governor Marvin addressed a meeting at Jack- sonville and the next day issued a proclamation, calling an election of delegates to a convention which would be em- powered to establish a new State government for Florida in accordance with the President’s amnesty proclamation. Some of the Southern people took the oath required and others secured the special pardons offered by it, so that the class of people entitled to vote in this election comprised Southerners as well as those that had sympathized with the North throughout the war; many were Republicans, but all were bona-fide white residents of Florida, as one of the re- quirements of the President’s proclamation was that the ap- plicant for registration must have had the qualifications to vote at the time the State withdrew from the Union.2 The oath was taken by 7042 persons in Florida. The election was held in October and the convention of 56 dele- gates assembled at Tallahassee late in that month. The con- stitution adopted by this convention provided for an election in November following, for governor and other State and County officers, legislature, judges, and members of Con- gress. In the November election David S. Walker, of Talla- hassee, was elected governor. The Legislature elected in November met at Tallahassee in December, 1865. It was composed of the same class of citizens as those of the convention. Governor Marvin ad- dressed it with an appeal to lay aside revengeful feelings and institute a just and reasonable policy in the re-establish- ment of the State government. He was opposed to granting suffrage to the negro so soon after emancipation.? Governor Walker was now inaugurated, and in addressing the Legislature he recommended a policy of conciliation similar to that of Governor Marvin. He, too, was opposed to HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 139 granting suffrage to the negro at this time. The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified and the negro was granted certain civil rights, but the Legislature did not enfranchise him.2 The vital question before the Legislature in 1866 was the Fourteenth Amendment, which had already passed the na- tional Congress. Governor Walker recommended its rejec- tion, as it virtually disfranchised most of the intelligent people of the South. The Legislature refused to ratify it.? The record left by this body of men stands out against the screen of subsequent events as a conscientious effort to bring about the reorganization of the State government in the only sensible way. They saw with unclouded vision the chaos that would result if the negro were given the vote at this time, and their logic and foresight were thoroughly verified later. What they did was in accordance with the policy outlined by Abraham Lincoln and followed by Andrew Johnson, as was repeatedly pointed out by President Johnson in his numerous vetoes of Congressional Bills designed to bring about political upheavals in the South. The people of Florida were just becoming reconciled to the new state of affairs, when the State was invaded by the Freedmen’s Bureau under the protection of the armed forces of the United States. Freedmen’s Bureau (1865-74) The Federal Congress passed an act establishing the Freedmen’s Bureau in March, 1865, before the close of the war. The purpose of the legislation was to furnish pro- visions, clothing, shelter, and fuel to the needy and dependent freedmen and their families. One of the provisions of the act was the allotment of abandoned or confiscated land, 40 acres, under special conditions, to worthy freedmen.* Out of this grew the famous “Forty acres and a mule” lure that was so often dangled before the eyes of the bewildered negro by his so-called benefactors, and always to his undoing. This act was to remain in force one year. Nothing much was done by the Bureau the first year; but in the meantime the halls of the Federal Congress were re- verberating with the thunder of radical leaders, who saw in this legislation the groundwork on which to build their ef- forts to force their doctrines on the South. So in February, 140 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1866, just before the expiration of the original act, a Con- gressional amendment extended it indefinitely until repealed and also vastly enlarged the field of operations by the Bureau. It was made a branch of the War Department, with instruc- tions to establish military sub-districts in command of army officers to enforce its dictates. When the Bill was sent to President Johnson for signature, he vetoed it. He called attention to the fact that the South was making good prog- ress in re-establishing law and order, and he could see no necessity for virtually a military dictatorship here at that time, but Congress passed it over his veto. Thus was the South launched upon her decade of troubles, which were im- posed upon her, as we shall see, not in the spirit of patriotism, but purely from partisan motives. - Among theadded functions of the Freedmen’s Bureau was the establishment of Churches, schools, and other institu- tions for the freedmen in the South. On the face of it this was a worthy move, but it developed that these institutions became the means for the spread of pernicious social doctrine among the negroes. The ministerial brethren and the school teachers that came down from the North to minister to the moral and educational welfare of the freedmen, were, most of them, over-zealous people who lacked the ability to foresee the certain result of radical teachings at a time like this; and it was their work of attempting to put the negro on an equal social basis with his former master that pro- duced the bitterest and most dangerous influences of the time. As early as 1866, Jacksonville had three negro schools, four teachers and 530 pupils; and there was established at Magnolia Springs a hospital with a staff of several physicians and a number of nurses.° Operation of banks to care for the freedmen’s savings and teach them thrift, was another phase of the Bureau’s added activities. To start with, these banks were operated along legitimate lines with safe securities, but these were soon re- placed by worthless stocks and valueless mortgages. The Freedmen’s banks became the beacon lights that drew the unsuspecting darky into the fold, where he became the prey of the political machine officially called the Freedmen’s Bu- reau. The whole fabric degenerated into a wildcat scheme to defraud the negro, and it collapsed in 1874, when popular clamor in the North demanded an investigation of its affairs.* 1874 FREEDMEN’S BANK BUILDING (S. W. corner of Main and Forsyth Streets) SéJORBE The location is now occupied by Furchgott’s annex. The bank build- ing faced Main Street, then called Pine. To the right a glimpse of the three-story Tremont Hotel (where the Williams building is now) is obtained. Both buildings were destroyed in the fire of August 18, 1891. The oak trees at the left are at Forsyth and Laura Streets and the buildings beyond are dwellings where the Barnett National Bank is now situated. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 14] The larger of the two Freedmen’s banks in Florida was at Jacksonville—the other was at Tallahassee. The Jack- sonville bank opened its doors in March, 1866,° occupying of- fices at the corner of Bay and Ocean Streets, in the Hoeg building. In 1870 it was moved to a new four-story brick building at the southwest corner of Pine (Main) and For- syth Streets. This was ever afterward known as the Freed- men’s Bank building, until destroyed in the fire of 1891. About the time of its removal, the name was changed to Na- tional Savings and Trust Company. N. C. Dennett was the first cashier; he swindled a colored man, James Aberdeen, out of some of his money and was removed for incompetency. W. L. Coan was bank manager. Coan was continuously ac- tive in local politics and held a number of city offices.¢ This bank failed in June, 1874, with $39,400 on deposit and 1608 depositors, nearly all negroes.? The Freedmen’s Bureau was the clearing house through which radiated most of the activities of the radicals. The failure of the Freedmen’s bank had an important bearing on the political situation here, since the unsophisticated negro then awakened to the fact that he had been swindled by an institution organized, as he supposed, for his protec- tion and welfare.” So increased the growing tide that came to flood in 1876, when George F’. Drew was elected governor, and the State returned to home rule.? This record of the Freedmen’s Bureau overlaps two other regimes, that, although backed by the same influences, and interwoven in a tangled maze with the activities of the Bureau, as weil as with each other, were yet distinct political phases and should be considered as such; namely, the so- called ‘reconstruction period” (1867-8) and the “carpet-bag- ger’ regime (1868-76). The “Reconstruction” Period? (1867-8) The act known as the “Reconstruction Act” was officially entitled ‘“‘An Act to provide for the more efficient govern- ment of the rebel States”. Alleging that no legal State gov- ernments or adequate protection for life and property existed in ten Southern States, including Florida, it provided for the division of those States into five military districts, under the command of army officers assigned thereto by the President, 142 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA with undefined powers to reconstruct the State govern- ments. When so appointed, these commanders were em- powered with unlimited and absolute authority. They were endowed with legislative, judicial, and executive power. The President himself could give them no instructions. They could abolish charters, extend franchises, stay the collection of debts, levy taxes, impose fines and inflict penalties, author- ize the issue of bonds and the contraction of State indebted- ness, set aside the decisions of the courts, remove all officers and fill all vacancies without the form of an election, and try persons by commissions selected by themselves.f. President Johnson vetoed the Bill in toto, pointing out that it was an unconstitutional, unnecessary, and vicious piece of legislation. His criticism of it was a masterpiece of logic and truth. It was passed over the President’s veto March 2, 1867, thereby becoming an act of Congress. The iron heel was presumably now firmly upon the South, but Congress in its haste had not reckoned with the effect of placing the appointment of the district commanders in the hands of an honest man and true patriot. President John- son selected the fairest men in the Federal army to fill these posts. An act amendatory of the original act, likewise passed over the President’s veto March 23, 1867, defined the methods of reconstructing the State governments. Before registra- tion the applicant must have subscribed an oath that he had not participated, either directly or indirectly, in any rebellion against the United States, nor given aid or comfort to its enemies. This, of course, debarred most of the Southern white men, and at the same time admitted the freedmen to registration. After the completion of such registration an election should be held prior to September Ist, 1867, of dele- gates to a convention, the duty of which was the framing of a constitution for the establishment of civil government in the State. Provision was also made for the usual machinery of an election. Inspectors were required to take the “‘iron- clad oath’’.2 In Florida the registration showed 11,148 whites and 15,- 434 colored entitled to vote in accordance with the rules prescribed. The Convention met at Tallahassee January +“Union-Disunion-Reunion”, Cox, p. 480. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 143 20, 1868. Of the 46 delegates comprising it, 48 were Re- publicans, and of these 18 were colored.» As might be ex- pected, the delegates soon split into factions, when there came about a “serio-comic presentation of politics’ the rec- ord of which makes history ludicrous. The constitution, known as the constitution of 1868, eventually framed by this convention, granted universal suffrage. It provided for election by the people of governor, lieutenant-governor, legislature, and constables; the judges and all other State officers were to be appointed by the gov- ernor and confirmed by the State senate. The legislature elected under the provisions of the constitution, met in June and ratified the Fourteenth Amendment. On July 4th, 1868, the ceremony of the transfer of government was accom- plished, from the military into the hands of the civil authori- ties, which proved to be the agents of the Freedmen’s Bureau, and a class of persons newly arrived from the North and called by the Southern people “Carpet-baggers’”’.? Florida was a sub-district of the Third Military District as constituted by the “Reconstruction” act. Colonel John T. Sprague was appointed the military governor of the State. His headquarters were in Jacksonville most of the time. Colonel Sprague was a gentleman of pleasant manners and conservative views, and though invested with autocratic power, he sought no opportunity to exercise it in a harsh or oppressive manner. He was not a stranger in this communi- ty, for he had been here before as an officer in the Seminole war, when he became acquainted with many of the residents. And now, when he saw the injustice heaped upon the South- ern people, he did everything that he could to lessen their burdens. Florida, indeed, was fortunate in having him as the military governor. The character of this officer was the softening factor in the relative lack of animosity of the local people toward the military, in contrast with their utter dis- trust of the Northern political forces operating here after the war. When the time came for the U. S. troops to leave Jacksonville, the Southern people here, sent a petition to Washington asking that they be retained for the purpose of protection.? 144 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The “Carpet-Bagger” Regime (1868-1876) From the pen of Judge Jeremiah S. Black,+ of Pennsy)- vania, comes this description of the “carpet-bagger”, who he was and what he did:}7 The people (Southern) would not have been wholly crushed (po- litically) either by the soldier or the negro, if both had not been used to fasten upon them the domination of another class of persons which was altogether unendurable. These were called carpet-baggers, not because the word is euphonius, but because they have no other name whereby they are known among the children of men. They were unprincipled adventurers who sought their fortunes in the South by plundering the disarmed and defenseless people; some of them were the dregs of the Federal army—the meanest of the camp followers; many were fugi- tives from Northern justice; the best of them were those who went down after peace, ready for any deed of shame that was safe and profitable. These, combining with a few treacherous ‘scalawags’,§ and some leading negroes to serve as decoys for the rest, and backed by the power of the general government, became the strongest body of thieves that ever pillaged a people. Their moral grade was far lower, and yet they were much more powerful than the robber bands that infested Germany after the close of the Thirty Years’ War. They swarmed over all the States, from the Potomac to the Gulf, and settled in hordgs, not with the intent to remain there, but merely to feed on the substance of a prostrate and defenseless people. They took whatever came within their reach, intruding themselves into all private corporations, assumed the function of all offices, including the courts of justice, and in many places even ‘ran the churches’. By force and fraud, they either controlled all elections, or else prevented elections from being held. They returned sixty of themselves to one Congress and ten or twelve of the most ignorant and venal among them were at the same time thrust into the Senate. This false representation of a people by strangers and enemies, who had not even a bona-fide residence among them, was the bitterest of all mockeries. There was no show of truth or honor about it. The pretended representative was always ready to vote for any measure that would oppress and enslave his so-called constituents; his hostility was unconcealed, and he lost no opportunity to do them injury. Under all these wrongs and indignities, the Caucasian men of the South were prudent, if not patient. No brave people accustomed to be free ever +Judze Black was a Union statesman and jurist, of the time and of the same State as Thaddeus Stevens. t7‘‘Union-Disunion-Reunion”, Cox, p. 624-5. §A Southern native white man who bolted the Democratic party and became a Re- publican after the war for the sole purpose of a selfish gain from politics, was called 3a “scaiawag’’, and in the eyes of the true Southerner he was a turncoat, a recreant to race. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 145 endured oppression so peacefully or so wisely. * * * Southern men ‘made haste slowly’ to recover their liberties. They could not break the shackles of usurped control; some of the links gradually rusted and fell away of themselves. The gross impolicy of desolating the fairest half of the country impressed itself more and more upon the Northern mind, with the result that an investigation was demanded of the Freed- men’s Bureau and its activities— which ended in the collapse of this political machine, the power that gave the carpet-bagger life. The following is only an incident, but it is typical: Yellow Bluff Fraud; Osborn, who was anxious to be returned to the United States Senate, determined to leave no stone unturned to secure as many mem- bers of the State Senate as possible, preparatory to the expiration of his term. Duval County, as well as Leon, had heretofore opposed from the beginning of reconstruction, Osborn and his whole gang. A Sen- ator must be had from this county at all hazards, the will of the ma- jority to the contrary notwithstanding, and this request of the chief was urgent and mandatory. The ring assembled in secret conclave in Jacksonville and discussed the probabilities and improbabilities of se- curing a nomination at the hands of the Republican nominating con- vention, by a free use of money and bad whiskey; and if that should fail, the next step was to secure John R. Scott, colored, who was one of the leading lights among the colored men of that county, and have him to understand that they were in favor of him, in order that if he was nominated for the Senate, they could more easily make a combination with the Democrats to defeat him and elect one after their own heart, Horatio Jenkins, Jr. Should they fail in this, or should the canvass look squally for them, then fraud upon the ballot box was to be committed and Jenkins counted in; and should they fail in this, Jenkins was to contest the seat of Scott by making a combination with the Democrats in the Senate, touching the safety of their minority in the Senate, and thereby oust Scott and seat Jenkins. As to the true intention of the conspirators, Scott was unaware. Let us see if they were successful in any of these propositions. John R. Scott, now ambitious for Senatorial honors, was worked up to fever heat to secure the prize. The convention met, and it was at once observed that W. H. Christy, white Republican, who did not belong to the Osborn gang, was the choice of the convention. The anti-ring delegates held a caucus, which was attended by Scott as one of them. Scott talked and advised with the other delegates, and assured them that he was with them for the nomination of Christy. He begged the caucus to make him chairman of the convention, which was done, and in ¢*‘Carpet-Bag Rule in Florida”, John Wallace, p. 128-30. 146 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA a few minutes the convention was called to order. Scott, as prear- ranged, was made chairman. Christy was nominated by one of the anti-ring delegates, and instantly the carpet-baggers Dockray, Jenkins, and Cheney presented the name of Scott as Christy’s opponent, as agreed upon before. The anti-ring delegates were astonished, and rushed to Scott to have him withdraw his name, but he did not seem to understand what they meant. Balloting commenced, and resulted in the nomination of Christy by a large majority, but Scott ruled that the resolution was unintelligible, and ordered a new ballot, which was had, and again Christy received a large majority. Some informalities, which Scott contended compelled him ito rule that the first ballot was unin- telligible, happened this time all right, but he ruled just the opposite to what he did before, so that a third ballot was ordered, which again re- sulted in the nomination of Christy. The ring now gave up the ghost and abandoned their proposition. Scott and Dan McInnis (both colored) were nominated for the Assembly. The ring, expecting that they would have Scott to deal with, when it turned out that they had Christy, hesitated for a while to at- tempt to defraud him at the ballot box, and invented another plan, and that was to get Jenkins to the lower house, which would give him in- fluence to be returned to the Legislature two years hence, and also to lead in the impeachment of Harrison Reed. A few days after the con- vention one of Osborn’s friends said to Dan McInnis, ‘McInnis, I am authorized by Colonel Osborn to say to you that if you will simply withdraw from your place on the Legislative ticket and let Jenkins go in your place, he will give you five thousand dollars, and give you also the regular pay; we do not ask you to take an active part in his favor.’ McInnis replied, ‘Tell Osborn to go to h—1 with his money; I have my trade to make my living from’. Having failed to defeat the will of the majority in these two efforts, they resorted to the Demo- crats for success. They entered into an arrangement with H. H. Hoeg and Miles Price, who were ambitious for Legislative honors, and mem- bers of the Democratic party, Hoeg and Price being backed by a very small minority of the Democrats of the county in the arrangement, to the effect that a ticket with Horatio Jenkins, Jr., for Senator, and H. H. Hoeg and Miles Price for the Assembly, should be run in opposition to the regular Republican ticket, Hoeg and Price to furnish the money to run the campaign, except $1000, which Jenkins was to contribute, which, according to the statement afterwards of Hoeg’s accountant, they did to over $4000. The Democrats, on the day of the election, pretty much all voted for Christy, as did the (conservative) Republi- cans; and according to the count, Christy, Scott and McInnis were elected by more than two-thirds vote of the county. The county board of canvassers (judge of probate, clerk, and a justice), after throwing out irregularities, etc., certified to the Secretary of State that the Christy ticket was elected by 825 majority. The day of the election, the ring, with what following they could muster, went down to Yellow Se HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 147 Bluff} precinct, an obscure little village, to vote, thus laying the foun- dation for the fraud afterwards perpetrated. Yellow Bluff proper had about 80 votes, but the ring had invented a method by which a minority could be transformed into a majority without votes or the knowledge or consent of the voter. They waylaid the Inspector from this precinct, who had been intrusted with the ballot box to deliver to the County Clerk’s office, and getting him drunk, broke it open, took out and de- stroyed the returns made by the Inspectors and substituted one of their own manufacture, with votes for the other ticket to correspond with the return—the same being made to give Jenkins, Hoeg, and Price small majorities. Re-sealing the box, it was conveyed to the Clerk’s office, and the demand made for its count; but the canvassers failed to see it, and threw it out. When the legislature met, Christy took his seat, but he was permitted to hold it only three days, when he was ousted and Jenkins seated in his place.¢ The Osborn referred to was Thomas W. Osborn, who came to Florida as the head of the Freedmen’s Bureau in this State. He was the originator of the notorious “Lincoln Brotherhood” among the negroes.¢ Florida had her share of “carpet-baggers” and Jackson- ville her full quota. Most of them arrived between 1868 and 1870, with military prefixes to their names, though many of them hardly knew the difference between a cartridge and a cannon ball. Some came as “professional” men. As a class their activities here were within the meaning of Judge Black’s general description. When it was clear that their day was drawing to a close most of the “carpet-baggers”’ packed their luggage and disappeared in the direction of the northern horizon. Some lingered awhile and then left. But few remained permanently.é All Northerners Not Carpet-Baggers To leave the mind impressed with the idea that every Northern man in Florida during this period was a carpet- bagger or an attache of the Freedmen’s Bureau would be gross injustice to those representing the conservative and best element of the North who came down seeking bona-fide residence and legitimate investment and pursuit; some of them were wealthy people seeking health. This type is {Now New Berlin. 148 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA usually lost sight of in the overwhelming preponderance of political adventurers and fanatics; but it was here and the thread of its helpful influence is found woven into many of the enterprises that contributed heavily to the recovery of the State from the depression following the war. Bibliography, Chapter XIV a“Union-Disunion-Reunion, Three Decades of Federal Legislation”, S. S. Cox, 1885. The author of this work was a member of the U. S. Congress before, during, and after the war between the States; his information was first-hand and he writes from personal knowledge. b‘‘Civil War and Reconstruction in Florida’, W. W. Davis, 1910. c‘‘History of Florida”, G. R. Fairbanks. dStatements of old citizens who passed through this period in Jacksonville and Florida. d‘‘Carpet-Bag Rule in Florida, The Inside Workings of the Reconstruction of Civil Government in Florida after the Close of the War’’, John Wal- lace (colored), 1885. Though crude in expression this is a remarkable book; it covers in detail the subject indicated in the title. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 149 CHAPTER XV REVIVAL OF BUSINESS (1865-1875) Let us go back to the end of the war and follow the prog- ress of the old residents of Jacksonville in the revival of their pursuits of life amidst the distracting influences of the “Reconstruction”, of which the preceding chapter is only an outline and a brief one at that. Upon the formal surrender of the Florida troops on May 20, 1865, the different organizations of Confederates dis- banded and those that had enlisted from Jacksonville and their families began to return. The railroad from Baldwin to Jacksonville had been torn up and from that point many of them had to walk, ladies and children as well as men. To these returning citizens Jacksonville presented a heartrend- ing sight, as the desolating effects of war and decay were apparent on every side. The streets were littered with the trunks of trees that had been felled as a barricade against the Confederate cavalry which now and then came in close to the town. Ruins of buildings burned; broken-down fences and neglected yards; dilapidated appearance of once neatly painted dwellings—all were depressing to those who sought their former homes. And worst of all, the best and largest dwellings that had escaped the Federal burning in 1863, were occupied by United States officers and troops, in some in- stances by negro troops, and when the owners applied for possession, many of them learned that their property had been confiscated and sold, the purchasers in some cases being their former neighbors and false friends. Few of the ex- Confederates could provide for the immediate redemption of their property; with the most of them it was a question of keeping body and soul together, and they set to work build- ing cheap shelters for themselves and their families. There was but one sawmill in operation in this vicinity and lumber was sold at an exorbitant price; there was only one store in the town besides the suttlers’ stores. The former stores and warehouses on Bay Street were occupied for Federal army purposes as supply depots and some of them as barracks for the troops. 150 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Jacksonville had been occupied continuously by Federal forces since February 7, 1864, and under their protecting wing many negroes had collected here from surrounding dis- tricts, expecting to be fed and clothed at the expense of the general government. The former residents on their return found their ex-slaves and servants walking the streets of Jacksonville imbued with the idea that they did not have to work. Their demeanor had changed, too, from one of respect- ful obedience to that of insolence, especially on the part of the women—not all, for some of the older generation re- mained faithful to their former masters and as elsewhere in the South were cared for through the coming years.¢ Confronted by all these conditions, business destroyed, property gone, and denied the rights of citizenship, these war-worn residents did not sink into a state of lassitude. In a patient, manly way they set to work to obtain a living and to collect what little remained to them after a desolating war. Little by little they got together what they could. In time a few of the old merchants brought in goods and opened stores. Business revival crept slowly onward during 1866 and into 1867. With the peace the privately owned steam- boats that had survived crept from their hiding places and again appeared on the St. Johns. Several sawmills were now in operation, and here and there the hum of small industry could be heard.? Northern capital had already arrived seek- ing legitimate investment in lands and sawmills ;? tourists, too, braved the tedious journey south and began to come in numbers.? So it may be said by the fall of 1867, Jacksonville had started on the road to business revival. Military Occupation of Jacksonville After the close of the war the Federal troops were re- tained at Jacksonville for the purpose of maintaining order during the process of re-establishing the civil government in Florida. This had been practically accomplished when the amendment to the Freedmen’s Bureau act provided for their retention, and in 1867 the “Reconstruction” act delayed their withdrawal until the spring of 1869. Jacksonville, therefore, was continuously occupied by armed forces of the United States for four years after peace. The close of the war found principally colored troops here. The earthworks at the brick yard in West LaVilla were gar- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 151 risoned by a negro guard. These negroes were zealous and pompous in challenging all comers that had to have passes; but their education was limited and an old Confederate pass or paper after “wise” scrutiny would usually be effective. There was a large garrison of white and colored troops in the southwestern edge of Brooklyn and companies of soldiers were also stationed in the city. Gradually company after company of the colored troops was withdrawn, until prac- tically none but white troops remained to patrol the town.¢ The white soldiers not only were not disposed to annoy or irritate the ex-Confederates, but in time seem to have developed a dislike for the colored citizens hereabout. On the night of February 26, 1869,‘ United States white troops formed into squads under sergeants and corporals and marched into town of their own accord. Wherever negroes were seen on the streets the command, “‘Halt; Ready; Aim; Fire!” was given. Within a short time the volleys could be heard in many places in the then small city. The frightened and fleeing negroes sought refuge in the woods and under the wharves, and the streets during the remainder of the night and the next day were bare of colored citizens.© The patrolling and shooting caused intense excitement. A negro was found dead on the sidewalk on West Bay Street near Hogan Street, but the soldiers said their cartridges were blanks and denied killing him. Sensational accounts were sent north about the affaire and soon afterward the military occupation of Jacksonville ceased, the last of the United States troops being withdrawn April 6, 1869.‘ Jacksonville in 1869 The estimated population of the town was about 6,000, not including the suburbs. Riverside had just been platted and that with Brooklyn were the suburbs southwest of the city. LaVilla was immediately west, situated on an island formed by the courses of two creeks. East Jacksonville was then called Scottsville, and beyond that Wyoming. The hotels were St. James; Taylor House, corner of Market and Bay Streets ; Price House, close to the railroad depot ; Cowart House; Union House; Florida House; Rochester House; St. Johns House, together with four or five large boarding houses. These were all filled to overflowing in the winter months.? 152 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ae In the period 1868-70, a great deal of building was done. The St. James Hotel was built. New railroad depot and wharves were erected, together with a number of dwellings of the better class. Besides these, many cheaper houses were built in LaVilla and Brooklyn. The river was beginning to look like old times with vessels at the lumber docks and ~ steamboats coming and going. On the whole the fall of 1870 found Jacksonville going ahead in a business way. Fire of December 19, 1870 About 7 p. m. December 19, 1870, fire broke out in a wooden building on the wharf back of Fairbanks’s store on the south side of Bay Street between Pine (Main) and Laura. The lower portion of the building was occupied by M. W. Drew as a grain and hay warehouse and the upper part by R. W. Davis who conducted a mattress factory. The fire started in the mattress factory and the building was soon a burning mass. The flames spread rapidly to the nearby buildings and with the exception of the Hazeltine building at the southeast corner of Bay and Laura Streets and the eastern half of a building at the southwest corner of Bay and Pine, everything from the south side of Bay Street to the river between Pine and Laura was destroyed. In the meantime the fire jumped across Bay Street and reduced to ashes everything in the block bounded by Bay, Laura, For- syth and Pine (Main), except the new Freedmen’s bank building at the southwest corner of Pine and Forsyth and one or two small houses at the other end of the block. Among those burned out were the ‘“‘Florida Union” newspaper plant, C. Drew’s book store and printing plant, S. B. Hubbard’s and R. T. Masters’s hardware stores.f Jacksonville’s Volunteer Fire Department, comprising several companies, had just been organized; this fire furnished a real test and it got away from them. The Fagan-Carlin Murder One Saturday night in the winter of 1871-2, Mr. and Mrs. Fagan left their home three miles northeast of the city to come into town for groceries, leaving their two little girls with Mrs. Fagan’s sister, Miss Rosa Carlin. Two young men, William C. and Henry Scott, boarded with the Fagan family. ) | . i | | HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 153 That night after the Fagans left the house the two little girls and Miss Carlin were murdered with an axe, for the purpose, it was supposed, of robbing a drawer of money secreted by Fagan, but known to the murderers. The Scott boys were arrested on circumstantial evidence. Blood spots on their clothing were analyzed by Dr. A. S. Baldwin and pronounced human blood. The trial lasted three weeks ; every day the court room on the third floor of the Freedmen’s bank building was crowded with spectators, for this murder had created a profound sensation throughout the community. J.P. C. Emmons, J. B. C. Drew, and B. B. Andrews were the prosecuting attorneys, while defending the case were J. J. Finley and W. R. Arno. These old-time lawyers were then in vigorous manhood and their arguments before the jury won wide distinction, especially that of Mr. Drew. T. T. Long was the judge, and H. H. Hoeg was foreman of the trial jury. The Scotts were convicted; William was hanged and his brother Henry was sentenced to life imprisonment, but he died in less than two years after the sentence. For many years this stood as the most sensational murder case in Duval County.¢ *In the past 60 years, record to 1924, there have been four legal executions of white men in Duval County, namely: William C. Scott, as recorded above. William Keen, hanged February 27, 1874, for the murder of William Valentine. The murder took place on a boat near Mandarin, Keen’s motive being robbery. Otis D. Smith, hanged July 11, 1909, for the murder of his sister in Jacksonville during a quarrel. Will Alexander, hanged May 3, 1912, for the murder of Jack Sumner in a barroom in Jacksonville. 1872-1875 Jacksonville in the period 1872-75 was described as a thriving little city. Bay Street was lined a portion of the way with creditable brick stores, two, and in a few cases, three ‘stories high, and the merchants carried good stocks. The principal industry was the lumber business. Except hay, grain, and lime nearly all of the goods sold here at that time came from New York. *A friendliness has always existed between Jacksonville and New York, both in business and in sentiment. When Jacksonville appealed for help in the yellow fever epidemic of 154 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1888 and again after the fire that destroyed the city in 1901, the people of New York City responded with an open-hearted generosity that should never be forgotten by the people of Jacksonville—even in the years to come when the generation that knew those distressing calamities will have passed away. By 1875, three large hotels had been built here and about every fourth house was a boarding house. The railroad accommodations were two incoming and two outgoing pas- senger trains daily. Published here were two weekly, one semi-weekly and two tri-weekly newspapers. FIBRE CHECHED HERE UG dent LIFGLS dhs poke GS NJ OTA LL s Yer et A yy SSS Pie a A esta ee | | QQ QV AK XA 1 ef SS ARTES AE LAE Ce ee SX RASS’ S R\Y FiOGRSS Fild, \S < ORL aie Area burned over shown by shading. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 193 both buildings being gutted. Thence it spread to the adjoin- ing Hubbard block on the west, extending to Pine Street. The Hubbard building was a new 4-story brick building, oc- cupied by the 8S. B. Hubbard Hardware Company, Western Union Telegraph Company, Southern Bell Telephone Com- pany, Southern Savings & Trust Bank, with offices, and the Jacksonville Light Infantry armory above. While this build- ing was burning, the DaCosta Printing office, adjoining on Pine Street, was burned. The L’Engle building at the north- east corner of Pine and Bay Streets miraculously escaped destruction. From this corner (southeast corner of Pine and Forsyth Streets) the fire crossed Pine Street to the 4-story brick Freedmen’s Bank building on the southwest corner of Pine and Forsyth, which was soon ablaze. Adjoining on Pine Street were a billiard saloon and the shoe store of Simmons & Scott; these also burned. While the Freedmen’s bank building was burning the Burbridge building at the northeast corner of Pine and For- syth Street, occupied by the Seminole Club, caught and burned. This was a 3-story brick building, and just east of it was a brick-veneer building owned by C. B. Smith (where the Windle Hotel is now). Both were destroyed. The large 3-story brick and frame Tremont Hotel on the northwest corner of Pine and Forsyth Streets became in- volved in the meantime, so that now all four corners at Pine and Forsyth Streets were on fire and burning fiercely. When the fire reached the Smith building at 1:45 a.m. (18th), there was a terrific explosion of dynamite stored there, that rocked every building in Jacksonville, and caused a wholesale destruction of plate glass show windows and panes of glass for blocks around. At least a dozen people were injured by flying glass and scores of persons were knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion. No one was seriously hurt, however. The 5-story brick Placide Hotel stood on Pine Street just back of the Tremont; the explosion had broken every pane of glass in it and it soon became a roaring shaft. The ad- joining building on the southwest corner of Adams and Pine (where Kress’ store is now) caught from the Placide and was quickly destroyed, as were two small dwellings immediately west of it. 194 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The wind, shifting between southwest and southeast, car- ried the flames up Pine Street. On the east side, the fire swept from the Seminole Club building to the Bogue resi- dence on the southeast corner of Adams, thence east on south side of Adams Street to a two-story brick dwelling and a one- story brick-veneer dwelling near Ocean Street. The Mattair house, next to the Smith building, was also destroyed in this block. Two small frame buildings at the northwest corner of Forsyth and Ocean Streets escaped destruction. On the north side of Adams Street, in the opposite block, several houses caught, but the flames were put out; they burned later, as did every house in this block. West of Pine, on the north side of Adams Street, the L’Engle building on the corner, and the Dey building adjoining, caught from the Placide; then the Mechanics fire hall and D. U. Fletcher’s residence. All of them burned to the ground. In this block on Pine Street, Julius Slager’s dwelling burned, as did the 3-story frame boarding house called the Chelsea, at the southwest corner of Pine and Monroe. On the south side of Monroe, west of the Chelsea, the two Emery tenement houses, Ritzewoller’s dwelling, and a tenement near the southeast corner of Laura and Monroe, in turn were destroyed. This last was the nearest point that the fire approached Laura Street. In the opposite block, east side of Pine Street, between Adams and Monroe, W. M. Ledwith’s dwelling was the first to burn; this was near the northwest corner of Ocean and Adams Streets. Two houses owned by Jacob Huff, on Pine Street, after repeatedly catching, were finally destroyed, as was the residence of George S. Wilson facing Adams Street. At the northeast corner of Pine and Adams was the Wilson orange grove; it was greatly damaged by the heat. On Ocean Street, a dwelling occupied by Perry Holland, and one by Dr. A. J. Wakefield burned, which, with the destruction of two other dwellings in this block, swept it clean. A perfect sea of flame arched Monroe Street from the Chelsea and the dwellings on the south side of the street, igniting the dwelling of J. D. Bucky on the north side. This burned and the flames spread to a dwelling at the northwest corner of Pine and Monroe used by the convent, thence to the large frame building of the convent itself, at the southwest corner of Pine and Duval, both of which were destroyed, as HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 195 was the dwelling of Judge W. B. Young, and another dwelling west of the convent on the south side of Monroe Street. In the opposite block, at the northeast corner of Pine and Monroe, a building was burned. At the southeast corner of Pine and Duval was Dr. R. P. Daniel’s residence; this dwell- ing escaped and was the only building that was not burned on Pine Street between Forsyth and Church Streets. Crossing Duval Street, the fire swept practically all of the east half of the block on the west side of Pine Street to Church Street, including the Smith boarding house and Mc- Murray & Baker’s carriage factory. In the opposite block two houses and two stables were burned. The flames crossed Church Street at the northwest cor- ner of Pine Street and burned a building; it was checked here, just before it reached Avery’s livery stable. The property loss was not less than $750,000. The fire originated in the center of the business district, sweeping the area shown in the accompanying chart. As it progressed up Pine Street, residents moved their personal effects into the street in advance of the flames, until the streets were littered with furniture. The water pressure was low and it was soon seen that a conflagration could not be averted. The news- papers of the following day asked the people to be brave, forecasting that a new and greater Jacksonville would arise from the ashes, that where dwelling houses were before, business houses would now be built. 1891 November 17: Excitement in Criminal Court during the trial of Andrew Lightbody, when Louisa C. Stevens whipped out a derringer and attempted to shoot Lightbody. A by- stander struck her hand up and the ball was deflected. Offi- cers of the court, lawyers, witnesses, and spectators made a wild break for the door and it was some time before quiet was restored. 1892 January 16: Steamer John G. Christopher was greeted with an enthusiastic celebration on her maiden arrival inaug- urating a new steamer service to New York. January 20: Cornerstone of the new Masonic Temple at 196 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1892 the northeast corner of Forsyth and Bridge (Broad) Streets laid with elaborate Masonic ceremonies. May 11: Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans organ- ized with 25 members. Officers elected: Captain, D. U. Fletcher; first lieutenant, S. C. Boyleston; second lieutenant, J. E. T. Bowden; secretary, F. B. Matthews; treasurer, C. N. Welshans. May 15: Fire originating in a house on the south side of Adams Street between Second (Davis) and Third (Lee) Streets, LaVilla, destroyed eight dwellings and two stores in that block. Riot of 1892 July 4: During a controversy over a trivial matter a fight ensued between Frank Burrows, a young white man, and a giant negro named Ben Reed. Reed struck Burrows on the head with an oak standard, crushing his skull. Reed was soon captured and taken to the city jail at the foot of Liberty Street. When the news spread that Burrows had been killed feeling ran high and there was talk by indiscreet persons of lynching. Early that night negroes began to congregate around the county jail at the other end of Liberty Street, to which Reed had been removed, and by 10 p. m. a mob of 500 or more had gathered to protect the prisoner. They placed sentinels at every corner in the vicinity and armed negroes patrolled the streets leading to the jail. That part of the city was entirely in their control. When a white man appeared, they surrounded and questioned him. A whistle signal was then given to the next corner and the pedestrian would be followed; if he went in the direction of the jail, he was surrounded and covered with cocked pistols and Win- chester rifles and turned back. A number of prominent white citizens fell into this situation during the night. There was no hostile demonstration, however, when 20 policemen came up and went into the jail. Just before midnight a dispatch was received from the Governor ordering the three local mil- itary companies (Jacksonville Light Infantry, Metropolitan Light Infantry, and Wilson’s Battery) to mobilize at their armories and hold themselves ready to resist any attack on the jail. In an hour they were under arms. The night passed without bloodshed, but was one of the utmost tension. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 197 All during the day of the 5th, there was a feeling of unrest throughout the city as to the eventualities of the coming night. The military remained under orders, and during the day a meeting was arranged with several leading negroes for a consultation at 8 p. m., when it was explained that the military was ordered out to protect the prisoner Reed and to repress mob violence. In the meantime a great mob of negroes had collected around the jail and were armed to the teeth. After the meeting at 8 o’clock, the mob was addressed oy both white and colored speakers and the situation as to the purpose of the military explained to it. The military now moved in and took full charge of the squares around the jail. - The mob broke up somewhat in front of the troops and shifted in its relation to the business end of the Gatlin gun of Wilson’s Battery, but it did not entirely disperse and at mid- night the marshes, shanties, yards, and trees within three blocks of the jail were full of armed negroes apparently waiting for a war to begin. The strain of the second night was no less than the first, but it passed without serious con- sequences and at sunrise the mob had about disappeared. On the 6th, a large number of men from surrounding towns and from southern Georgia came in and offered their services to the sheriff and the military. At 6 p. m. the St. Augustine Rifles and the St. Augustine Guards arrived and immediately marched to the jail and assumed duty. Consid- erable desultory firing by individuals during the night kept the excitement at the highest pitch. Policeman Jones was fired on at Beaver and Newnan Streets by a negro, and the officer shot him in the legs with a double-barrelled shotgun; this was the first incident of the kind up to this time. The Gainesville Guards, Gem City Guards of Palatka, and Bradford County Guards of Starke, were in the city on the 7th. At 4:30 p. m., the eight military companies now in the city had a battalion drill in the vicinity of Market and Bay Streets, staged for the purpose of effect on the negroes. The Gainesville, Palatka, and Starke companies and Wilson’s Battery went on duty at the jail soon after dark. There was no outbreak during the night and on the 8th quiet had been restored and the visiting companies departed, having ren- dered Jacksonville a valuable service. This was a dangerous demonstration. The incendiary _ talk by crowds of negro women was one of the most disturb- 198 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ing elements throughout the trouble and gave rise to the rumors that an attempt would be made to burn the city. For three days and nights the tension was so great that the slightest untoward incident would have started a terrible catastrophe. That it was avoided was due to the good judg- ment of the military and civil officers and a few leading negroes. Ben Reed was tried for murder December 2d, but the jury failed to agree; he was afterward tried, convicted, and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment. 1892 September: Work on a wagon road to Pablo Beach was begun, with convict labor. The editor of the Jacksonville Evening Telegram published that it was hoped the county commissioners would improve the road and not leave it merely as an opening cut through the woods. November: New public school building in Riverside was completed and occupied. This was a frame school house. 1893 January 18: New Masonic temple at Bridge (Broad) and Forsyth Streets was dedicated. January 24: Answering a call from St. Augustine for help on the Casino fire, apparatus was put on a special train that made the run to St. Augustine in 35 minutes. April 6: Confederate Home for Aged Soldiers and Sailors of the Confederacy was dedicated at noon. Col. James Arm- strong of Charleston delivered the oration. (The association was organized in August, 1888.) April 11: Corner-stone of Good Shepherd Episcopal church in Riverside was laid. July 4: “Villa ,Maynard”, a bicycle racing park, was opened; there were 2,000 spectators. August: The Sub-Tropical changed hands again and was renamed the Florida Zoological Gardens and Exposition. A severe epidemic of yellow fever raged at Brunswick, Jesup and other southeast Georgia towns in the late summer and fall. Jacksonville instituted a rigid quarantine. November 15: The pier at Pablo Beach was burned. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 199 Corbett-Mitchell Prize Fight (January 25, 1894) When it was published that an effort was being made to arrange a prize fight between J. J. Corbett, of the United States, and Charles Mitchell, of England, for the champion- ship of the world, a club was organized here in October, 1893, known as the Duval Athletic Club, composed of local people, for the purpose of securing the fight for Jacksonville. Imme- diately arose the question of the legality of such an exhibi- tion under the State laws, while considerable public oppo- sition was voiced with respect to having it here. An offer was made by the club acceptable to the principals and the preliminary arrangements were being made, when the gov- ernor issued notice that force would be used, if necessary, to prevent the fight. The purse offered was $20,000, the winner to receive all. When it became known generally that the authorities were planning to stop the fight, other places over the country sought to obtain it, among them Cripple Creek, a mining town in Colorado, which offered $40,000 for it. Corbett arrived in Jacksonville about the middle of De- cember and went into training at Mayport. Mitchell came two weeks later and was arrested upon arrival, to test the law; he gave bond for $1,500 and established training quar- ters at St. Augustine. The governor ordered Sheriff Brow- ard of Duval County to use force to prevent the fight, and finally ordered the second batallion of State troops to Jack- sonville to assist him. The Duval Athletic Club played its trump card the day before the fight, when it secured an injunction against interference by the authorities. The fight occurred on the afternoon of January 25, 1894, at the old fairgrounds in Fairfield. The betting at the ring- side was 100 to 40 in favor of Corbett. The gong sounded at 2:30 p.m. Referee: Kelly. ROUND ONE Corbett led off with a left to Mitchell’s chin. They clinched. Ex- change of body blows. Corbett reached Mitchell’s eye heavily. Mitchell reached Corbett’s ribs. Another exchange of body blows and Mitchell clinched. Mitchell got one to Corbett’s neck and Corbett landed a right. Just before time was called Mitchell landed a heavy body blow. Honors about even. 200 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ROUND TWO Opened with wild exchange and clinch; Corbett upper-cut Mitchell as they came together. Mitchell landed hard on Corbett’s ribs, and as Mitchell came in Corbett caught him on the head, staggering him. Corbett upper-cut Mitchell again and landed a right on Mitchell’s chin. Mitchell reached Corbett’s chin. A sharp rally with Corbett having the advantage. Mitchell got in twice on Corbett’s neck. Corbett floored Mitchell cleanly and knocked him down again as he essayed to rise. Gong. ROUND THREE Mitchell rather groggy. Corbett rushed at him swinging right and left to the neck. Mitchell went down. Mitchell took full time to rise. Corbett rushed at him like a tiger. Mitchell clinched. Corbett threw him off and floored him with a stiff facer. Again Mitchell took full time to rise and when he advanced toward Corbett, the latter swung his right with deadly effect to Mitchell’s nose. Mitchell reeled and fell on his face, helpless—knocked out. Such was the newspaper report of the fight. It was wit- nessed by 1800 people, including the sporting element of the country, who paid $31,000 to see it. No attempt was made to stop the fight during its progress, but both Corbett and Mitchell were arrested immediately afterward. Each was released on $5,000 bond. Both departed the next day for the North and both returned to Jacksonville the last of Feb- ruary for trial. Corbett was acquitted of the charge of assault and battery. Judge Christie, when asked if he was going to proceed against Mitchell, remarked that if Corbett could not be convicted of assault and battery he hardly thought that Mitchell could, and nol prossed his case. 1894 Crime Wave In the last week of January a crime wave broke out in Jacksonville. Burglaries, robberies and hold-ups, evidently by professionals, were of frequent occurrence. Some of these criminals were captured, but most of them were too shrewd for the local police and “got by” with their jobs. This seemed to be an inducement for the criminally inclined to become active. That year was the worst crime year that Jacksonville had ever known up to that time. There was a shake-up in the police department and a change of chiefs, but with little HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 201 effect; murder after murder occurred, among them Mrs. Grace Hayes and her mother, Mrs. Nason, on September 4. Three white suicides; the accidental drowning of a young man and young woman while rowing off the foot of Laura Street ; a number of spectacular knock-down, drag-out fights on Bay Street were incidents of that memorable year. Along with the police shake-up came a revival of war on open saloons on Sunday. It waxed warm for awhile. The municipal judge was asked to resign, but he informed his accusers that he knew as much about how to run a court as they did, and continued to function. The legislative election in the fall was full of promise for some more excitement. A species of propaganda was started against the railroads, charging them with an attempt to control the election by use of money. The feeling was worked up to fever heat. On the day of the election the local military companies were held under orders to suppress any disturbance. When the voters went to the polls that morning they found them closed. How- ever, later in the day the polls were opened and the election was held without serious disorder. There was another side to Jacksonville’s history in 1894. The program of improvement under a $1,000,000 bond issue was begun. Bay Street was paved with brick from Bridge (Broad) to Market—the finest street in Florida at that time. Main Street was paved to Hogans Creek. Just as Main Street was finished a circus parade passed over it and the heavy wagons did serious damage to the thoroughfare. Other streets followed in turn. Riverside Avenue was provided for from McCoys Creek to Rossell Street. Ground was broken for the City Hall and Market. An electric light plant was authorized. Here trouble began with private lighting inter- ests, who filed an injunction against the city, seeking to pre- vent the establishment of a municipal light plant. The city won the suit that followed. Added to these improvements $1,000,000 was spent in privately owned buildings. Jackson- ville now advanced from the large town to the city class. 1895 January 13: Ferryboat “Ravenswood” destroyed by fire at her slip in South Jacksonville. February 18: Ferryboat “Idaho” purchased in the North 202 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1895 to take the place of the “Ravenswood” was lost off Hatteras on her way here. © February-March: New York “Giants” trained at Jack- sonville. April 27: Greeted by a royal welcome from river craft the Commodore Barney arrived from New York to become the ferryboat between Jacksonville and South Jacksonville. She was originally built in 1858 as a government boat named Ethan Allen; but before coming to Jacksonville had been running as a ferryboat at New York. May 20: In the bicycle races held at Charlotte, Geo. N. Adams of Jacksonville won the championship of the South, riding a Stearns one mile in 2:37. September 10: News Item: Three weeks ago there was not a bloomer in the city ; now there are five that are known of and perhaps more that have not come to light. The owners of the five bloomers have not yet ventured to ride (their bicycles) in open daylight, but usually wait until after 9 p. m., when there are few people on the streets. 1896 March 6: New York Giants (baseball club) arrived for spring training. July 17: George N. Adams established a world’s record for 3 to 10 miles bicycle racing at Panama Park. September 11: Club house and quarters at Panama Park burned. September 23: Clyde steamer Frederick DeBary wrecked at Kitty Hawk, N. C. Was later floated, repaired and put into service. 1897 February 12: Jacksonville Bar Association organized at a meeting of lawyers in the court house: D. U. Fletcher, president; C. D. Rinehart, vice-president; E. J. L’Engle, secretary; T. M. Day, Jr., treasurer. The Association held its first banquet at the Windsor Hotel February 26, 1897. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 203 1897 *The foregoing was a reorganization of the old Jacksonville Bar Association, which was originally organized May 5, 1887. March 2: Jacksonville City Council passed resolutions condemning Spain for the cruelties in Cuba. This was said to be the first official action of the character in the United States. Gato Murder Miss Louise Gato, a beautiful young woman, was shot as she was entering the gate of her father’s home in North Springfield (Laura and Eleventh Streets) about dusk April 20, 1897. She died within 24 hours and in her dying state- ment accused a friend, Edward Pitzer, of doing the shooting. Pitzer was arrested and his trial was one of the most sen- sational in Jacksonville’s history. It lasted nearly two weeks amidst many spectacular incidents and court excitements. Morning, noon, and night the court-room was crowded with interested spectators and general interest prevailed through- out the city. The lawyers in the case were, prosecuting, State’s Attorney A. G. Hartridge assisted by D. U. Fletcher and A. W. Cockrell; defense, Alexander St. Clair Abrams with D. C. Campbell and F. W. Pope as associates. Judge R. M. Call was the trial judge and D. Plummer foreman of the jury. In his concluding argument for the defense Mr. Abrams made a heart-appealing speech which ended dra- matically as he fainted and fell into the arms of a deputy sheriff. The defense was based on an alibi. The jury was out 22 hours and returned a verdict of acquittal. Pitzer left Jacksonville soon afterward to make his home in the North. An outstanding feature of this case was the interest taken in the prisoner while in jail, mostly by women, who loaded his cell with flowers and kept him supplied with every deli- cacy. Another feature was the prompt trial of the case, May 26 to June 5, 1897. June: Gardner building, Jacksonville’s first sky-scraper of six stories, was completed. (This building was on the north side of Bay Street between Main and Laura. It was destroyed in the fire of May 3, 1901.) July 2: First moving picture shown in Jacksonville, called then an Edison Projectoscope. The picture was shown 204 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1897 at the Park Opera House and was claimed to be a moving picture of the Corbett-Fitzsimmons prize fight. The reel broke in half soon after the picture started and the subject proved to be a fake, nevertheless it was the forerunner of motion pictures in Jacksonville. July 26: Long distance telephone service with Savannah inaugurated; day rate, 85 cents for three minutes; night rate, 45 cents. September: Jacksonville quarantined against New Or- leans and other yellow fever infested places in the lower Mississippi Valley. Quarantine in force until November. November 9-12: Inaugauration of a festival of fun called Gala Week, during which Jacksonville was given over to whole-hearted recreation and play. The city was crowded with visitors from all over the State. Fire companies from other places were here in competitive drills ; there were semi- professional bicycle races, military maneuvers, fantastic parades, trades display embracing 170 floats, and numerous other attractions of all kinds. At night the carnival spirit was uncurbed; there were fireworks and confetti throwing and a good, wholesome time for everybody and Jacksonville turned out en masse. It was as an old negro said: While watching a passing parade a visitor set down a jug, which promptly foamed over and left a little pool of Florida syrup where it stood. Soon a foot was in it, followed by the testy inquiry, “What is that stuff? The old darkey replied, “Boss, dis town is so full of fun dat it biles out ’bove de sidewalk’’. *Gala Week proved to be such a success that an associa- tion was formed to perpetuate it by making it an annual affair. It was held yearly until 1904, increasing in magnitude until it became a State affair which was widely advertised. The car- nival of 1903 was the most elaborate ever held in Florida. Gala Week as a distinct celebration ceased with the Trades Car- nival of 1904. Even now one sometimes hears the remark, “Have you seen George? You’d better hurry, hurry, hurry”, all of which carries the memory back to old Gala Week in the days before the fire. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 205 SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR *The U. S. battleship “Maine” was destroyed in Havana harbor February 15, 1898. War was declared against Spain April 25, 1898. Treaty of peace at Paris December 10, 1898. In 1896, when the Cuban revolution was at the height of its military success the romantic and hazardous business of filibustering men and arms from the Florida coast to Cuba reached considerable proportions. There were several local boats engaged in this occupation; their names were often in the press dispatches of the time and were familiar to the American public. There was one the fame of which extended throughout the civilized world, the St. Johns River tugboat “Three Friends’”’. Filibustering On the dark, raw night of March 11, 1896, the Three Friends made her first get-away as a filibuster. Loaded with arms and ammunition for the Cuban insurgents she drove rapidly down the river toward the bar, with such speed that the small fishing craft along the river were thrown up on the banks by the swell she made. The revenue cutter Boutwell was lying off Jacksonville at the time and immediately started in pursuit of the Three Friends. A fisherman at New Berlin trying to launch his boat from the platform where it had been thrown, was asked if he had seen a boat pass that way; his reply was, “Some d boat passed here throwing my boat up on the platform, and if she kept on at the same rate of speed she will by now have reached a place too hot for you to catch her in”. At the mouth of the river the com- mander of the Boutwell enquired of the pilot if the. Three Friends had passed during the night. The reply was, “God knows what passed here; something the color of blue dawn, with her forward deck piled high with boats and her after deck filled with boxes. The swell she made in passing washed our decks and floated our boats”. The Boutwell then returned to Jacksonville. Out at sea the Three Friends turned toward the south and at dawn was far down the coast driving full speed toward the Florida Keys. Her coat of white had been changed to gray and in great white letters she bore the name 206 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA “The Ox”. The day passed without incident and night came on. While off Canaveral at 9 p. m. the lights of three vessels were seen ahead; it proved to be a tug boat with a tow, but it was sufficient to cause a scare. Onward the Three Friends sped; the night passed and the greater portion of the following day. That afternoon she anchored behind one of the Florida keys, near the Stephen R. Mallory, a filibuster from Cedar Keys, likewise loaded with arms and patriots for the Cubans. At daylight the Three Friends started south for safer anchorage among the keys. Near Turtle Harbor a strange steamer put out to sea fleeing like a startled bird. It was the famous filibuster Commodore, which, mistaking the Three Friends for a revenue cutter, headed for the Bahama Banks. The crew of the Three Friends was likewise frightened at the strange event and believed for a time that it was a Span- ish gunboat bent on capture. Near Indian Key the schooner Ardnell transferred her Cuban patriots to the Three Friends and the latter headed for the open sea, passing out over Alli- gator Reef just as the sun was rising. At 9 o’clock that night the light at Cardenas was sighted. It soon clouded up, became very dark and began to rain. The Cuban pilot, who had now taken charge, missed the place previously agreed upon as a landing place by two miles and before anyone was aware of it the Three Friends was among the breakers. With great difficulty the filibuster backed into deeper water, threw out her cable and began landing her cargo of Cubans and munitions of war, unaware that she was off a Spanish town and not more than a few hundred yards from a Spanish fort. The last boatload of Cubans had scarcely been launched when the searchlight of a small Spanish gunboat was thrown on the beach, revealing the presence of those on shore engaged in burying their arms and ammunition. The Spaniards opened fire on the Cubans on the beach and they in turn fired at the searchlight on the gunboat and the light went out. All of this was exceedingly interesting to the crew of the Three Friends lying close by awaiting the return of the last boat from shore. The crew had their guns ready to repel boarders from the gunboat, when by the aid of a spy-glass a large Spanish warship was detected less than a mile away. The captain of the Three Friends gave the order, “Do not use your guns as it will attract the attention of the large gunboat on our port side. Get your axes and lie under the HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 207 bulwarks and if the small gunboat tries to board us, use them”. Just then the boats returned from the shore, the men pulling with all their might. The boats were made fast instantly, the anchor cable cut, and the Three Friends started ahead full speed on her race for life. The first streak of light was visible along the eastern horizon, but overhead hung dark clouds from which a light mist was falling. The tug was running parallel to the line of the coast while the gunboat was headed across her bow— the Three Friends had been discovered. Nearer and nearer the two steamers approached each other, but the Spaniard having the shorter course to run held his smaller opponent an easy prey. Then came the order, ‘“‘Line all the men up on the port side and have them ready to get into the boats. We shall run into the Spaniard as we head and both may be sunk, but we will have the advantage of having our boats overboard and our men ready; he will have to lower his and we can get the start and beat them back to the Cubans we have just landed’. On getting nearer the Spanish cruiser the wheel of the Three Friends was put hard a-starboard and she turned at right angle and headed west. The wind blew her smoke back upon her track and the Spaniard, thinking she had doubled, turned his bow toward the rear. In another moment they were lost to each other in the darkness and rain. The Three Friends made straight for Key West where she arrived at noon. Here ended her first trip as a filibuster. Seven more she made, everyone as hazardous and exciting as the first, but the Three Friends was marked with a lucky star and passed through them all unscathed. Among the other boats well known in these waters that became famous for their filibuster expeditions to Cuba were the Dauntless, the Commodore and the Bermuda; these with the Three Friends were known as the “Cuban fleet’. The Bermuda made a number of trips to Cuba, but was finally detained at Jamaica by the British authorities. The Com- modore foundered under suspicious circumstances off the Florida east coast January 2, 1897; her cargo of arms and several of the Cuban patriots aboard were lost. The fame of the little Dauntless was almost as great as that of the Three Friends; she was once captured by the U.S. S. Marblehead, but later got out of the scrape and though under constant 208 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA surveillance continued to make an occasional get-away for Cuba. *The Three Friends and the Dauntless were fast boats for their day. Soon after war was declared the Three Friends was chartered by the New York World and used as a dispatch boat between the war zone and Key West. The Dauntless was the dispatch boat of the Associated Press in Southern waters dur- ing the war. The Bermuda sank in Delaware River in 1900. The Daunt- less is now in service running on Chesapeake Bay, and the Three Friends still plies the waters of her home, the St. Johns River. By the summer of 1897 the Cuban revolution had reached a low ebb as a result of the inhuman policy of the Spanish Governor Weyler. Day after day for months the American people had read about the horrible conditions in Cuba and public sentiment had reached a state that the United States was about ready to intervene when the announcement came in January, 1898, that Weyler had been recalled and a new form of limited self-government promised the Cubans. The Cubans rejected it and the fire of revolution broke out afresh. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, U. S. Consul-General at Havana, asked that an American warship be sent to Havana to protect American interests if necessary. The battleship Maine was sent and while anchored in Havana harbor was destroyed by an explosion at 10 p.m. February 15, 1898, resulting in the death of 2 officers and 264 men. The finding of the board of investigation that the explosion originated on the outside of the ship made war with Spain unavoidable, and on April 25, 1898, President McKinley issued a proclamation that war with Spain existed. In less than a week after the Maine was sunk, and two months before war was declared, Florida began her prepara- tions for war. On February 20, 1898, among the first, if not the first order of a military nature, bearing on the impending crisis, was issued from Tallahassee to the Jacksonville Naval Militia in part as follows: Lt. A. R. Merrill, Lt. J. H. Bland, Ensigns Miller and Gibbons, with such petty officers and signalmen from the Third Division of Florida Naval Militia, Jacksonville, as may be necessary, are detailed to make a reconnaissance of the Atlantic coast as far as practicable with a view to locating proper sites for signal stations and to secure such other data as may be obtained and be of value from a military standpoint. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA — 209 Immediately upon receipt of these orders the survey be- gan at the mouth of the St. Johns and it was the first in this part of Florida in relation to the Spanish-American war. War Chronology 1898 March 6: Gen. J. M. Wilson, Chief of U. S. Engineers, made a military inspection at the mouth of the St. Johns. April 4-10: Local military companies recruiting to war strength. April 15: Two companies of negro troops under white officers passed through en route to Key West; first troop movement through Jacksonville. April 18: Jacksonville Naval Militia offered its services to the Government; services accepted and unit ordered to recruit to war strength. Officers: A. R. Merrill, lieutenant commander; J. H. Bland, lieutenant; Cromwell Gibbons and F. D. Miller, ensigns. April 23: Jacksonville Naval Militia called to the colors; ordered to establish signal stations at the mouth of the St. Johns River. May 3: Jacksonville Light Infantry and Jacksonville Rifles, having volunteered, were called to the colors; ordered to hold themselves in readiness. May 12: Practically the entire white population of the city turned out to wish Godspeed to Jacksonville Light In- fantry and Jacksonville Rifles, entraining for Tampa. The roster of the Rifles at this time was 106 officers and men, and that of the Jacksonville Light Infantry 91. May 26: Wilson’s Battery volunteered for service. June 1: Censorship of troop movements inaugurated. June 12: Full roster of each company of the First Flor- ida Regiment appeared in the Times-Union and Citizen of this date. June 13: Jacksonville designated as the commissary depot for the Seventh Army Corps. 210 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1898 August 2: Convalescent hospital was opened at Pablo Beach. October 15: Company E (Jacksonville Light Infantry) 1st Florida, arrived from Tallahassee. An immense assem- blage was at the depot to greet the company and included the 4th Illinois regiment of Camp Cuba Libre and the band of the 161st Indiana. When the procession started up-town, the band played ‘‘Dixie’”’ and the crowd went wild. November 14: Company E (J. L. I.) entrained for Talla- hassee, having been ordered back to be mustered out. December 4: Company E (J. L. I.) mustered out at Talla- hassee. Each man was given a blue satin badge with a spread-eagle in the center, and inscribed, ‘““Mustered in May 23. To hell with Spain. First Florida Regiment, 1898. Mustered out December 4”’. January 27, 1899: Company F (Jacksonville Rifles) was mustered out at Huntsville, Ala. Duval County’s Honor Roll Spanish-American War John J. O’Rourke of Jacksonville, and E. W. Houston of Mayport: Killed by the accidental explosion of a dynamite mine under test at the test station at St. Johns Bluff, July 10, 1898. Private Franklin B. Willard (J. L. I.) of Jacksonville, died at Camp Wheeler, Huntsville, Ala., September 20, 1898, of typhoid fever. Lieutenant J. Hugh Stephens (Rifles) of Jacksonville, died in hospital at Savannah, October 27, 1898, of typhoid fever. Private William Jones of Jacksonville (mustered out with J. L. I. and joined Co. D, 9th Illinois), died in camp near Ha- vana January 7, 1899, of spinal meningitis. Camp Cuba Libre Ten days before war with Spain was declared C. E. Garner advanced the idea of an army camp for Jacksonville. Mayor R. D. Knight then became active in his official capacity, and a eee HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 211 the proposition was developed through a joint mass-meeting of citizens and Board of Trade on April 29. Maj. Gen. J. F. Wade arrived on a tour of inspection for camp sites May 18, and recommended Jacksonville for a camp. On May 21, Brig. Gen. H. W. Lawton, of General Shafter’s staff, came to Jacksonville to select the site. After visiting several pro- posed sites, one in East Springfield was selected, located be- tween Ionia Street and the Fernandina railroad, and Third and Eighth Streets, the main factor in the selection being the transportation facilities. The Second Illinois and the First Wisconsin regiments, the first troops to arrive here, came in on the evening of May 22; the next morning the tented city of volunteers in East Springfield began to rise, and by night the white canvas gave evidence that a considerable body of troops was already in camp, the First North Carolina having arrived during the day. General Lawton was in command until succeeded by Brig. Gen. A. K. Arnold on May 28. Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee arrived the next day. On June 4, General Lee designated Jacksonville as headquarters of the Seventh Army Corps and officially named the camp here “Cuba Libre”’. Early in July an epidemic of typhoid fever started in Camp Cuba Libre. This was in the day when the treatment of the disease and the cause of its spread were not well un- derstood, and scores of men died before the epidemic closed. Screening was not used, and it is remembered that flies swarmed in the tents and mess places. Heavy rains in June and July kept the locality wet, as city drainage had not been extended to the camp, and there was not enough natural fall to carry the water off. A great deal of complaint arose about it and many unfavorable reports were published in the Northern papers. *An interesting feature in this connection was that the Government had general and thorough tests made for malaria and found that the camp was entirely free of it. The original camp site in East Springfield was finally abandoned. This first change was made by the Wisconsin regiment which moved to the vicinity of Fifth and Silver Streets July 29. One by one the other regiments were moved to the high ground north of the cemetery, near Phoenix Park and Cummer’s mill, or Panama where Torrey’s Rocky Mount- 212 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ain cow-boys (Second Wyoming Cavalry) had pitched their camp in the beginning. The greatest number of men here at one time was 29,000. All were white volunteers, and all infantry, except Torrey’s rough riders. The first to leave Camp Cuba Libre was the First Wisconsin, which entrained for home September 6, to be mustered out. The following is a complete list of the regi- ments in camp here, with their commanders, together with the dates of arrival at and departure from Jacksonville: 1898 Arrival Departure May 22....Second Illinois, Col. G. M. Moulton............... Oct. 24 May 22.... First Wiconsin, Col. S. P. Schadel...........-.0s. Sep. 6 May 28.... First North Carolina, Col. C. F. Armfield......... Oct. 24 May 24.... Fifteenth Iowa, Col. D. V. Jackson.............. Sep. 13 May 29.... Fourth Illinois, Col. Casimer Andel.............. Oct. 24 June 3..... Second Virginia, Col. J. C. Baker................ Sep. 19 PUNE Bye Second New Jersey, Col. E. W. Hine............. Sep. 22 June6..... Fourth Virginia, Col. G. W. Taylor............. Oct. 26 June 14....Forty-Ninth Iowa, Col. W. G. Dows.............. Oct. 25 June 21....Second Mississippi, Col. W. A. Montgomery...... Sep. 12 June 28....Second Wyoming (Cavalry), Col. Jay L. Torrey..Oct. 24+ July 22.... Third Nebraska, Col. Wm. Jennings Bryan........ Oct. 23 July 30.... First South Carolina, Col. J. K. Alston.......... Sep. 23 Aug.3.... Second Louisiana, Col. Elmer E. Wood........... Oct. 22 Aug. 5 ...) Second Alabama, Coli'J.)WoiCoxiv. va. 2 Wie wena Sep. 16 Aug. 7....Second Texas, Col. L. M. Oppenheimer.......... Sep. 20 Aug. 3... . Ninth Tilinois, Col! J. Pe: Campbell... 2.2m eee Oct. 28 Aug. 10:5.) First Texas, Col’ W..Ho Mabry.vor.2 eau a eee Oct. 22 Aug. 11... First Louisiana, Col. W. L. Stevens.............. Oct. 38F Aug.13 .);.. First: Alabama, Cot. K.:O. Hredon...). 4s ueeen Sep. 16 Aug. 13 ...One Hundred Sixty-First Ind., Col. W. T. Durbin. .Oct. 23 Aug. 15... Sixth Missouri, Col. Letcher ‘Hardeman DAA. Dec. 9 Aug. 19... Fourth Immunes, Col. James S. Pettit............ Oct. 10 Aug.28 3) First\Ohio) Coll Ci(C tiunti 0) oo we Sep. 13 Sep. 16.... Second South Carolina, Col. Wm. Jones.......... Oct. 21 The departure of the First Wisconsin on September 6 was followed at irregular intervals by other regiments for mus- tering out, until eleven had gone, including the First Louisi- ana, which was mustered out at Jacksonville. On October 4, the Fourth Immunes entrained for Fernandina en route to Cuba. About this time the Government ordered the transfer of the camp from here to Savannah, and the first to leave for {Mustered out at Jacksonville. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 213 the new camp was a battalion of the Fourth Illinois, the balance of the regiment following a few days afterward. The Sixth Missouri was the last to leave Camp Cuba Libre, a bat- talion of that regiment remaining here until December 9, to guard property. The final closing of Camp Cuba Libre was on January 11, 1899, when the last soldier departed; by a strange relation of names he was Capt. R. E. Lee, of the Sixth Missouri. St. Johns River Fortifications The survey of the river made by General Wilson in March, 1898, resulted in a decision to erect emplacements for 8-inch breech-loading rifles at St. Johns Bluff, and the construction of these works was begun early in April. On April 15, the United States flag was hoisted there, to speak defiance to the Spanish, who from this same elevation made the charge upon the French fort, Caroline, 333 years before. St. Johns Bluff had now witnessed the flags of five nations flying over near- by fortifications, in turn French, Spanish, English, Spanish, Confederate, and United States—a historic spot indeed. Great difficulty was experienced in getting the big guns to the top of the bluff. A “tram road” was laid up the slope and they were pulled up by power. The works were com- pleted about the time Cervera’s fleet was destroyed, the event which made it plain that no heliograph or wig-wag message would ever be sent from the signal station on Mt. Cornelia, Fort George Island, to the battery on St. Johns Bluff that a Spanish fleet was off the bar. *The battery at St. Johns Bluff was dismantled in October, 1899, and the guns sent to Pensacola; but the concrete works and ammunition bomb-proofs still remain in almost perfect condition. The position is accessible for automobiles and is well worth a visit, not only for the historic interest, but also for the magnificent view obtained of the St. Johns River; for today, as Laudonniere said in his time, “A man may behold the meadows divided asunder into isles and islets, interlacing one another, a place so pleasant that those who are melancholic would be enforced to change their humour”. In July, 1898, the channel between St. Johns Bluff and the mouth of the river was mined with dynamite mines, and navigation practically closed for a while. The test station 214 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA where the mines were tested before placing in the river, was at the base of the bluff. A distressing accident occurred here; while undergoing test, a mine exploded, killing two men and seriously wounding an officer: The mines in the river were exploded late in September, 1898, and the channel cleared. Local Conditions During the War When General Lee designated Jacksonville as the com- missary depot of the Seventh Army Corps, and issued notice that so far as practicable supplies would be purchased locally, it meant a great deal to the merchants carrying the neces- sary lines. The wholesale provision and hay houses reaped a harvest. During the five months the troops were here, they were paid $2,160,000 and this too in large measure was spent in Jacksonville. It has been said that some valuable business property in the down-town section represents profits derived from concessions at the camp. In a business way the camp did much for Jacksonville. Barring the wave of typhoid that swept Camp Cuba Libre, the service of the volunteers here was not an unpleasant one. The men, of course, were under military discipline, but “off duty”, and that was often, they flocked to the city, bent on having a grand, good time. Unfortunately there was consid- erable drunkenness among the soldiers, as Jacksonville was a wide-open liquor town in those days. It was considered only a prank when one day an officer rode his horse into a saloon, up to the bar and took his drink on horseback. And another, as Mary and Martha, the police-patrol horses, galloped by in an- swer to a call, a squad of soldiers jumped aboard and broke “Black Maria” down. Again when a company swooped down upon a squatter commissary near the camp, and with kind consideration left the proprietor the remnants of pasteboard boxes and paper sacks. So the camp news day by day was filled with echoes such as these. It did not seem like war, but more like a large body of troops off on a frolic. This body of men was made up of the flower of young manhood of their respective States, as volunteers for war usually are. A strong attachment grew up between them and the people of Jacksonville. The residents invited them freely into their homes. During the sickness at the camp delicacies of all kinds were sent out to them; many ladies of HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 215 the city volunteered their services and assisted the Red Cross nurses in the work, while in numbers of cases convalescents were transferred to the homes here, and nursed back to health by members of the family. Lasting friendships and some happy marriages resulted. When the time came for the soldiers to go, Jacksonville saw them leave with regret. They did not forget; when the city was burned in 1901, ex- pressions of sympathy came from all over the country from them and contributions to the relief fund too, the New Jersey regiment, as a body, contributing substantially to the fund. 216 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1898 March 25: Stonewall Jackson Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, organized at preliminary meeting. Permanently organized April 1, 1898. Officers: T. T. Stockton, com- mandant; Jack Maxwell, first lieutenant commander; F. P. Fleming, Jr., second lieutenant commander; C. N. Welshans, adjutant. May 6: F. C. & P. through passenger train from Pensa- cola ran into an open switch in the terminal yards; engineer Amos Roberts was killed and fireman J. Sewall died from injuries. June 16: The Confederate monument in St. James Park (now Hemming Park) was unveiled by Miss Sarah Elizabeth Call, accompanied by a salute of thirteen guns by Wilson’s Battery. This was during the Spanish-American war, and taking part in the ceremonies were regiments of both South- ern and Northern menof Camp Cuba Libre. General Fitzhugh Lee was in the reviewing stand, while on the piazza of the Windsor hotel stood a grandson of General U.S. Grant. Thus both the North and the South were represented in the un- veiling of this monument to the valor of the Confederate soldiers of Florida, a gift to the State by Charles C. Hem- ming, a former resident of Jacksonville and a private in the Jacksonville Light Infantry in the War Between the States. July 9: Clyde Line steamer Delaware was burned off Barnegat, N. J.; passengers and crew were all landed safely. December 22: The Mayport, new steamboat built to ply between Mayport and Jacksonville, caught afire at her dock in Mayport, was cut loose and drifted out to sea burning. 1899 Severe Freeze February 12-13: The afternoon and early evening of the 12th were rainy and very cold. About 9 p.m. rain changed to sleet and an hour later turned into snow. It snowed nearly all night, and by sunrise of the 13th, the ground was covered to a depth of two inches, not considering drifts, and the tem- perature stood around 10 degrees F. The temperature con- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 217 1899 tinued below freezing all day of the 13th, not rising above 27 degrees; snow remained on the ground all day, and in sheltered places for several days afterward. The vegetable crops were destroyed, fruit trees killed and some forest trees hurt beyond recovery. Widespread damage resulted to the plumbing of the city and plumbers were kept busy for two months making repairs. This was the coldest weather since the freeze of 1835. March 12: The plant of the Cummer Lumber Company northeast of the city was destroyed by fire. The loss was estimated at $253,000. April 14: Joseph Jefferson opened an engagement in Jacksonville with “What Shall We Do With Her’. This was followed by the other plays that had made him famous as an actor, including “Rip Van Winkle”. May 20: Cigar factory of G. H. Gato in North Springfield burned. September: Jacksonville quarantined against South Flor- ida on account of yellow fever there; it was a modified quar- antine. October 5: The first wireless message received in Florida came to the Florida Times-Union and Citizen reporting the progress of the yacht race between the Columbia and the Shamrock. The Marconi system was used. The service was satisfactory and frequent bulletins were posted from wire- less reports. November 18: The wholesale grocery house of Baker & Holmes Co., and the supply house of E. O. Painter & Co., together with considerable surrounding property in the via- duct section, were burned in a fire that resulted in a property loss of $100,000. 1900 March 2: Fire destroyed McMurray & Baker’s wagon factory at Main and Church Streets; three firemen injured; property loss $20,000. March 24: Admiral and Mrs. George Dewey visited Jack- 218 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1900 sonville. They were entertained at the Windsor hotel and given a royal reception here. June 7: Lightning struck the ferryboat Commodore Barney while she was on the ways in South Jacksonville un- dergoing repairs, and killed four negro laborers and severely shocked eleven other men. June 19-22: Last Democratic State convention was held at Jacksonville. It was a memorable one, not only because it was the last convention of the kind held in the State, the system being changed afterward to the primary system, but also for the number of ballots necessary for a nomination for Governor. The candidates were, W. S. Jennings, Fred T. Myers, W. H. Milton, D. H. Mays and J. D. Beggs. All with- drew except Jennings and Milton, and on the 44th ballot Jennings was nominated, receiving 192 votes and Milton 90. August 21-25: Jacksonville Light Infantry and Atlanta Artillery on encampment at Pablo Beach, named “Camp Wheeler’”’. December 27: Dr. Neal Mitchell purchased the Forsyth Street side of the Everett hotel (now the Aragon) from the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co., for, according to the local news item, $30,000. "194 SANOY, XIS JOLIYSTp SsourIsng UMO}-UMOP ou SuUIU.ING a1 IY} SMOYS aeyOUS BSUVP 94 pba eels | OS:ZT yNoge FFe] IUI1I}X9 JY} JB pozteys at of, ‘puog ‘diey Aq Ssunutied o[qeyietior B WO poiysrAdoy O[[TAUOSYPVLP AON,, PUB PaesVad ,,a[[IAUOSIVL P[O,, UOUM LO6L ‘€ AVIN "uB.daq “é HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 219 CITY DESTROYED BY FIREt (Friday, May 3, 1901) Shortly before 12:30 p.m., May 3, 1901, sparks from a nearby negro shanty ignited particles of fibre laid out to dry on the platform of the Cleaveland Fibre Factory, located in LaVilla, at Beaver and DavisStreets. Watchmen soon noticed the jets of flame and poured bucket after bucket of water on the burning mass, but other fragments of this highly inflam- mable material took up the flame and carried it into the fac- tory building. The immense room was at once a roaring fur- nace. In the meantime an alarm had been sent in, at 12:35 p.m., but when the firemen arrived with their horse-drawn apparatus, the building was already doomed. A fresh west- northwest wind was blowing, and when the roof of the fac- tory fell in, particles of burning fibre were carried away and fell upon neighboring buildings, whose wooden roofs were as combustible as tinder, owing to the prolonged drought. The fire then spread from house to house, seemingly with the rapidity with which a man could walk. Progress of the Fire By one o’clock, Hansontown, a suburb of pine shanties, northwest of the city, was all on fire, and not long afterward the flames spread eastward to Bridge (Broad) Street. The wind had gradually increased, and burning shingles were carried into the city proper; the firemen, standing under a canopy of smoke and flame, were even now powerless to cope with the conflagration. About this time telegrams were sent to St. Augustine, Savannah, Fernandina, Brunswick, and Waycross, for assistance. The Fernandina company was the first to arrive, and two hours and thirty minutes after the message was sent to Savannah most of that de- partment was at the union station here. These companies performed valuable services.? The following account of the progress of the fire was given in the Florida Times-Union and Citizen, May 4, 1901: With incredible speed the fire spread, continuing to widen its devastating line of march. By 2:45 o’clock (p.m.) the handsome resi- dences in the vicinity of Julia and Church Streets were blazing, the 7Bibliography: aflorida Times-Union and Citizen, May 4, 5, 6, 7, 1901; b*‘Acres of Ashes,” by Benjamin Harrison; cFinal Reports of the Jacksonville Relief Association. 220 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA flames in the meantime having converted into smoking piles of ashes the thickly built portion of Ashley Street, between Cedar and Hogan. The vast majority of these houses, as indeed are most of the residences in Jacksonville, were frame structures. They burned like cigar boxes, like chaff, as the thundering, mighty, lurid storm-wave of fire rolled to the east, ever to the east, and swept the area bare. At twenty minutes past 3 the Windsor Hotel was in a blaze. This great box-like building, covering the entire block bounded by Hogan, Duval, Julia, and Monroe Streets, burned with awful fury. Fortunately all the guests had warning and the building’s upper floors were empty when the fire came. The burning of a hotel like the Windsor would ordinarily be regarded as a disaster in itself, but yesterday it lapsed into relative insignificance, even though alone its destruction involved a loss of $175,000. A few minutes later the St. James, which has been closed since April 19, was a mass of flames. Although partly a brick structure, it, too, burned like tinder. By this time, in the general cataclysm of de- struction the loss of individual buildings was lost sight of. Isolated houses, one and two hundred yards to the eastward, were burning, and fresh nuclei of flame were being added. Still progress was steadily to the east. Twenty minutes prior to the ignition of the St. James, houses here and there east on Duval from Laura were burning. All in a mo- ment a blinding typhoon of smoke and dust came with overwhelming power, blowing eastward, and it was necessary for those in the street to run to escape it. For a time it seemed that the fierce advance was straight to the east. House after house succumbed. No effort was made to save buildings now. Every one knew that to save any building in the track of the fury was impossible, and on and on it sped. Churches, public buildings, and shops were destroyed. At 4:30 o’clock St. John’s Episcopal Church neighborhood was the center of the conflagration. It lived but a few minutes. The Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception, St. Joseph’s Orphanage and the Convent soon fell prey to the devourer. Now the blaze raged along Duval and Adams, but the wind changed and the conquering blaze veered to the south. The armory was burned. In the space of a few minutes the fire crossed blocks southward, and beautiful home after home became a torch, its light lost in the monstrous mass of red illumination. The Duval Street viaduct was on fire at 5 o’clock. The vacant meadow over which it passes was covered with furniture and household goods. The fires were raging all this time in the section north of Adams and east of Laura. The Massey Business College building became ig- nited on Main Street, and irresistibly the flames swept toward Bay Street. Until now it was thought that Bay Street would escape, but the thought was in vain. The terror was bending in a fatal embrace to the South. The roar and the crackle resounded as the great pinions of flame moved skyward, sending showers of cinders far into the St. Johns. The Emery Auditorium was a victim. Then the Board of Trade building, HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 221 the Seminole Club, the Metropolis publication building, the City Hall building and market, and the Hubbard building in turn were burned. In the last were great stores of dynamite, powder and ammunition, and there was explosion after explosion, adding to the dangers that sur- rounded the firemen on every side. Then to Bay Street the flames ate their way. The new Furchgott building was in a few minutes blazing, and the leap to the Gardner building, towering six stories high, was easy. The heat was intolerable. Building after building on the opposite side of the street was soon a mass of flames, Night had fallen. Looking east from Hogan, Bay Street from Laura and beyond, showed only the reddened scene of fire. From the windows of the Commercial Bank Building (southeast corner of Bay and Laura), the serpentine tongues were shooting. It was soon a skeleton. It seemed that there was nothing to prevent the fire’s ad- vance westward. All the afternoon, the Western Union offices, corner Laura and Bay, were crowded with people sending messages. The Western Union force stood to their posts nobly. The young ladies of the force, cool and calm, were standing to their posts, even when the building forty feet across the street was crumbling. It was feared that the flames would creep westward, burning the dockage and entire water front and the Bay Street buildings west of Laura, wiping out the buildings between. But the fire department was making a gallant stand. Engines were placed at Hogan and Bay, play- ing steadily on the buildings at Laura and Bay. About 7:30 o’clock the wind died. It was a blessed relief. The flames had lapped up everything in their way from the Cleaveland factory to the Duval Street viaduct, and back on Bay to Laura. The flames were under control at 8:30 p.m. The rapid on-rush of the flames caught many people in a trap at the foot of Market Street. This was called the Market Street Horror, because for a time it was thought that there was a heavy loss of life at this point. But all escaped except Henry Bounetheau and an unknown negro man.? Spirit of the People During the progress of the fire a blanket of smoke and flame covered the city, almost shutting out the light of day. Persons of every class and condition struggled in the streets, but the rough were tender now and the strong supported the weak. Kindly, brave, heroic deeds were done on every hand. Fainting women and terrified children were rescued from burning buildings by men whose all, except the clothes they wore, was even then being consumed. In the storm of fire, 222 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA friends and relatives became separated; some one would take a child from its mother’s arms and proceed until a wave of humanity forced the two apart—then the mother’s voice would add a new terror to the uproar. When the churches caught, frenzied negroes yelled, “De Lawd am angry wid us, O, people, prepare to die!” and some would rush toward the flames, only to be caught and dragged away. Wagons piled high with household goods threaded their way through the crowds; then sparks would ignite the bedding, and a wild horse and a burning wagon would rush madly along the streets. Exhausted, one would drop a burden and another would take it up. I‘rom a flaming house furniture and bed- ding were taken by willing hands for some old lady, simply to gratify her, as everyone knew that wagons could not be had to move the things away. A gentleman hurrying down the street with a bundle of precious articles, overtook an aged couple pushing a sewing machine. ‘Madam, you must leave this and save your lives,” he said. ‘How can I, sir’, sobbed the old lady, ‘“‘This machine is the only support of my poor husband’. Without a word the gentleman threw away his bundle, raised the machine to his shoulder, and staggered on down the street, with the oid couple at his heels.° The human tide struggled on, whither no one knew. Then came the report that a new fire center had started ahead, cut- ting off retreat. Caught in a fire trap, the stream of humani- ty turned in the direction of Springfield, or to the docks along the river. At Market Street bridge over Hogan’s Creek, the jam of people made passage like that of swimming against the tide. Into this mass passed the whisper that the gas works nearby must soon explode. The struggle became fiercer, but at its fiercest a woman fell, and there was a gen- eral pause until she was lifted to her feet. By this time families in Springfield were loading their effects on wagons. Some had sent the women and children of their families to the suburbs, but now became uneasy about their fate, as the wildest rumors were afioat as to occurrences everywhere. Others wandered in front and around the flaming district seeking the lost—highly excited, but peaceable and helpful. Meanwhile, tugs and rowboats, launches and vessels of every kind were busy in removing those who had sought the wharves as a place of safety. There were thousands of nar- row escapes. Sick people were carried to places of supposed HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 223 safety time after time, only to find yet another removal nec- essary. Men would shoulder a trunk and start down the street with it, but before going far the flames would over- take them, and they would drop the weight and run for life. Ladies left home and weve hurried away by anxious friends, but the fire would catch their dresses, and urge them on with pitiless lashing. A young lady hurrying down the street had her hat roughly pulled from her head; looking around in as- tonishment, she was met with “Madam, excuse me, but your hat is on fire.’ That night the inhabitants settled in vacant lots and un- der the trees of the surrounding territory. Here the fam- ilies were camped, with no attempt at separation; friends were twenty feet away and mourned for one another during all those terrible hours. Some had piled furniture so as to support bedding or rugs for a canopy, and so made an excuse for a tent and a pretense of privacy. In many cases a few trunks became a little house for a baby; from other little shelters issued the moans of the feeble and sick. But there was sympathy of the sweetest and dearest kind. Someone had brought a frying pan, another a coffee pot; there was a little money with which to buy food from the stores around. One woman had left her purse and all the belongings of a com- fortable home, but she had carried eight eggs in a small basket for hours. All these were shared. All shared what was the common stock, though none knew where he would ’ find his breakfast. Penetrating these groups came those whose houses in the suburbs had been spared. “Come with me’’, said a lady to a friend just found; “my house is safe.” “Have you room?” “TI have a crowd, many of whom are strangers to me, but I shall find a place for you.” All through the dreadful night parties and individuals, many of whom had likewise lost their homes, went among these groups, seeking to comfort and encourage them.’ Such was the spirit that animated the people. Relief Measures The morning after the fire the citizens assembled in mass- meeting in the U.S. Government building, to consider relief measures; a committee was appointed to act as a temporary relief committee. Among them were men who had gained experience in the yellow fever epidemic of 1888, and subse- 224 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA quent measures were based largely upon this experience. At this meeting over $23,000 was pledged for relief purposes, and before noon food supplies were being issued to those in need of them. The next day, Sunday, the Jacksonville Re- lief Association was formally organized. On May 138, an ap- peal for assistance was sent out, followed two days later by a statement to the American people concerning the situation here. The generosity with which its own citizens and the peo- ple of the country at large dealt with the stricken city, is indicated by the report of the Association, as follows: Cash donations, $218,489.87 ; from other sources, $6,423.85; total, $224,913.72. The amount of supplies received outside of the eash contributions, such as food, clothing, tools, sewing ma- chines, etc., approximated $200,000. The various transpor- tation companies hauled these supplies free of charge, as did the express companies also. The Western Union Telegraph Company transmitted messages to and from the Association without charge.¢* In the distribution of supplies, eleven commissaries were established in different parts of the city, from which, in the beginning, ten to twelve thousand people were fed daily; the numbers were gradually reduced as the people became self- sustaining. The total number of rations issued was 200,242; pieces of clothing, 89,985; articles of bedding, 5,767; pairs of shoes, 2,728; sewing machines, 477, besides sundry articles of household supplies, and 172 sets of carpenters’ tools.¢ | For the purpose of giving employment to the idle, and at the same time to clean up the burned district, work was given to 1,673 persons and 113 teams. These cleaned more than 22 miles of streets, filled up low and insanitary places, cut down thousands of tree trunks and telephone poles, dug up and hauled away over 3,000 stumps of trees, and removed debris from church, school, and hundreds of other lots in the burned district.¢ The work of the sanitation committee was devoted to re- moving dead animals and other noxious substances, repair- ing broken sewers, and maintaining sanitary conditions in the various relief camps. Through the labors of the lodging committee, within a short time after the fire, every homeless person in the community was provided with a temporary, but comfortable shelter. Twelve thousand tents were sent here by the U. S. Government. This committee distributed ot & j i < 5% P ah 4 A - bs ‘ ‘ t “ a i spas} ; ; Le ees ’ Pad Sei ¢ ‘oes ad " We ¥ Sai - » * 4 f + ! ; ’ ' ops : f 3 eo , . ' . X, . af: ‘ Lia i 2. ral a re nae * a we » Die in Aa ds a eure ty ty ory Pee hell De te ie ee Cleo a nas poe em peer ya ie i Foe ern NRT aut a Paes y) \s Shed Vel Soy Sees oF, a ves ee Von rar eke tJ J a te a . ete Ki oe is peas at ge a us 7, a. : i j ! ,: MAP OF DISTRICT BURNED MAY 3, 1901 (Burned area in black) Waterfront ts SPRINGFIELD or eT. matt 9 = aa vA: i HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 225 7,483 articles of bedding, besides articles of furniture and household utensils to those who had no means of providing these necessary articles for themselves. The transportation committee provided over 5,000 persons with transportation to all parts of the country. In most instances transportation was furnished free by the railroads and the steamboat lines. Appeals for help were referred to the emergency committee, for investigation; over 3,000 appeals were made in writing and thousands in person.* Women’s Auxiliary A women’s auxiliary was organized soon after the organi- zation of the relief association, and a great deal of suffering was relieved through the efforts of these ladies. They had a bureau of information, to which all women came and made known their needs; commissaries of food and supplies; a re- ceiving station; a dispensary, where medicines were kept; nurses were provided when necessary. They had a sewing tent, and many needy women were given employment mak- ing sheets, pillow cases and other articles, which were dis- tributed among the fire sufferers. They also had a purchas- ing department, an employment bureau, and a medical de- partment.¢ Notes on the Fire In 8 hours the fire swept an area 54 mile from north to south and 1% mile from west to east, embracing 466 acres in the oldest and most populous portion of the city. City blocks to the number of 146 were burned over, and 2,368 buildings destroyed. Every public building, except the U. S. government building, was burned, together with the public records, though those of the county judge’s office in the court house went safely through the fire. Twenty-three churches and ten hotels were burned. Within the fire area only three buildings escaped—one at the northeast corner of Adams and Jefferson, another on the river front at the foot of Laura Street (the fire was checked here and the building is still standing, in the rear of the West Building, southeast corner of Laura and Bay Streets), and the third a small novelty works at Beaver and Washington 226 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Streets—all at widely separated points at the very edge of the fire. The monument in Hemming Park, although centered in the hottest part of the fire, went through it all unscathed. About its base had been placed pile upon pile of household goods, and when these burned, fury and heat were added to that of the surrounding burning blocks; but only the cement at the base of the monument showed a reddened glow. The bronze soldier at the top stood firm amidst the withering torrent of fire about him. The fire crossed Adams Street at only one point west of Laura Street—between Cedar and Julia, where a small build- ing and some lumber were burned. It crossed Hogans Creek at one point, immediately east of Main Street, and burned Hammatt’s wood yard. The west half of Duval Street wooden viaduct over Hogans Creek, East Jacksonville, was burned. When the wind changed and blew from the north for a short time, the swirl of heat carried over the river caused a perfect waterspout to form and travel along the water front. No damage resulted from it, though several boats narrowly escaped destruction. Some of the excited citizens shot rifles at the waterspout in an attempt to break it up. Perhaps this is the only instance of record of such a phe- nomenon developing from artificial heat. From a careful compilation, 9,501 peopie were directly involved in the fire, in business or otherwise; 8,677 resided in the burned district and were rendered temporarily home- less. It was estimated that 15,000 were present in the burned area; that only 7 lives were lost was remarkable. Lives lost: White, Henry D. Bounetheau, Mrs. Waddy Thompson, Wil- liam Clark, Mrs. Solon Robinson, and Mrs. Grace Bradley ; colored, March Haynes and an unknown. The city and the county jails were burned, but the pris- oners were taken to a place of safety in advance of the fire. As a precautionary measure martial law was declared on May 4. Besides the three local companies, troops from Starke, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Palatka, Live Oak, St. Augustine, Lake City, Orlando, and Jasper, and for a time detachments from the U.S. revenue cutters “Forward” and “Hamilton” were on duty in the city. The troops remained on duty three weeks, and a provisional company, formed from the three local companies, until July 138. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 227 The total value of all the property destroyed by the fire was approximately $15,000,000, of which $4,000,000 was un- insured. Upon the remaining $11,000,000 there was insur- ance of $5,650,000. The net loss to property owners was therefore $9,350,000. It was the largest fire, both in area and property loss, ever experienced by any Southern city of the United States, record to 1924. The flare of the great conflagration was visible in Savannah, and its smoke was seen at Raleigh, N. C. Rebuilding The fire was on Friday afternoon. Saturday, the people spent in recovering from the daze of the appalling catastrophe. Those who had lost their homes set about finding shelter for their families or in locat- ing missing members and friends. The streets were still too hot to travel, but here and there where there was no brick paving people could be seen poking into the ruins in an effort to recover some lost possession. Even now the narrow fringe of blocks south of Adams Street west of Laura was being made ready for the business of Jacksonville, with partitions and shelving going up. (Here for several months merchants, bankers, doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, contractors, saloon keepers and others of every line of business elbowed their way in and out of this congested district.) Sunday, worship was held in the parks or under the trees outside of the fire district. A shower of rain had cooled the streets somewhat and property owners were everywhere looking the situation over. Some could be seen stepping off or measuring as a preliminary thought to rebuilding. Relief measures were taking form and by Sunday night the people had pretty well collected themselves. Monday, May 6, the rebuilding of Jacksonville began. Building permit No. 1 was granted to Rudolph Grunthal for a temporary shack at the northwest corner of Main and State Streets, but a mile away, at the Merrill-Stevens plant, sills were already laid for the first structure to come under shed in the burned area. In a few days temporary shacks were springing up everywhere. The first brick for a permanent structure in the fire district was laid May 21 for a building at the corner of Adams and Bridge (Broad) Streets owned 228 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA by Porcher L’Engle. Henceforth the rebuilding of Jackson- ville was upon a scale too extended to follow in detail. By the end of the year 1901 the number of building permits for permanent structures in the burned area represented nearly one-half the number of buildings destroyed in the fire. The labor situation during this time was, as a whole, sat- isfactory. The building trades immediately after the fire issued notice that there would be no advance in their wage scales. At first there was some complaint that laborers were leaving their jobs and subsisting upon the relief commissaries, but the system of distribution was soon changed so as to prevent this. There was a flurry in the lumber mills caused by a demand for a 10% raise in wages. All in all, however, there was no serious set-back in the first year of Jackson- ville’s rebuilding; the people were not in a humor to put up with wrangling or strife, and when labor agitators appeared here in connection with a cigar strike at Tampa they were run out of Jacksonville. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 229 1901 June 17: Fire in the Foster building at the northwest corner of Bay and Clay Streets resulted in a property loss of $40,000. July: The Clark building, better known as Castle hall, on West Forsyth Street near Laura, was sold for $25,000; and the vacant lot 107x120 at the southeast corner of Main and Forsyth for $30,000. September 9: Henry Clark’s sawmill on East Bay Street was destroyed by fire; loss $45,000. September 21: Main Street car line extended to Phenix park and park opened. The name “Phenix” was suggested by Mrs. F. Q. Brown, wife of the president of the street car company, in commemoration of Jacksonville’s rise from its ashes. November 6: City council passed an ordinance designed to separate white and colored passengers on street cars; contested by the negroes. November 19-24: Florida State fair held in a tent 150x300 feet; located at grounds of Jacksonville Driving Club at Hogan and Eighth Streets, Springfield. December: Full lot, 105 feet square, at the southeast corner of Hogan and Forsyth Streets (where Seminole Hotel is now), including wooden store buildings sold for $48,000. 1902 February 16: Jacksonville Lodge, Knights of Columbus, instituted with 50 members by D. J. Callahan, Territorial State Deputy of Virginia. Officers: J. D. Burbridge, grand knight; P. A. Dignan, deputy grand knight; J. F. Meade, chancellor. July 18: Carpenters’ strike; demand 8-hour day and wage scale of 25 cents. A general strike in building trades in Jacksonville was called the next day, and practically all work upon construction under way was stopped. Estimated that 2,500 men were out. The strike lasted officially nearly a month, but the backbone was broken long before when 9230 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1902 many men returned to their jobs upon the 9-hour day plan, but with a slight increase in the wage scale. July 27: Pier and warehouse at the foot of Catherine Street used by the Clyde Boston Line was destroyed by fire; loss $30,000. October 1: Consolidated Naval Stores Company organ- ized in Jacksonville with a capital of $3,000,000; W. C. Powell, president. 1903 February 11: Florida Automobile Association organized: W. W. Cummer, president ; Charles A. Clark, Fred E. Gilbert, John G. Christopher, vice-presidents; F. P. Hoover, secre- tary; M. Hoover, treasurer. This was the first automobile club in the State and its purpose was to create interest in automobiles and good roads generally. April 17: Organization of the first Mothers’ Club in rela- tion to the schools of Jacksonville: Mrs. W. W. Cummer, president; Mrs. R. Pollard, secretary. This was the start of the Mother’s Clubs that were afterward united in the fed- eration. May 13: A week of heavy rains terminated on May 138th in a downpour that lasted several hours and covered all low places with a sheet of water. From Bridge (Broad) Street to the union depot and throughout the railroad yards was 2 lake, caused by the overflow of McCoys Creek. Row boats were used in that locality and a naphtha launch crossed Bay Street near the depot. Springfield park and the waterworks grounds were flooded. It was the worst flood in Jacksonville’s history and damage to railroad trackage was heavy. There was no flood-wash, however, and no loss of life. september 8-16: Encampment of State troops at Camp Jennings at the old fairgrounds in Fairfield. November 2-7: Gala Week and Trades Carnival, the most elaborate carnival ever held in Jacksonville. The United States Government cooperated by sending a troop of the famous Seventh Cavalry, a battery of artillery from Fortress Monroe, and the warship “Newport”, and the British sent HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 231 1903 the warship “Alert”. The city was fully decorated. The stage lay between the St. Johns River and the carnival grounds on Eighth Street, and for five days the crowds surged back and forth with a spirit of fun and frolic and such good nature that during the week the police made only 75 arrests. Each night the festivities closed with a spec- tacular display of Pain’s fireworks. There were elaborate coronation ceremonies: W. F. Coachman was King and Mrs. W. Pruden Smith Queen of the Carnival. 1904 April 29: First games of the South Atlantic Baseball League: At Macon, Macon 10, Jacksonville 2; at Augusta, Augusta 7, Columbia 8; at Savannah, Savannah 0, Charles- ton 3. August 30: The new Duval theatre was christened by Jacksonville Rifles’ Home Minstrels. September 20: New ferryboat Duval, built at Jacksonville, made her first trip on regular run between South Jacksonville and Jacksonville. October 24-29: Trades Carnival. The carnival this year was successful, but not as elaborate as that of 1908. Rain interfered considerably with the festivities. October 25: Fire in the E. O. Painter fertilizer plant in the viaduct section caused a damage of $30,000. 1905 March 5: A boiler explosion in the city electric light plant in Springfield at 4:45 p. m., caused the death of Fred W. Ellis, chief engineer; L. N. Cairo, a visitor, and John Davis, negro fireman at the plant. A part of the building was wrecked by the explosion. March 16: The owners of the old St. James hotel prop- - erty (the entire square bounded by Duval, Church, Laura and Hogan Streets) offered to convey the property to the City of Jacksonville for the sum of $75,000 if the city would accept the same and forever maintain it as a public park to be known as St. James Park. There were no strings tied to 232 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1905 the proposition and the city was given the privilege to pay for it in installments. The city turned the proposition down. April 3: F. E. Gilbert, driving a Victoria touring car, made the first through automobile trip from Jacksonville to the beach. He described it as a “terrible journey”. July 1: “Jim Crow” law passed by the last Legislature became effective in Jacksonville. The negroes boycotted the ears and contested the law, which was later declared uncon- stitutional by the Supreme Court. August 22: Cashen’s sawmill in East Jacksonville was destroyed by fire. October 17: City Council passed a new “Jim Crow” law, effective November 7, 1905. October 21: President Theodore Roosevelt visited Jack- sonville. | 1906 April 12-13: Automobile races at Atlantic Beach. Joe Lander, of Atlanta, drove a Thomas car 5 miles in 4 minutes 55 seconds and 1 mile in 57% seconds, breaking the existing world’s record for stock cars. April 28: City cremator in Stewart’s Addition destroyed by fire. May 7: Naval stores yards of Wernicke-Mariner Chem- ical Co., in the western part of the city, suffered a $65,000 fire loss. October 9: Fire gutted J. D. Horn’s Department Store at 7-9 E. Bay Street; loss $35,000. December 26: Wilson Dry Goods Co., Bay and Hogan Streets, burned out with a loss of $25,000. The year was marked by general building activity in all parts of the city and suburbs. Among the larger business buildings completed were the Consolidated and the Realty Buildings. Murray Hill subdivision was put on the market. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 233 Ice Trust Cases, 1906 Charging combination in restraint of trade and extortion in the price of ice, W. J. Bryan, county solicitor, worked the case up against the local ice companies into many counts and started suit. The companies were acquitted on the first count, and there was a mistrial on the next; but there were twenty-odd more to come. After the second trial the ice companies agreed to the demands of the attorney and dis- solved the combining agreements, lowered the price of ice, offered better service and equipped their wagons with scales. These suits gained wide publicity. 1907 January 10: Ralph Owen, driving an Oldsmobile, reached Jacksonville from New York, having made the run in 15 days. First through trip by automobile. Owen was accorded a great reception by automobilists here. March 9: Dixieland Amusement Park along the river- front of South Jacksonville opened. This was an attempt to afford a place of general amusement for the people of Jack- sonville and vicinity, a place where entertainments, fairs, theatricals, athletics, and contests of every character could be held. When finally completed it was an attractive resort and was well supported for a time; but when the novelty wore off it began to go down and finally collapsed. April 18: Severest hailstorm in the history of this section swept over the vicinity at 3:45 p. m., accompanied by a ter- rific wind. Much damage was caused in Dixieland Amuse- ment Park. A tug boat was sunk and its captain drowned and another man was blown from a pile-driver and drowned. No serious damage resulted in the city, except a wholesale breakage of glass by hail. The hailstones in some instances were two inches in diameter and in sheltered places remained unmelted until the next day. June: First officers of the Town of Pablo appointed by the governor: Mayor, H. M. Shockley; treasurer, J. Denham Bird; clerk, G. W. Wilkerson; city council, J. E. Dickerson, E. E. Willard, William Wilkerson, E. E. Suskind, Alexander Stevens, W. H. Shutter, C. M. Greiner, T. H. Griffith, C. H. Mann. OF ILL OT 234 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1907 June: First officers of Town of South Jacksonville ap- pointed by the governor: Mayor, S. M. Scruggs; clerk and assessor, J. F. White; treasurer and collector, W. W. Swaim; marshal, Percy Bowden; council, H. B. Philips, E.C. Broward, O. H. Buchanan, W. P. Belote, E. A. Pabor. August 4: Armour fertilizer factory struck by lightning, caught afire and was destroyed. August 12: Union operators in the telegraph offices left their keys under general strike orders. December 20: The building No. 421-27 W. Forsyth Street destroyed by fire at 2 a. m.; loss $60.000. Occupied by a vehicle company and for storage purposes. Money Panic of 1907 Starting with the failure of a brokerage concern in New York on October 22, a frenzy of fear spread like wildfire over the country, and immediately banks everywhere began fighting one another to secure and hold as large a supply of currency as possible. They could not issue additional bank notes to meet the emergency because in order to do so they would have had to purchase government bonds which would have depleted their funds still further. Many of them issued substitutes for cash, such as clearing-house certificates, and it was afterward ascertained that $500,000,000 of this “‘panic money” was issued in the United States during the last three months of 1907. Savings banks usually availed themselves of the 60 days’ notice provision. In many instances continu- ous holidays were declared, especially noticeable being the instance of California when October 31 to December 31 was declared a continuous holiday, in order to enable the banks to decline payment and to prevent the forcing of collections that would have driven many business houses into bank- ruptcy. Numbers of large business establishments in differ- ent parts of the country went into the hands of receivers, while railroads suspended improvements and threw their stocks on the market. During all of this confusion and fear it speaks well for Jacksonville’s banking institutions that they issued no clear- ing-house certificates and did not limit withdrawals. There HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 235 was no bank failure here. Considerable labor unemployment resulted from the curbing of building operations during the panic, principally in city improvements. Work on the new Seaboard shops was stopped for a while. New construction plans were temporarily abandoned. But the storm soon blew over and Jacksonville emerged without an important business failure, perhaps as few cities of its size had done, due, it was said, to some extent to the fact that the people had been made calamity proof by the trying times of 1888 and 1901, and knew how to keep their heads. 1908 Jacksonville recovered rapidly from the business depres- sion of the preceding fall and general building operations and improvements were soon under way again, showing plainly that the progress here increasing year after year since the fire of 1901, was substantial and legitimate. The bridge over McGirts Creek to Ortega was built and soon afterward an extension of the street car line made that subdivision accessible. Street car lines in Springfield were also extended and made possible the development of the west- ern part of that suburb. In the summer work started on Jacksonville’s first ten-story building and this marked the beginning of a five-year epoch in which all of the skyscrapers forming the skyline of the city today were either completed or commenced. All in all it was the most prosperous year Jacksonville had ever experienced up to that time, notwithstanding the so-called panic of 1907. There were unusual events, plenty of them, during the year, but they were of a nature properly belonging to other chapters and are recorded there. 1909 February 24: Fire destroyed the Taylor block, south side of Forsyth Street between Main and Laura. The building was occupied by Jacksonville Electric Co.; offices, and lodge rooms. Loss including contents about $75,000. March 27-April 17: Spring meet (horse racing) at Mon- crief race track. CLOUT 80 YUEN SIT 236 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1909 August: First pneumatic cash system in Florida installed in Cohen’s department store on Bay Street. September 25: Jacksonville-Miami Steamship line opened with the departure of the steamer ‘“‘Magic City”. The line did not prove a success. The Magic City was sunk in a colli- sion near Mayport February 16, 1910. September 25: Dutch S. 8S. Zeeburg was driven on the south jetty by high winds. Became a total wreck. October 3: First taxi service in Jacksonville was inaugu- rated by a company headed by J. E. T. Bowden. The fleet numbered fifteen, all Fords. A week later the cab drivers went out on strike because an employee had been discharged. October: A $40,000 fire on Bridge (Broad) Street be- tween Forsyth and Adams. A building owned by J. E. T. Bowden was destroyed with heavy damage to the Newport hotel. November 20: First wireless commercial message re- ceived in Jacksonville ; it came from the Clyde steamer Huron out at sea to the wireless station on the Aragon hotel, making reservations for passengers aboard. November 25: Race meet opened. St. James stables and other well-known horses here. December 5: Warehouse fire; occupied by West, Flynn, Harris Co., and C. W. Bartleson Co. ; $50,000 damage. December 20: High pressure fire service in the business district put in operation. 1910 March 15: Fountain memorial to Mrs. B. F. Dillon unveiled in Springfield Park. The memorial was erected by the Springfield Improvement Association in appreciation of Mrs. Dillon’s efforts for the civic improvement of Springfield. March 18: The launch “Dispatch”, owned by Capt. Seth Perkins, came through the inland waterway from St. Augus- tine to the St. Johns; opening of the canal and the first boat to make the trip. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 237 1910 April 1: Boat house of the Florida Power Boat Club in Riverside destroyed by fire and along with it 13 locally owned power boats, among them several fast racing boats. July 4: When the result of the Jeffreys-Johnson prize fight in Reno became known in Jacksonville bands of negroes assembled in the western part of the city and rumors of trouble began to spread. Crowds of whites patrolled the down-town section and as might be expected there were fre- quent disturbances. Brickbats were used in some cases and at one time it appeared as though serious rioting could not be avoided. The saloons were ordered closed and the police took extra precautions. The event passed over without any- one being killed. July 28: Formal opening of Atlantic Boulevard, South Jacksonville to Mayport road. History of Atlantic Boulevard Soon after the Jacksonville & Atlantic railroad was com- pleted to Pablo Beach (1884) E. F. Gilbert acquired a tract of land at the beach for development purposes. He promoted the idea of a road from South Jacksonville to Pablo, a wagon road, for this was long before the appearance of the auto- mobile. At his own personal expense he engaged a surveyor, Francis LeBaron, to lay off a route and after severe hard- ships in the swamps and marshes they finally completed the survey. Mr. Gilbert now got up a petition signed by prom- inent people, requesting the County Commissioners to build a road using convict labor. This they finally agreed to do and the work started in September, 1892. About two-thirds of the distance was graded and the first bridge to span Pablo Creek was built when there was a change in the membership of the board and the work was soon afterward abandoned. In 1902, the question of an improved road to the beach was revived by Fred E. Gilbert, pioneer automobile dealer of Jacksonville, who took up the work started by his father. It was a long fight with much opposition from various sources . and it was not until the spring of 1906, when the first auto- mobile races were held at Atlantic Beach, that the appeal for a hard road to the beach became generally accepted as a necessity. The matter was frequently before the board of 238 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA County Commissioners, but no agreement could be reached as to what kind of material to use. It was at this stage when the panic in the fall of 1907 spread over the country and the whole matter was temporarily dropped. Again the road question was revived soon after the first of the year (1908) and the matter definitely decided to build the road, a part of it shell and the balance brick. Actual work started in May, 1908. On December 138, 1908, though the road was only partially completed, an automobile party headed by Charles A. Clark passed over it, making the run from South Jacksonville to Pablo Beach in 1 hour and 45 minutes. These were the first automobiles to pass over the future Atlantic Boulevard. The road continued in a partially completed condition for another year and a half and it was not until July 28, 1910, that the formal opening of the highway was celebrated. A hun- dred or more decorated cars moved in parade through the down-town streets, then crossed over on the ferry and as- sembled in South Jacksonville. The christening took place at the new concrete bridge over Little Pottsburg Creek, when Miss Marie Hyde broke a bottle of champagne over the north approach and officially christened the road ‘‘Atlantic Boule- vard’”’. The assemblage then drove to the beach to witness automobile racing by local drivers. The ceremonies ended with a brilhant banquet at the Continental Hotel. This cele- bration marked the completion of the road from South Jack- sonville to the end of the Mayport road. Some months later the boulevard was extended to Neptune and a big celebration of the event was held at Pablo. The building of Atlantic Boulevard was the beginning of highway development in Florida and it started the agitation for highways in the Southeast, for as soon as it was com- pleted scouts were sent out to blaze the way for what then became highly advertised as a prospective Atlanta-Jackson- ville highway. This agitation eventually resulted in the construction of the highways out of Jacksonville northward. The increasing travel over the road to the beach finally began to tell upon its construction and in 12 years it became a patch-work of repairs showing stretches of at least five kinds of paving material. With the growing popularity of the beaches after the Jacksonville-St. Johns River bridge was built the road became entirely inadequate. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 239 In May, 19238, a county bond issue of $2,550,000 was authorized for building highways, including the construction of a first-class concrete highway from South Jacksonville to the beach, a distance of 15.8 miles. After considerable dis- cussion it was decided to construct two one-way roads, each 16 feet wide, and the contract therefor was awarded to C. F. Lytle in January, 1924, for $786,600. The highway is now in course of construction, being (Dec. 31, 1924,) about two- thirds completed. When completed it will be a magnificent boulevard, following the route of the old road, except that some of the curves have been flattened out. Provision has been made for lighting Atlantic Boulevard all the way to the beach, and it is said that it will be one of the longest “white ways” in the world. From the fact that Atlantic Boulevard was the parent of the highways in this section and has held the interest of Jacksonville for so many years as the connecting link to its playground, its history may well be perpetuated. 1910 During the summer of 1910, burglary upon burglary was reported from every section of the city, principally from the residential districts. The police made many captures, but the burglaries continued, all chargeable to the work of a fictitious character called “Barefoot Bill”. People got out their old shotguns, polished up rifles, put their pistols in shape, and for two or three months nearly every dwelling was a modified arsenal. The burglaries ceased in August, but it was never known whether the real Barefoot Bill was ever put behind the bars. October 28: Cashen’s mill in East Jacksonville destroyed by fire. November 8: The vote on the adoption of a State-wide prohibition amendment resulted in Duval County: For 1,742; against 5,003. In Jacksonville the vote was: For 1,424; against 4,232. 1911 January 11: Fire gutted the warehouse of the Hubbard Hardware Company in rear of the retail store on south side 240 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1911 of Bay Street between Main and Laura; property loss $40,000. January 22: Large warehouse fire in the wholesale sec- tion east of Broad Street viaduct; property loss estimated at $60,000. W. B. Johnson Grocery Company, E. Bean & Company, and Flynn-Harris-Bullard Company were the firms that suffered. March 31: Automobile races at Atlantic Beach. Louis Disbrow driving his Pope-Hartford “Hummer” broke four world’s records for speed and won a cash prize of $1,000. His average for 300 miles was 77.08 miles an hour. April 1: Derby at Moncrief race track; final day of the annual meet and the last of professional horse-racing at Jacksonville. Effect of the Races There were three meets held here—the first in the spring of 1909, and the others in the winter and spring months of 1909-10 and 1910-11. The effect of the races on Jacksonville and its people was nowise good. The increase in crime as an attendant feature and the methods pursued by the crim- inals told plainly that the most dangerous criminal element of the country was attracted here. ‘“Stool-pigeons” hovered around the local sports and professional gamblers fleeced them. “Playing the ponies” was a temptation that many residents, including women, could not resist—and they lost, numbers of them all they possessed. The moral and financial wreckage in the wake of the races was plainly evident. The races were held at a season when the hotels customarily were filled anyway and the high-class restaurants usually had all they could do. It was only a substitution of one class of vis- itors for another, to the detriment of Jacksonville. The money that passed from local hands to the bookmakers was bundled up and shipped by express out of Jacksonville. The local banks handled little of it. Banking records of the time indicate nothing in this respect; while the business of the banks showed a substantial increase over former years, it was not due to the races, but to the legitimate money being used in pushing Jacksonville’s skyline upward. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 241 1911 The Florida Legislature in 1911 passed anti-racing laws prohibiting professional horse-racing in this State. April 19: Destructive sawmill fire in the western part of the city; Doscher-Gardner and Jacksonville Lumber com- panies involved. Property loss in the neighborhood of $70,000. October 26: Arrival of the Glidden automobile tourists from New York. The tour started from New York City October 14, and its progress southward was followed with wide publicity. Upon its arrival in Jacksonville a holiday was declared and a celebration took place. The tour was under the auspices of A. A. A.; it was a good-roads path- finding affair as well as an advertising proposition. The Maxwell team won the prize, being the only team to finish the run from New York with a perfect score. Some well-known people joined the tour, among them the governor of Georgia. December 11: Fire destroyed the stables at Moncrief race track. 1912 January 9: Canning factory of C. B. Gay Company de- stroyed by fire; property loss about $20,000. January 25: Warehouse and foundry of McMillan Broth- ers and warehouse of South Atlantic Blow Pipe Company on East Bay Street burned. January to March: Smallpox scare. On January 30th, the local Board of Health issued an order for general vacci- nation as a means of preventing a spread of the disease and the development of a serious epidemic. It was estimated that 30,000 persons in the city and vicinity were vaccinated. To March 15th, 149 cases had been reported but no deaths. The danger was considered at an end about the middle of March. April 1: Serious fire on W. Bay Street near Main; R. J. Riles, and the Great A. & P. Tea store suffered heavy losses, and water and smoke damaged Furchgott’s men’s store con- siderably. 242 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1912 April 18: Woodrow Wilson, candidate for President, spoke to an immense audience that packed Duval theatre and overflowed far into the street. Street Car Strike October 28-November 19: Motormen and conductors of the Jacksonville Traction Company suddenly walked out on strike October 28th, completely tying up the street car system of Jacksonville. A feeble attempt was made to operate the cars during the day by the office force of the traction company, and likewise on the 29th. On the 30th strike-breakers were imported, whereupon rioting and vio- lence began. Some of the strike-breakers were severely beaten and the situation became so serious that the local authorities were unable to cope with it. A request for mili- tary protection was sent to the governor and on the night of the 30th four military companies were mobilized. By the evening of November Ist, two regiments of infantry, a com- pany of coast artillery, and a cavalry troop, 21 companies in all, practically the entire military force of the State, were on riot duty in Jacksonville. Serious rioting continued, although the cars were operated under military escort. This situation prevailed for a week or more. Everywhere, not only in the outlying sections, but in the center of the city also, acts of violence were committed, the lives of passengers on the cars endangered by missile-throwing and in several instances by shooting into tne cars. Attempts were made to tear up the car tracks. On November llth the general trades issued a call for a sympathetic strike in Jacksonville, giving five days’ notice, unless the business men of the city forced the traction company to accede to the demands of the strikers, their demands being that it recognize the recently formed carmen’s union. This the traction company refused to do. By this time, however, the striking employees were tiring of the strike and public sentiment had become pretty well crystallized against it. Conditions had improved de- cidedly by the 12th, and the last of the troops left for their homes. Striking employees were beginning to apply for reinstatement and the traction company took them back without prejudice. The strike was officially declared off by the carmen on November 19th. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 243 This was the most serious labor disturbance in Jackson- ville’s history. It was said that many of the older employees morally opposed the strike and condemned the violence. 1913 January: Brentwood subdivision in North Jacksonville put on the market by C. W. Bartleson, B. F. Hampton and associates; and Neptune subdivision at the beach by the Atlantic Seashore Company, G. A. Carroll, president. Mur- ray Hill Heights brought prominently forward by the Jack- sonville Development Company. Pronounced activity in all outlying subdivisions around Jacksonville and at the ocean- side. January 20: Florida Cotton Oil Company suffered a fire loss amounting to $45,000. March 27: Halsema’s planing mill in East Springfield destroyed by fire; loss $45,000. April 6: Life-saving Station No. 1 established at Pablo Beach by the U.S. Life-saving Corps. Service comprised 19 volunteers equipped with the surf boat “Patrol” and life- lines. Moving pictures were taken of the ceremonies. April 22: St. Johns River Terminal Company’s pier at the foot of Washington Street burned; property loss $30,000. This fire brought a recommendation by Chief Haney for a fire-boat. June 13: A $20,000 fire in the Astor Building, corner Hogan and West Bay Streets. June: A city planning commission was advocated by the Jacksonville Real Estate Exchange. July 13: First trip of the ferryboat “Arlington” inaugu- rating the ferry service between East Jacksonville and Ar- lington. July 14: A $15,000 fire in the Holmes building on the west side of South Main Street. July 17: South Jacksonville voted a bond issue of $65,000 for improvements. Qualified voters at this time 96; vote for bonds: For, 62; Against, 14. 244 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1913 August 1: Juvenile court held its first session. August: Arden subdivision put on the market by Raley- Hamby Company. Advertising slogan, “In the Forest of Arden’’. 1914 January 17: Fire swept the Atlantic Coast Line export docks in Fairfield; loss $100,000. April: Last of the tall buildings comprising Jackson- ville’s present (1924) skyline was completed. Story of Jacksonville’s Skyline The wonderful way that Jacksonville weathered the frenzied financial panic of 1907 had much to do with the most remarkable building period in the city’s history, by attracting the attention of capital on a large scale. Prior to the panic the scars and vacant places in the down-town section had largely disappeared; but the business blocks were mostly of the three and four-story type, with several five-story, and two six-story buildings looking down upon them, while the seven-story Consolidated building on East Bay Street loomed above them all. The tower of the U. S. Government building at Hogan and Forsyth kept watch over the city towering far above everything else. There had been a rumor before the panic of a taller build- ing than seven stories to be constructed, but it was generally considered “‘street talk”, and it was not until June, 1908, that a skyscraper for Jacksonville became an assured fact when ground was broken for it on the north side of Forsyth Street between Main and Laura. And so the ten-story Bisbee build- ing was the pioneer skyscraper here. As originally designed it was only 26 feet in width; but just as it was being com- pleted and almost ready for occupancy the owner suddenly decided to double the width, tore down the east wall and increased the width of the building to 5214 feet. In the meantime two other ten-story buildings were rush- ing toward completion, for following closely the announce- ment of the Bisbee building ground was broken in August, 1908, for the Atlantic National Bank building immediately east of the U. S. Government building, and soon after that THE STORY OF J: Fire-swept Jacksonville in May, 1901. Jacksonville’s Skyline in 1908. The Skyline in 1914-1924, {LLE’S SKYLINE Copyrighted—Published by permission Panorama view from tower of U. S. Govt. Bldg. seaseaeeem tt & RESET PA ES View from same point as above. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 245 for another building advertised at the time as the Commer- cial Bank building, but which developed into the Seminole hotel at the southeast corner of Hogan and Forsyth. The Atlantic National Bank building was completed in October, 1909, and the Seminole hotel on January 1, 1910. Of the three skyscrapers, the Atlantic National Bank building was the tallest, owing to the greater height of its ceilings; still the tower of the Government building close by looked down upon it. But the Government building by this time had surrendered its guardianship over the city, for on September 18, 1909, the solid copper cross washed in pure gold was permanently placed on the steeple of the Catholic church 17814 feet above the sidewalk and ten feet higher than the pinnacle of the Government building. Jacksonville now paused in tall construction to catch its © breath. In the spring of 1911, an office famine set in and to meet it the Florida Life Insurance Company broke ground in July, 1911, on the east side of Laura Street between For- syth and Adams for the narrow eleven-story building that stands there today, now known as the Florida National Bank building. It was completed in August, 1912, and for a short time held the honor of being the tallest office building in Florida. Down in Arcadia resided a capitalist and while Jackson- ville was resting after its first spurt skyward, he came here to look the situation over. The courtesies accorded him by the business men on every side pleased him; he was im- pressed with the city and the splendid progress it had made, and straightway he made up his mind to convert his hold- ings and invest them here. And he did; he gave the city a building that pushed the skyline upward to a height unbe- lievable for Jacksonville. The beautiful building at the southwest corner of Forsyth and Laura Streets was what he erected. Work on the foundation for the Heard building began in October, 1911. Reinforced concrete piles, 650 of them, were sent down by a water jet to solid rock. The foundation work was slow and tedious and required four months of day and night labor to complete. Work on the superstructure commenced in February, 1912, and on June 21st the American flag was tied to the first column of the last tier of uprights and raised with a hurrah—a little cere- mony customary with steel workers. In April, 1918, the Heard building was completed and occupied. It is 105x81 246 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA feet ground dimensions, built of steel, tile and brick, fifteen stories and basement. In height, balance, and beauty of architecture it continues unsurpassed in Florida; for years it was the central figure for every advertisement of Jack- sonville. The Mason hotel at the northwest corner of Bay and Julia Streets, the dominating skyscraper in the western part of the business section, occupies the site of the old Acme hotel, which was torn down to make way for its modern successor of twelve stories. The Mason was completed and thrown open to the public December 31, 1913. The last of the tall buildings contributing to the skyline of Jacksonville as we see it today, the Rhodes-Futch-Collins eleven-story building on the west side of Main Street between Monroe and Duval, was completed in April, 1914. So Jacksonville’s skyscraper skyline was produced within a period of about five years. But construction here during this time was far from being confined to the tall buildings. The enormous St. James building occupying the entire block north of Hemming Park, 315x210 feet, was completed in October, 1912, and the Union Terminal building on East Union Street in June, 1918. A number of five, six and seven-story buildings were erected also, but their prominence was hid by the taller construction—Jacksonville had pointed its guns high and was shooting for elevation in the business section. *Perhaps the highest point of construction in Florida at present is the Weather Bureau arrow on top of the Heard building, 248 feet above the sidewalk. The lift-span of the Jacksonville-St. Johns River bridge reaches a height of 228 feet above the water. The remarkable building prosperity was apparent every- where in the suburbs by the erection of hundreds of homes. This led to new subdivisions in all directions, many legiti- mate, some too far in advance of necessity, and a few were “wildcat”. By the close of 1913 there had been issued since the fire of 1901 permits for buildings within the city limits with a total valuation of $88,872,000. Evidences of over- construction began to appear in the spring of 1914, and Jack- sonville did the sensible thing to do, she slowed down in her building activities. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 247 1914 April 9: Fire, originating in the Pablo hotel at Pablo Beach, destroyed the hotel and also eleven houses in the heart of the town. May 6-8: Twenty-fourth annual Confederate reunion held in Jacksonville. The veterans were splendidly taken care of and there was only one death among them while here. It was estimated that sixty thousand visitors, including veterans, were in the city. June 1: The so-called restricted or “red-light” district in LaVilla was closed by the mayor supported by the city council. July 1: John B. Gordon Camp, U. C. V., No. 1794, organ- ized. M. R. Tutt, commander; F. M. Ironmonger, first lieu- tenant; P. M. Jamison, chaplain; W. H. Lucas, adjutant. August 26: Home Telephone Company started service. September 15: Pablo Beach voted a bond issue of $35,- 000 for sewerage and electric lights. The vote was: 68 for; 10 against. November 14: Jacksonville-Orange Park highway opened with the completion of that part from the county line along the river in front of Orange Park. This highway was built at intervals: First to the Jacksonville city limits at Donald Street; then to Ortega; and to the Duval County line in 1912. 1915 January 3: Serious fire in the six-story Dyal-Upchurch building at the southeast corner of Bay and Main Streets. The roof was burned off and the upper stories gutted. The total property loss from fire, water and smoke was in the neighborhood of $60,000. January 15: The American Trust Company was held up at 2 p. m. by bank robbers. They forced the president, F. W. Hoyt, and the office force into the vault and locked them in, and made their get-away with $1,500. One of the bank officials returning from lunch a short time afterward re- leased the prisoners from the vault. March 11: A $25,000 fire in the Bowden building at the southwest corner of Bay and Broad Streets. 248 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1915 April 9: Ortega sawmill and electric light plant burned; loss $25,000. May 3: Union Lumber Company plant on the south side of the river below Jacksonville burned with a loss of $25,000. May 4: Fire on the south side of Bay Street between Cedar and Clay gutted a brick building occupied by Tyler Grocery Co., Jacksonville Supply & Grocery Co., Thos. Nooney & Sons, and Atlantic & Gulf Grocery Co.. The prop- erty loss was $40,000. July 19: Arcade moving-picture theater opened. October 1: Charles E. Davis package law prohibiting the sale of liquors in less than half-pint packages went into effect. October 1: Fire, caused by the explosion of a gasoline tank, destroyed the plant of the Palmetto Machinery and Boat Works on the pier at the foot of Ocean Street. October 22: Warehouse of H. L. Sprinkle & Co., on the south side of Bay Street near Ocean, was destroyed by fire; loss $35,000. October 26: In the presence of a throng of people the memorial to the women of the Confederacy in Dignan Park (now Confederate Park) was unveiled by Miss Jessie Par- tridge. The memorial is constructed of granite and bronze; it is 47 feet in height and cost $25,000, of which one-half was given by the State and the remainder by popular subscrip- tion. The figure on top represents a woman clasping a half- furled Confederate flag ; and that beneath the canopy another teaching the children of the South the true story of the war. “Florida’s Tribute to the Women of the Confederacy” is a masterpiece of artistic beauty and Southern sentiment. It is generally considered one of the most beautiful memorials in the South. | October 27: City storeroom, building and contents, Pearl and Fifteenth Streets, destroyed by fire; loss $20,000. October 31: Ten dwellings burned in a sweeping fire at Pablo Beach. : HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA = 249 October: National rifle matches held at State Camp, Black Point. December 9: Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal), Oak and Gillmore Streets in Riverside, destroyed by fire. 1916 January 28: Attempt to burn the union depot apparently in an effort to cover up a safe robbery in the baggage room; many trunks were damaged or destroyed. The fire loss was $34,000. February 17: Guests of the Windsor hotel heard the roar of the Pacific ocean over the telephone, marking the inauguration of long distance telephone service to San Fran- cisco. February 19: The old Atlantic hotel on the hill back of the south jetty was destroyed by fire. This hotel was built in 1874 by Capt. W. A. Jameison and in the early years was a popular seaside resort for the people of northern Florida. It was a frame building of 25 rooms. April 14: Lumber plants of Rentz Lumber Co., and the Gress Manufacturing Co., on McGirts Creek were burned: loss about $75,000. May 7: Train shed and docks of the Florida East Coast Railway Co., in South Jacksonville were burned; loss $65,000. June 8: Fire in the Stuart-Bernstein clothing store on the south side of Bay Street between Main and Laura dam- aged stock to the amount of $37,000. June 17: Lumber shed and four million feet of lumber were burned at Carpenter & O’Brien’s mill at Eastport; loss about $70,000. June 24: Second Florida Infantry mobilized at State Camp (Black Point). The regiment remained in camp here until October 2d, when it entrained for Texas frontier serv- ice. It returned to Florida from this service March 15, 1917. July 5: Murray Hill elected its first town officials; Hugh Lauder elected mayor. August 15: A $30,000 fire on the south side of Bay Street between Cedar and Clay, in a brick block occupied by 250 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1916 Tyler Grocery Co., Nooney & Co., Farmers’ Produce Co., and United Produce Co. September 22: Fire destroyed the plant of the Florida Cotton Oil Co., on the western edge of the city ; loss $85,000. October 11-25: National rifle tournament at State Camp (Black Point). December 1: Planing mill of the Gress Manufacturing Co., on McGirts Creek opposite Ortega, burned with a loss exceeding $50,000. December 5-9: Duval County fair. Business Depression, 1914-16 The general business conditions just before the European war started in August, 1914, were such that the supply and demand of commodities contributing to the means of living were close together. The margin of profit in most lines was small and wages were likewise low, but in relation to both the purchasing power of a dollar was one hundred cents. This was the situation when Jacksonville in the spring of 1914, finding itself fully rebuilt, began to slow down in con- struction which resulted in considerable labor in the building trades being released and becoming idle. Then came the bursting of the bubble of paper speculation that had devel- oped and attached itself to the legitimate activity of the rebuilding era. So there was already complaint of “hard times” in some quarters here before the World war broke out, but it was of a nature to gradually adjust itself, had it not been for the war. The South with its large cotton crop on hand was imme- diately affected by the war; within a month firms and indi- viduals everywhere were appealed to to “buy a bale of cotton and help the farmer out”, and as a further aid it was recom- mended that all shipments so far as possible be made in cotton sacks. Florida was doubly affected, because her chief export business—naval stores, fertilizers, and to a certain extent lumber—practically ceased, and as Jacksonville was the principal export point for these the effect here was imme- diate and serious, for the curbing of these industries threw many people out of work. The question of providing for the HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 251 city’s unemployed became a vital one. Both City and County were doing work under bond issues, which gave employment to a fraction of the unskilled labor; and in the winter 1914-15 the Real Estate exchange started a “Build Now” movement to help the idle in the building trades. Several other plans were devised for the same purpose; all of them were helpful, but the situation was too broad in scope to be materially relieved by sporadic local efforts. The year 1915 was a hard one for everybody—business man, property owner, and wage-earner. Money was tight; those that had it did not turn it loose, and those that did not have it lived largely on credit. This was a condition that drove many firms out of business. Two local banking insti- tutions closed their doors. Taxes and interest on mortgages remained unpaid—on July 1st less than 50% of the city budget for the preceding year had been collected. It was the same with the county, or worse, for county affairs were in such a state at the end of the year that it was necessary to float a bond issue of $299,000 to meet outstanding indebt- edness. It was even seriously suggested that a receiver be appointed for Duval County. During the summer and fall of that year it was estimated by rental agents that one-third of the stores, one-half of the dwelling houses, and 60% of the office space in Jacksonville were vacant, although rents had been greatly reduced. In some cases owners offered their property practically without rent to desirable tenants to prevent deterioration. The North at this time was enjoy- ing an era of extravagant prosperity, having converted its factories, mills and industries to war-time production; large salaries and high wages were offered both skilled and unskilled labor and the employed as well as the unemployed, farm labor and city labor, were drawn out of the South by this magnet. In a way it helped the unemployment situation here, and contributed to the vacancies referred to above. All of this was not purely a local condition, however; it was the general condition of most of the South, through which Jacksonville fought its way. While it cannot be said that local business conditions showed a marked improvement during the winter 1915-16, still they were certainly no worse than they had been and the tendency was better. Several moving picture studios had located in Jacksonville and others were making inquiries 252 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA with a view to moving here; this was pointed to as a favor- able sign for an upward trend of business. *Some years later the moving picture industry did reach considerable proportions in Jacksonville and plans were drawn for quite an art city near Camp Johnston; but public sentiment turned against the business and those that were here picked up and moved away. The business of the port increased considerably, especially as an oil terminal. Nevertheless properties continued vacant and taxes were a burden. Labor recruiting agents persisted in their activities to drain the South of its remaining labor content. In the fall of 1916 the increasing cost of living became the topic of public discussion in Jacksonville. Mass-meetings were held to devise means for combatting it and general boy- cotts were suggested. The charge against merchants of profiteering was often heard, but in most cases the charge was unjust, for their troubles were as great as others and their struggles just as hard. The real causes of the burden were two-fold. By this time the food stocks of Europe had become exhausted as a result of the war and America, hardly raising enough to supply its own needs, was called upon to feed the Allies, who offered high prices for foodstuffs. This, of course, influenced prices at home, white flour being the principal item affected. Decreased incomes in the South magnified the rise in prices beyond the actual increase and the merchant got the blame. *The decade beginning in 1914 furnishes a valuable record for the study of business extremes, and indicates that the safest and happiest position of the business pendulum is neither at the point of lowest margin of profit nor at that of big profits and high wages, but swings in a decidedly smaller are between the two. 1917 February 12: University club formally organized: Cecil Willcox, president; M. H. Long and Fons A. Hathaway, vice- presidents; H. Ulmer, secretary; F. C. Reese, treasurer. February 18: Plant of the Gibbs Gas Engine Co., on the South Jacksonville waterfront, was burned with a loss of $30,000. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 253. 1917 February 28: Duval County Federation of Women’s Clubs was organized. April 8: Fire of unknown origin destroyed Clyde Line pier No. 1, between Market and Liberty Streets; total loss $189,000. April 19: Memorial to Governor N. B. Broward was unveiled in Waterworks park. April 28: Steamer “Rosalie Mahoney”, loading cross-ties at Eppinger-Russell docks in Fairfield, was destroyed by fire. May 14: Destructive fire in Mayport; fourteen buildings, including two hotels and the post office, were burned. July 6: Fire at the mill of the Gress Manufacturing Com- pany on McGirts Creek; damage $25,000. August 30: Seventy clerks in the offices of the Seaboard Air Line Railway struck for a 20% raise in pay. They were out until September 18, agreeing to submit the question to a commission. September 26: Fire destroyed the plant of the Metal Products Company in northeast Springfield. October 30: Fertilizer plant of E. O. Painter Co., in South Jacksonville, was damaged by fire to the extent of $25,000. December 12: One hundred girl operators of Southern ‘Beil Telephone Co. struck; they remained out until the 28th and returned at their original status. 254 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA JACKSONVILLE AND THE WORLD WAR “The United States severed diplomatic relations with Germany February 3, 1917. The Senate passed war resolu- tions 82 to 6 April 4th, and the House 378 to 50 April 6th; the President signed the resolutions April 6, 1917. The war ended with the armistice of November 11, 1918. The first indication in Jacksonville of the impending crisis was on March 20, 1917, when the port commissioners placed the German steamship Freda Leonardt under surveil- lance for an alleged statement by her crew that in the event of war they would blow up the municipal electric light plant here. The vessel was moved upstream and anchored off Commodore’s Point. The nation even now was quietly pre- paring for war. On March 27 the local battalion of Naval Militia was ordered to recruit to war strength, and the local Red Cross, which had been preparing for a week or more, reported that it was ready. In the week preceding the declaration of war general mass-meetings of the citizens were held and public safety committees were organized; the city council joined in by passing a public safety act appropriating $2,000 for immedi- ate use and $3,000 more if needed. The Government had already opened a recruiting station here and had begun to list local industries convertible for war purposes. April 5, the Jacksonville Real Estate Exchange passed a resolution requesting the Government to designate Jacksonville as a mobilization point for troops in the event of war. So the public mind was well prepared to receive the news that war had been declared, and when it came there was a spontaneous outburst of patriotic demonstration amidst a then unique, but very inspiring feature—the whir of aeroplanes over and around the city, from Earl Dodge’s aviation training camp at Black Point. The Freda Leonardt was immediately seized by the Government and her officers and crew removed (they were later sent to New Orleans). The local battalion of Naval Militia was called to the colors and mobilized at once. Recruiting for military service was active. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 255 War Chronology 1917 April 7: Preparations under way for safeguarding mu- nicipal plants. Thé Germans of this vicinity were notified that they would not be molested as long as they obeyed the laws. April 8: Local battalion of Florida Naval Militia, 18 officers and 824 men under command of Louie W. Strum, entrained for Charleston, S. C., where they arrived late that night. This battalion was the first to arrive at that con- centration point. “The battalion was held together at Charleston for a — short time and then abolished as a unit, its officers and men receiving specific assignments. April 18: The local infantry battalion was mobilized at the Duval County armory. In a few days it was sent to State Camp at Black Point, where it formed the nucleus for the formation of a Florida regiment. These men were soon assigned to duty guarding public properties in this section and performed this duty for two months. June 12: The first Jacksonville man, and so far as known the first Florida man in uniform, gave his life to his State and country—Private Arthur R. Cartmel, Jr., of Company A (Jacksonville Light Infantry), First Separate Battalion, N. G. F. He was killed by a passing train while on guard duty at the railroad trestle over Nassau River near Fer- nandina. August 5: Two units of the newly organized First Infan- try, N. G. F.—Machine Gun Company and Sanitary detach- ment—were mobilized at the Duval County armory and sent to State Camp at Black Point to join the balance of the regiment. September 3: Company D (Metropolitan Grays) and the Field Hospital unit, First Regiment, N. G. F., entrained for Camp Wheeler at Macon. These were the first local troops off for the war. Company D, 140 men, was under the com- mand of Capt. George R. Seavy; First Lieut. Otis E. Barnes; Second Lieut. John C. Byrne, Jr. The Field Hospital unit 256 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1917 was commanded by Maj. L. A. Green; Capt. William J. Buck; Lieutenants Daniel Campbell and John Hawkins. *The Field Hospital unit under the command of Maj. R. C. Turck saw service along the Mexican border in 1916-17. It was the only local unit that went there. September 14: A great throng of people was at the union depot to say good-bye to the First Florida Infantry entrain- ing for Camp Wheeler at Macon. The companies were: 4A (Jacksonville); B (Tallahassee); C (Lake City); E (Live Oak); F (Jacksonville); G (Marianna); H (Chipley); I (Pensacola) ; K (Milton); L (Apalachicola); M (Millville) ; Headquarters (Jacksonville) ; Machine Gun (Jacksonville) ; Sanitary (Jacksonville). The local companies were com- manded as follows: A (Jacksonville Light Infantry), A. Wright Ellis, cap- tain; R. R. Milam, first lieut.; W. S. Blackmer, second lieut. F (Jacksonville Rifles), George J. Garcia, captain; S. B. Kitchen, first lieut.; Benjamin F. Stone, second lieut. Headquarters Company, Harry F.. Conley, captain. Machine Gun Company, W. D. Vinzant, Jr., captain; W. A. Gatlin, first lieut.; B. A. Heidt, second lieut. Sanitary, James A. Livingston, major-surgeon. The regiment was commanded by Col. 8. C. Harrison, Jr., and the first battalion (comprising the Jacksonville com- panies) by Maj. Henry L. Covington, Jr. *We must here leave the First Florida Infantry; it was disbanded at Camp Wheeler and its officers and men were as- signed to other regiments. Most of them were sent overseas. September: Quotas called to the colors under the draft of June 5, 1917, began leaving daily for Camp Jackson at Columbia. December 1: Secretary of War Newton D. Baker visited Jacksonville and was given a rousing reception. 1918 January 19: United States soldiers from Camp Johnston took up the duties of guarding public utilities. April 6: Mammoth parade commemorating entrance of HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 257 1918 the United States into the war. In it were companies of sol- diers from Camp Johnston, home guards, workers in the shipyards, city departments, civic and patriotic organiza- tions of every character, forming a line estimated to be five miles in length. April 11: Secretary of the Treasury William G. McAdoo visited Jacksonville; marched on foot in a parade held in connection with the third Liberty Loan. April: City of Jacksonville invested $120,000 in Liberty bonds and $1,000 in war-savings stamps—bond money held inactive by request of the Government not to carry on municipal improvements. Jacksonville was the first city in the United States to invest as a corporation in Liberty bonds. April 26: An ordinance of the city council went into effect requiring all traffic to stop for one minute upon the sounding of “Big Jim”, the waterworks whistle, at 6 p. m., and all persons to stand with bared heads for the same length of time, in honor of the American flag. November 11: From the first blast of “Big Jim” (the waterworks whistle) at 3 a. m. of the 11th, announcing the signing of the armistice, until early morning of the 12th, Jacksonville reveled in continuous celebration. Parades with- out number formed and marched, merged with other proces- sions and disbanded from exhaustion, only to rest and form again. Every noise-making instrument in the city worked over-time. Whistles of the mills, the river craft, Big Jim, and the South Jacksonville siren rent the air at irregular intervals; automobiles tore through the city streets each dragging from one to six garbage cans, dish pans, tin buckets —anything to heighten the clatter. The 11th was declared a holiday by the city, county, and every business firm in the locality. Throughout the day enthusiastic crowds thronged the streets. Soldiers from Camp Johnston were everywhere, as a holiday had also been declared by the commander of the camp. A great organized patriotic parade was held on the 12th. Companies from Camp Johnston, the Duval County home guards, civic organizations, shipyard workers, any body of people that could be assembled, joinedin. There may have been larger demonstrations in the centers of greater popula- 258 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA tion than Jacksonville, but for all-round enthusiasm the cele- bration here could not have been exceeded and the residents of Jacksonville at the time will never forget it. Duval County’s Honor Roll (White) This list comprises the names of those in the military, naval, or marine service of the United States or the Allies in the World war who were killed or died in the service or as a direct result of such service, including those engaged in war work of a self-sacrificing na- ture, claiming residence in Duval County or residing here at the time of enlistment. Arnold, Albert C. Assidy, Mostafa Baker, Wm. Pratt Barkley, David Barrett, John W. Bartholf, Harry G. Bell, James H. Bleight, John C. Blevins, Charles E. Brittain, James Brock, Bernard G. Brown, Joseph C. Bryan, David S. Bussey, Allen G. Butler, Arthur Caine, John S. Cameron, Bonar C. Caldwell, Clinton C. Calhoun, James F. Cartmel, Arthur R., Jr. Crow, Charles C. DeSaussure, Edward C. Dobbs, Clarence H. Dorr, Nathan D. Duncan, Charles B. Duncan, Claude F. Eldridge, Chester O. Ellis, Lester Fonseca, Maurice Foote, George B. Gale, (Miss) Bessie Giles, Peter Girardeau, Hamlin T. Glassbrenner, Fred L. Goodwin, Dorsett G. Grier, Tom Watson Hall, John Hamm, Arthur E. Henry, Lanson E., Jr. Hernandez, Theo. H. Hill, Raynor M. Hindelly, John S. Jabbour, James B. Johnson, Wm. H. Jones, Eugene Lee Kennedy, Roy C. Knight, Carl W. Knight, Percy Langford, Neal Lee, Benjamin II Lewter, Robert D. Lloyd, Lee Roy Lockey, Addinell H. Losco, Marion J. Lumsden, William M. McClure, Fred L. McClure, William B. McCormick, James P. Martenson, Martin P. Mitchell, Albee L. Monteith, Walter Moore, Lester L. Moore, Wilbur E. Mott, T. Sinclair Murchison, B. C. Murdock, Mear] L. Narin, Julian Nettles, William Newell, Wm. Foster Norris, Joseph Parrish, Edward W. Parsons, Jos. Burke Pearce, Louis A. Perkins, Clarence E. Perry, Virgil Pierce, Henry K. Pinnell, Wesley P. Pons, Donald O. Pope, Geo. Erskine Post, Charles Powell, James R. Quinn, Thomas H. Ramsaur, Stewart D. Richards, Ralph E. Rodriquez, Frank T. Safay, Fred Silcox, George E. Simpson, Franklin D. Singleton, Samuel Small, Benjamin Smith, Thomas B. Spratt, William P. Stanton, John W. Stockton, Charles A. Stockton, Wm. M., Jr. Stone, Benjamin F. Stone, Frederick Stribling, Roy A. Thompson, Clifford H. Tyson, Clement M. Vansickle, Daniel H. Walker, Sidney J. Webster, Elmer White, Robert L. Whitlock, Fred Wilcox, Harvey A. Williams, Ernest C. Witt, Levy O. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 259 Colored Honor Roll Will Armstrong, Atlas Bradshaw, Doll Brown, General Brown, Nathan Brown, T. A. Butler, G. W. Calhoun, T. D. Clark, Frank Connor, Cleveland Cook, Will Cross, Walter Dixon, Henry Dozier, Claude Echols, Campbell Fairly, Rufus Grant, Marvin Gray, A. A. Hart, Richard Hicks, Adolphus Hightower, James Hooks, Sam Howard, Dave Jackson, Mat- thew Jenkins, Johnnie Jones, James Kelly, Wm. Martin, Ed Matthews, Albert May, Albert Miller, W. O. Norton, E. A. Nellicliff, Wm. Norton, Tom Pierce, Arthur Pruden, W. A. Robinson, Geo. Sampson, J. H. Savelle, C. Shell, Herbert Small, G. W. Starke, I. P. Starling, Alex Thomas, Henry Thomas, Will Warren, J. W. Williams, Wm. Woods, Mose Wright, W. B. Young. Draft Registrations—Jacksonville and Duval County Cirrespective of color) City County Total Puree 1911, AVES SISO, oe ene sl eee eas ses 9,428 Pigg LE paalios Wepa g June 5, 1918, and Aug. 24, 1918, age 21...... 753 259 1,012 Sept. 12, 1918, ages 18-21 and 32-45......... 14,474 4,297 18,771 24,655 7,275 31,930 Accepted at camp by certification from local boards............ 3,730 Volunteered without certification, all branches................ 1,212 Total men in the service from Duval County.............. 4,942 Financial Drives—Duval County Quota Subscribed June, 1917 First Liberty Loan........ $ 2,000,000 $ 2,159,000 June, 1917 American Red Cross....... 100,000 76,200 September, 1917 Army Library Fund....... 1,000 1,200 October, 1917 Second Liberty Loan...... 3,000,000 3,200,000 October, 1917 Y. M. C. A. War Work..... 35,000 18,400 December, 1917 Army Camp Activities..... 30,000 26,500 April, 1918 Third Liberty Loan....... 3,024,350 5,167,600 May, 1918 American Red Cross...... 100,000 170,000 June, 1918 War Savings Stamps...... 2,221,870 1,460,000 October, 1918 Fourth Liberty Loan...... 6,704,800 8,678,450 October, 1918 United War Work......... 175,000 176,100 January, 1919 Near East Relief.......... 35,000 23,000 May, 1919 Victory Loan see aka. 5,094,850 5,233,800 May, 1919 Salvation Army Fund..... 10,000 12,600 LOtAL ay eae ae ec ks $22,531,870 $26,402,850 ETE Aan War SAVINGS SLAMS. Colle wists aclels cs leo c 4 ale ate se Sc 190,000 Silent contributions and drives, local (estimated).......... 65,000 Duval County’s total subscription................... $26,657,850 260 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Launching the Government Ships The Government’s pre-war survey of the possibility of ship-building in the Jacksonville vicinity resulted favorably and within a few weeks after war was declared several firms had received ship-building orders. Some time was required to prepare the plants for the work, but when this was accom- plished the local shipyards went to work with a vim that broke several world’s records for speed. By the summer of 1918 the work had reached a stage where it was not consid- ered an unusual occurrence for a new ship to slide from the ways into the St. Johns River. Four steamer types were built here—“composite’’, part steel and part wood; “Ferris type’, wooden cargo carrier; all-steel type; and concrete, hull of reinforced concrete. Their launchings as reported in the newspapers occurred as follows: May 30, 1918—While the band played “Star Spangled Banner” and while hundreds of people waved their hats or handkerchiefs. and cheered, the 3,500-ton ‘“‘composite’’ steamer “Red Cloud’, the first Government ship to be launched at Jacksonville and the first of the type in the South for the Emergency Fleet Corporation, was launched by the Merrill-Stevens Shipbuilding Corporation at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. As soon as the ship left the ways the keel for another was laid in the same place in exactly nine min- utes, breaking the American shipbuilding record. June 24, 1918—Steamer ‘“Dancey”, 3,500 tons, Ferris type, built entirely of pine cut in Florida, was launched by J. M. Murdock Co. July 4, 1918— i 18 |. 20 ee 2 20 ae }Pork Hem,1> |}.28[.25 |[.35|.23 .27|.26 }|.2 Live Hens,1b I 23 [2 | ahOils 38 [[-22 [23 Ee 035 i. 34: |.40 Fresh Bgge, dsl . 25 {2 39 0.20 | 30 | oes Le: ede | 35 It ch ee {-85 85 ? Not Wivestleed. “e7 +90 | 9 Pere elma a 1918 February 16: L’Engle building, at the northeast corner of Bay and Main Streets, badly damaged by fire. Loss to building and stocks amounted to about $80,000. February 26-March 9: Florida State Fair; 22 Counties represented. March 23: Fabricating building of Merrill-Stevens ship- building plant in South Jacksonville burned ; $60,000 damage. March 25: Dry kiln at the plant of Gress Mfg. Co. on Mc- Girts Creek destroyed by an explosion. May 14: Duval County was swept into the “Bone Dry” column by a vote of 3186 to 2386. Refers to intoxicating liquors. *When Camp Johnston was given to Jacksonville in 1917, it was with the understanding that Duval County would keep liquor away from the soldiers. A great deal of complaint arose that this was not done, which resulted in agitation that 272 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1918 developed two parties, known as “Drys” and “Wets”, the “Drys” seeking to make the County “bone dry” and the “Wets” to prevent it. The “Wets” strove in every way to prevent or delay an election by counter-petitions and injunctions, the Government all the time complaining about the failure to “keep the lid down”. On one occasion $100,000 worth of liquor was seized by the Government, and Jacksonville came to be known as a “booze oasis”. The commander of Camp Johnston issued an order prohibiting soldiers to visit Jacksonville on Saturdays, with a promise of making it seven days in the week. The election was held four days afterward with the above re- sult. May 24: Main’s foundry in South Jacksonviile, engaged in filling Government orders, was destroyed by fire; loss $20,- 000. June: Strike of carmen of the Jacksonville Traction Com- pany for recognition of the union and increase in pay. It was a partial strike, as many employees remained loyal. As a patriotic move women of the local Liberty League acted as conductors on the cars for several days, the first instance of the kind in the history of Florida. Considerable violence was directed against the loyal carmen; several of them were shot with bird shot. On one occasion a lady passenger, Mrs. G. D. Grant, wife of Captain Grant of Camp Johnston, was struck in the face by a brick thrown at the car, and very seriously injured. July 16: Fire destroyed the entire plant of the American Agricultural Company in the Talleyrand section. The loss approximated $1,000,000. August 11: The paint and oil building of the Hubbard Hardware Company, of the south side of Bay Street between Main and Laura, was gutted by fire. The loss exceeded $100,- 000. November 27-December 7: Florida State Fair. Influenza Epidemic, 1918 In his report to the City Commission, December 31, 1920, the City Health Officer, Dr. Wm. W. MacDonell, said: HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 273 On September 18, 1918, influenza, or grippe as it is sometimes called, was first brought to our attention as occurring in prisoners at the city farm. The disease gained a momentum all over the city, so that by October ist it was reported to the City Commission as being epi- demic in Jacksonville. Warning notices were inserted in the news- papers with directions as to symptoms and what to do if taken sick. On October 4, a call was issued for volunteer nurses. On the 7th, cases and deaths had become so numerous that the schools were closed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, after conference with the City Health Officer. The motion picture shows closed their doors voluntarily upon the informal request of this department. The City Commission, on October 8, by order, closed all amusement places and soft drink parlors, and placed a ban on indoor public gatherings; and on October 10 ordered all retail stores opened at nine a.m. and closed at four p.m., so as to limit street-car congestion. A soup kitchen, for those unable to secure nourishment, was opened on October 10, in the basement of the Union Congregational church by the Sunday School. Deliveries were then made by citizens in automobiles, and over one hundred cases were served the first day. St. John’s Parish guild took over some of the work on the 11th, and a kitchen was also opened for negroes, in Stanton school. Following this a diet relief organization was formed, and ali of these activities were grouped under systematic management, funds being contributed by many citizens. On October 12, General Duvall, commander of Camp Johnston, tendered the use of four army portable soup kitchens, which was accepted. This relief organization served 5709 white and 11,084 colored cases from October 10 to October 22, when the necessity for such relief no longer existed. Emergency hos- pitals were opened at the Y. M. C. A. and the Y. M. H. A. buildings, at Stanton school, and at St. Luke’s Hospital. The local Red Cross stood sponsor for the hospital at Stanton school, and their ambulance and the sanitary detachment were on the job night and day. The peak of the epidemic was reached about the 18th of the month (October), on which day there were 39 deaths. New cases apparently ceased to develop by the 22nd (October), and at the end of the month there had been 464 deaths from influenza or complicating pneumonia. The disease ran through all the susceptible material before it died down. lt is estimated that there were nearly 30,000 persons infected with the disease and that none of our published precautions had any effect on the disease. In January, 1919, there were 471 additional cases reported, and for the year 1919 there were 621 cases with 64 deaths. In 1920, during February and March, there were 2,541 cases, with 79 deaths. A large number of physicians reported in 1920 that about one-quarter of their cases had had a previous infection, in 1918. The foregoing tells the official story of the epidemic of 1918. There was no panic among the people like that of the yellow fever epidemic of 1888, for the “flu” was everywhere, 274 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA all over the world, and there was no place to go to escape it. Yet the same dreadful hush hung over the community dur- ing those four weeks of October; the same resignation to the inability to combat the spread of the disease; the same seri- ous countenances and indications of mourning—all served to remind the old citizen of the terrible time thirty years before. The business thoroughfares of the city looked de- serted, and many of the stores were closed, with a sign “Ail sick’, hanging on their doors. As the Health Officer says, the precautions recommended had no effect, and doctors and nurses suffered even in greater proportion than the layman, perhaps because of the superhuman demands upon them. While the 427 deaths during the yellow fever epidemic of 1888 were stretched over a period of 4 months, the 464 deaths from the “flu” of 1918 occurred within a period of about 4 weeks. The rattle of the death carts of 1888 was supplanted by the whir of the motor in 1918, as the trucks took their loads away. It is well to note that the complicating pneumonia which caused most of the deaths from influenza, developed in near- ly every case from a relapse, as the result of the patient’s getting out of bed and becoming chilled while the fever of the first attack was on him, or too soon after it had left him. 1919 February 14: Halsema’s planing mill in Springfield was destroyed by fire; property loss about $129,000. April 3: Palace theatre at southwest corner of Forsyth and Ocean Streets formally opened. April 18: Maj. T. C. McCauley landed at Camp Johnston, having completed a cross-continental flight by aeroplane from San Diego, Cal., in 25 hours and 45 minutes, flying time. June 3: Business and Professional Women’s Club or- ganized. Officers: Dr. Julia Larmoyeux, president; Miss Louise Pinnell and Miss Isabel Odiorne, vice-presidents ; Miss Margaret Behr, recording, and Miss Hortense Broward, cor- responding secretary; Mrs. Charles Davies, treasurer. September 8: Soon after dark a band of determined white men appeared at the County jail, overpowered jailer HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 275 1919 Tucker, and took out Bowman Cook and John Morine, two negroes, charged with the murder of a local white man. The negroes were taken to the vicinity of the cemetery and shot to death. One of the bodies was tied behind an automobile and dragged into the city and cut loose in front of the Wind- sor Hotel. This is the only record that has been found of an actual lynching in Jacksonville. October 28: A large portion of Jacksonville’s population lined the waterfront from Market Street to Commodore’s Point, while hundreds more were crowded on box cars and other vantage points, to witness the arrival of Lt. Com- mander A. C. Reed and the famous NC 4, the first heavier than air craft to cross the Atlantic in flight. The airship ar- rived at 5 p.m., circled once or twice over the city, and made a perfect landing in the St. Johns River fifteen minutes later. The NC 4 was accompanied by two smaller air craft. They remained here until 30th and then left on their way down the coast to Miami. November 22-29: Florida State Fair. Strikes of 1919 The inevitable readjustment of working conditions after the war produced unrest among the workers, and the situ- ation in 1919, in Jacksonville, was not a serene one. The year was characterized by frequent walk-outs, some in protest of wage readjustments, others with a demand for higher wages, and still others for recognition of their unions by the em- ployers. In March there was a strike of workmen in the plant of the Merrill-Stevens Corporation over the disregard of the seniority plan in the promotion of an employee. In June the operators and office force of the Western Union Telegraph Company went out on strike for higher pay. This strike lasted a month and was not without violence. As- suming a threatening aspect, the strike was practically ended June 25, when Judge Riydon M. Call handed down a restrain- ing order against the striking employees. On June 11, the entire body of city firemen, about 100 men, left their station houses, the City Commission having ignored their ultimatum for the reinstatement of a dis- 276 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1919 charged employee. The organization of a new fire depart- ment was begun at once, and until it was completed, promi- nent citizens acted as volunteers, sleeping in the station houses. During the progress of the strike it was attempted to bring about a recall of the City Commission, and upon failure in the Council the only instance of violence during the strike occurred, when an individual made a personal assault upon an elderly Councilman. At the end of six weeks practi- cally all of the old men returned and were reinstated. The striking firemen issued notice that in cases of threatening fires they would volunteer their services during the danger. In August there was a strike of railroad shopmen for in- crease of pay. This strike lasted two weeks, during which time the railroads declared embargoes and curtailed train service. In August the cigar makers at the Gonzalez & Sanchez factory struck; they were out two weeks. In September there was an echo of the strike of the girl operators of the Southern Bell Telephone Company that started in the spring, but which had not entirely ceased. For several months it had been the habit of the striking girls to picket the locality of the telephone building and tan- talize the loyal employees as they went back and forth to work. Finally, September 11, the loyal girls in a body turned upon their tormentors, and the people in that locality that day witnessed the most spectacular exhibition of scratching and hair-pulling ever staged in Jacksonville. In October there was a strike of the workers in the Mer- rill-Stevens South Jacksonville plant; they were out a week. 1920 January 3: Formal opening of the Jacksonville Tourist and Convention Bureau at No. 8 West Duval Street. January 19: Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Com- pany bought out the Home Telephone Company (automatic), following an ineffectual attempt of the latter to sell its plant to the city. January 14: As an outgrowth of the local war camp com- munity activities, the Jacksonville Community Service held HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 277 1920 its preliminary organization meeting. The permanent or- ganization was formed afterward and its first public effort was the city-wide clean-up movement of April 5-17, 1920. April 14: Eamon DeValera, so-called president of the “Irish Republic” spoke to a packed house at the Duval theatre in an appeal to the American public for recognition of the republic of Ireland. April-May: Serious congestion in the local freight yards; temporary embargoes inaugurated by the railroad and ex- press companies. May 28: Sixty clerks in freight offices of East Coast and Atlantic Coast Line railroads strike; they returned to work on June 4. June 6: Strike of 75 workmen in Murphy Iron Works; spread next day to the Merrill-Stevens Corporation. The de- mand was for 90 cents an hour and closed shop. June: City-wide campaign for the extermination of rats as preventive of introduction of bubonic plague prevalent elsewhere. The campaign was carried on until the end of August; no plague rats were found. September 1: Reorganization of the Jacksonville Com- munity Service upon a permanent basis; Lee Guest, chair- man. September 7: Registration of women entitling them to vote under the suffrage amendment started. Miss Helen Hunt was the first woman to register in Duval County. The registration continued until October 16, and in the 15 city wards 8702 white women and 7309 negro women registered. October 4: Fire destroyed the main plant of the Wilson & Toomer Fertilizer Co., and seriously damaged the plant of the Mason Forwarding Co., entailing a property loss close to $1,000,000. November 7: Rev. “Billy” Sunday, the evangelist, opened his revival in Jacksonville. He preached here until December 19th. Novemher 18-27: Fourth annual State Fair. 278 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1920 November 24: A committee appointed by the Duval County Council of Social Workers to investigate the success of the community chest idea in other cities, met at the Semi- nole hotel, Rev. Milton E. Worsham, chairman, presiding. The sentiment voiced at this meeting was that the plan should be adopted in Jacksonville. *Then followed several years of preliminary work, which finally crystallized in a permanent organization January 14, 1924. The first officers of this organization were: F. C. Groover, president; A. G. Cummer and Mrs. W. B. Young, vice-presidents; F. P. Dearing, treasurer; J. B. Williams, sec- retary. In April, 1924, the first annual campaign for funds was made, from which the sum of $208,795 was subscribed by 9203 contributors. The estimated budget was oversubscribed $7,000. This was the start of the Jacksonville Community Chest, including in its scope the first year twenty-one local charities. December 14: The Jacksonville Community Players or- ganized, at a meeting held in the parlors of the Windsor hotel. Officers elected: M. B. Stephenson, president; Miss Tracy L’Engle, Mrs. E. R. Hoyt and Miss Eleanor Rawson, vice- presidents; Mrs. E. H. Emery, secretary; Miss Gertrude Jacobi, treasurer. Their initial performance was ‘Sup- pressed Desires’’, a one-act comedy of two scenes, given at the Woman’s Club, January 3, 1921. December 19: Automatic telephone service in Riverside was inaugurated by the Southern Bell Telephone Co. The High Cost of Living Upon the release from the controlling influences of the Federal Food and Fuel administration, late in 1918, the index marking the cost of living began to click upward in violent fluctuations until August, 1920, when the peak was reached. Flour sold here, retail, for $1.00 for a 12-lb. sack, sugar for 30 cents a pound, dairy milk for 25 cents a quart; men’s clothing was 199% and women’s apparel averaged 226% above the 1914 prices—and Jacksonville, according to the Government’s report, rose to the rank of 5th in the list of American cities with respect to the high cost of living at that time. There was a precipitous drop in prices after Au- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 279 gust, from causes that are not well defined, although the fact that a presidential election was approaching had something to do with it. 1921 January 6: Formal opening of “Avondale”, a property subdivision adjoining “Riverside”, by Telfair Stockton & Co., and E. V. Toomer. February 16: Two masked men entered the apartment of W. H. Burden at the Lenox Hotel (Newnan and Adams Streets) while he and his wife and daughter, with G. A. Goodrich, were playing cards, and shot Burden and Goodrich, both of whom were killed. The murderers escaped in an au- tomobile and the mystery was never solved. February 24: Lt. Wm. DeVoe Coney, in a transcontinen- tal flight from San Diego, Cal., landed at Pablo Beach, having made the flight in 22 hours and 17 minutes, beating the rec- ord made by Maj. McCauley in April, 1919, by 3 hours and 32 minutes. *In an effort to lower his own record, Lt. Coney, after many delays, hopped off from Pablo Beach at 1:40 a.m., March 25, 1921, for San Diego. He drove a DeHaviland with Liberty motor. He was forced down at 7:30 a.m. of the same day at Crowville, La., and crashing into a tree, sustained injuries from - which he died five days later. Jacksonville was deeply grieved over the accident. March 6: Fire in the Ellis-Elder Storage warehouse on Broad Street resulted in a loss of $26,000. July 12: Plant of Swift & Co., on the south side of Bay Street, between Clay and Broad, was gutted by fire. Prop- erty loss $39,000. July 27: Bank of South Jacksonville held up and robbed of $3800 by five unmasked gunmen at 10 a.m. One of the most daring robberies in the history of Duval County. The robbers made a clean get-a-way in broad daylight and none was ever captured. september 4: While the Palace theatre was packed with a Sunday-night audience, a gunman appeared in the doorway of the office of the manager of the theatre, Geo. H. Hickman, 280 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1921 and demanded the box receipts. Manager Hickman and an employee were seated at a table. They thought a joke was being played on them and laughed at the stranger, where- upon the gunman made a dash for the money. A scuffle en- sued; Hickman was shot and killed and the other employee was stunned by a blow on the head. Frank Rollins, the gun- man, hastily gathered up $800 and fled, but was captured before he had gone a block. Planned as a “Wild West” hold- up and developing into murder, this affair brought to light a “master mind” in the person of a well-known local char- acter, John H. Pope, and the resulting trial was a sensational one. Both Rollins and Pope were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. November 5: The Daniel Boone tablet on the courthouse lawn was unveiled with ceremonies. The tablet contains some of the metal from the U. S. Battleship Maine, destroyed in Havana harbor just before the Spanish-American war. It was a gift from the Daniel Boone Trail Highway Association, and was erected to mark the Jacksonville end of the trail that winds through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and on to Kansas City, Mo. November 12-19: Fifth annual State Fair. December 22: “Marse” Henry Watterson, famous news- paper editor, died at the Seminole hotel. Crime Wave As an aftermath of the war and true to prediction, a crime wave swept over the country in 1920 and 1921. In Jackson- ville it reached noticeable proportions early in the winter of 1920-21, and for two years murders, hold-ups and robberies, safe-cracking and thievery of every character were in full swing, accompanied by numerous suicides. A police force three times as large as Jacksonville had at that time, could not have stopped it, but, as usual under such conditions, there was a shake-up and a change of chiefs. Nevertheless, the crime wave continued and the record shows frequent murders, numerous suicides, hundreds of arrests, few con- victions, and nobody hanged. The criminals were mostly white strangers, and they did their jobs in professional style. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 281 The wave gradually subsided and the city returned to its normal crime rate, though for another year there was an occasional flare-up in petty crime. 1922 March 9: The Putnam Lumber Company on McGirts Creek suffered a $100,000 fire loss. April 2: The ‘South Jacksonville’, ferry-boat between Jacksonville and South Jacksonville, with just one toot of her whistle, said farewell to her home waters and departed for Philadelphia to be used as a ferryboat there. Florida Historical Pageant April 20, 21, 22, 25: Reproducing in dramatic and spec- tacular form the early history of Florida, the Florida His- torical Pageant Association of the Jacksonville Community Service, after several months of preparation and rehearsal, presented the largest and most beautiful pageant ever seen in the Southeast. Nineteen hundred people in costume took part init. The stage was a rare natural location of several acres on the bank of the St. Johns River in “‘Riverside’’, now known as Ribault Place; here the scenes moved all over the State, St. Johns River, St. Augustine, Tampa, Pensacola—a vivid portrayal of Spanish, French, English and American events and customs, in color and pantomime, from the time of Ponce de Leon’s landing in 1513, to that when Andrew Jackson and Governor Duval played their parts for the United States. From the moment that Ponce de Leon put his foot ashore, planted the standard of Old Spain, and took possession, to the ensemble of groups and characters three hours later, there was a continuous procession as each group, dressed in the costume of the day it represented, came on the field from behind brush screens, performed its part and went away. Many child groups, representing inanimate Florida, its legends, flowers, trees, rivers, and springs, were used as in- terludes. Four performances were given, that of the 25th being a night performance, under specially provided electric lights. The pageant was a refined, educational production of immense proportions, and it impressed upon the minds of everyone that saw it the history of the most historic State in the Union, and especially the school children, hundreds of whom took part in it. 282 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1922 June 2: City sub-electric light and power building in waterworks park was damaged by fire to the extent of $24,- 000. July 1: Railroad shopmen, 1000 strong, walked out on strike upon call from headquarters. The strike was orderly for two weeks, but in the third week intimidation began, and drifted into more or less violence. On August 25, an attempt was made by unknown parties to dynamite the southbound A. C. L. train near the city, and in view of the prevailing dis- order, the shopmen were charged with the job. On Septem- ber 2, picketing of the railroad shops ceased by reason of a Federal restraining order. September 12 another attempt was made to dynamite a railroad trestle near the city, at Six-mile creek; the perpetrators in this case were captured near the scene by the authorities, who had received advance notice of the attempt. September 16 the third and last at- tempt to dynamite a trestle of the A. C. L. near the city was made; the striking shopmen likewise got the blame for it. The strike practically ended on September 18, when many shopmen returned to work. July 6: Reid Brothers’ furniture storage warehouse at Forsyth and Jefferson Streets gutted by fire. Property loss in this fire $75,000. August-November: An epidemic of dengue fever swept Jacksonville. It was first noticed on August 5. From Au- gust 19 to September 2 the disease spread by leaps and bounds, reaching the peak during the last week of Septem- ber and gradually diminishing thereafter until November, when the epidemic closed. There were 2486 cases reported, with no deaths directly from the disease. Mosquitoes were charged with the spread of the disease. September 4: Lt. James H. Doolittle hopped off from Nep- tune Beach at 10:03 p.m., on a trans-continental air flight to San Diego. He arrived at San Diego at 5:34 p.m. Pacific time (8:34 p.m. Jacksonville time) making the 2275 miles in 21 hours and 18 minutes, actual flying time, beating Lieutenant Coney’s record of 1921 by 59 minutes. October 3: Moosehaven Home for the Aged opened at Orange Park. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 283 November 12-25: Florida State Fair. Radio popularity in Jacksonville began in the fall of 1922, as the result of a radio fair given at the Windsor Hotel. 1923 January 1: A $30,000 fire at the southwest corner of Bay and Broad Streets; occupancy, Max Reuben, public auction and junk house. | April 4: Plan to consolidate City and County proposed by Telfair Stockton. April 10: April Follies inaugurated; a very creditable trades display. At night was the Jesters’ Ball, at which King James I (J. Y. Wilson) and Queen Ada (Miss Ada Cummer) were crowned. April 19: Spectacular oil fire at Pearl and 13th Streets; property of Petroleum Oil Products Company. June 29: The building originally built as the Flagler Open Air School at Sulphur Springs, near the city, was de- stroyed by fire. July 12: Formal opening of the Jacksonville-Lake City concrete highway ; celebrated at Lake City. The contractors that built this road were B. A. Inglis and C. F. Lytle. Built under State supervision. July 7: Sixty-one automobiles were either destroyed or greatly damaged by fire in the B. & P. garage at Duval and Davis Streets; loss estimated at $40,000. August 10: Jacksonville’s residents thronged the vicini- ty of Hemming Park at 4 p.m., as a united expression of sor- row at the death of President Harding. August 25: Clyde steamer Apache rammed and seriously damaged the tramp freighter Springfield, at Eastport, below Jacksonville. September: Jacksonville subscribed $5,265 to the Jap- anese earthquake sufferers. November 15-24: Florida State Fair. December 12: City Planning Commission organized. (Held its first meeting January 3, 1924.) 284 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1924 January 6: “Gypsy” Smith, evangelist, opened a three weeks’ engagement in Jacksonville. February 6: More than 7000 people assembled at the old tabernacle in Confederate Park to pay tribute to the memory of Woodrow Wilson, during the hour of his funeral. The principal address was made by H. L. Smith, president of Washington and Lee University, who happened to be in the city at the time. April 23: April Follies celebration. June 4: Fire in the Service Warehouse in the viaduct section destroyed $50,000 worth of property. June: First concrete safety zones built, at southwest corner of Forsyth and Main and southeast corner of Bay and Broad. June: Plant of the Independent Fisheries Co., at Mayport, burned; loss $125,000. June 80: Warehouse and dock fire east of the foot of Main Street; loss $70,000. For a time this fire threatened the entire down-town business section. This was the fire- boat’s first real test, and it proved an invaluable aid. July 25: Acid plant of the Armour Fertilizer Co., in Fair- field, burned as a result of being struck by lightning; loss $200,000. August 4: Fire in Morris & Co.’s packing house on West Bay Street resulted in a loss of $50,000. November 20-29: Florida State Fair. December 8: San Jose Boulevard paving completed and — accepted by the County Commissioners. December 25: Memorial to the Florida dead of the World war unveiled in Memorial Park, Riverside, by two little girls, Mary Bernard Burroughs and Mary Danto Bedell, amidst solemn ceremonies. The memorial was executed ‘by C. Adrian Pillars of St. Augustine, and interpreted by him as allegorical in type, being ‘“‘a visualization of humanity’s cease- less endeavor to rise above things earthly, and to attain im- ery AIRPLANE VIEW 0] ee eR RR oe Seen eae ee ee ed por seeaaee xstaeeeras BEGET AD ER Seems ERTEYA LITT goecgae Central JACKSONVILLE FSR BRE TEE RHR ERE C44 eM Pe A rE ‘dandettet pheaeiace QRERES OER liess Section. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 285 1924 mortality through self-sacrifice and spiritual triumph. The memorial represents a world encircled in a mad maelstrom of earthly passions—hatred, selfishness and greed. In the mael- strom are figures of men, women and children, fighting fur- iously against submergence. Rising triumphantly above the chaos is the winged figure of Youth, his brow encircled by a laurel wreath, and his arms outflung, one hand holding aloft an olive branch, emblem of peace. Youth has won immor- tality through forgetfulness of self in service to others, and his victory is spiritual rather than one of brute force.” The memorial was the result of a movement started by the Jacksonville Rotary Club, November 12, 1918, the day after the armistice was signed, for the erection by popular subscription of a suitable memorial for Florida’s dead of the World war. The amount raised was $49,000. Sealed in the cornerstone are parchments upon which are written in India ink the names of nearly 1200 of Florida’s dead. Among the notable features for Jacksonville in 1924 were: The establishment of the Ford automobile assembling and distributing plant, marking the advantages of Jacksonville as a distributing point for big business, and a recognition of its transportation and port facilities in a material way. The sudden awakening of realty activities with the plac- ing upon the market of fifty or more new residential subdi- visions in outlying districts, and a promise that the business section sky-line of 1914 would be materially changed in 1925- 26. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA PART III History of Jacksonville’s development along specific lines, each chapter a history within itself of the subject indicated, namely: | Pages Municipal ‘Government i430, ysis ele ee aie ade eee 287-314 Public: Improvements si) UN sgh ee, weet ate 815-340 The! Railroads ii tile Gosiwsere aro eee bistete ie ye led hig ele an ese 341-857 wt. dohns/ River, Navigationy .)./c5h i vies tna «eee ee 358-371 Urban) Transportation | vac) ae een erties eee 372-382 The ‘Port of Jacksonville. icwais vera 4 Senn ce tae 383-3892 The Parent Churches....... UT eel et Oh te ee 3938-414 . The; Schools eco aa ewes ihaiew dialer eee ea 415-428 Institutions, Clubs and Societies...............0.-ec+000: 424-447 Phe INGWSPADeLs ya ie sci siWtaraly a) Mie’ wind a caaalcare hale elo te Cals eae aa 448--456 SESE EAU AMER PRA cre Minha M OT Wille go 457-474 Banking ‘Institutions eee WN, oad) ete ee 475-485 Hotel vHistory. ied Valeo ote onieiehiL a eres tek an 486-495 Climate and Health: a) UU ia ee ee a 496-499 = ese at ie im HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 287 CHAPTER XVI MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT Charter Changes Affecting Government Act No. 70, approved February 11, 1832 Original charter of the Town of Jacksonville; published in full on pages 70-74. Act No. 44, approved March 2, 1840 Repealed all Acts and parts of Acts incorporating the Town of Jacksonville. (Jacksonville was without a govern- ment for a year.) Act No. 12, approved February 10, 1841 Provided for a town government composed of Intendant (Mayor) and six Councilmen, all of whom must be property owners in the town. Elected annually by the qualified elec- tors; first election on March 8, 1841, and thereafter annually on the first Monday in April. Act No. 84, approved January 13, 1859 Municipality of Jacksonville created. Governing body: Mayor, eight Aldermen, Marshal, Treasurer, and Clerk, all of whom must be property owners in the City. Elected by the qualified electors annually on the first Monday in April. Act No. 4, approved February 4, 1869 Provided a uniform system of government for all Towns and Cities in Florida. Government to consist of Mayor, a Council of not more than nine nor less than five Aldermen, Clerk, Marshal, Treasurer, and Collector, elected by the quali- fied electors. No specific date for holding election. No prop- erty qualifications required. All Towns and Cities must re- organize within nine months or forfeit their charters. Chap. 3775, Laws of Florida—1887 Abolished the Towns of LaVilla and Fairfield and ex- tended the limits of Jacksonville to include them. Corporate government composed of Mayor, City Council of two mem- bers from each ward (nine wards created), Board of Public Works of three members, Comptroller, Recorder, Treasurer, 288 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Board of Police Commissioners of three members, Municipal Judge, Marshal, to be elected as follows: Mayor: To be elected by qualified electors on the second Tuesday in December, 1887, and biennially on the same date thereafter. City Council: To be elected by qualified electors on the second Tuesday in December, 1887; two Councilmen to be elected from each of the nine wards as constituted, the one receiving the highest vote holding for four years and the next highest for two years, their successors to be elected bi- ennially on the second Tuesday in December. Comptroller, Recorder, Municipal Judge, Marshal: To be elected by the City Council at its first meeting in January, 1888, their successors to be elected by the Council at its first meeting in June, 1889, and biennially thereafter. Board of Public Works: To be elected by the City Council at its first meeting in January, 1888, successors to be elected by the Council at its first meeting in June, 1889, for one, two, and three years, respectively. Board of Police Commissioners: To be elected by the City Council for a term of three years and until their successors be elected and qualified. (No specific time for election.) Treasurer: To be elected by the City Council at its first meeting in June, 1888, successor to be elected at the first meeting of the Council in June, 1889, and biennially there- after. Chap. 3952, Laws of Florida—1889 (Usually known as House Bill No. 4) Provided for appointment of the City Council by the Gov- ernor, and the Mayor by the Council; no change in other of- ficers and boards as to method of election; specific time of election of Police Commissioners designated. City Council: Composed of eighteen members, two from each election district (ward) ; appointed by the Governor for term of three years each; appointment of first Council to be made “as soon as practicable after the passage of this Act’’. Mayor: To be elected by the City Council at its first meet- ing in June, 1889, and biennially thereafter. Board of Police Commissioners: To be elected by the City Council at its first meeting in June, 1889, and triennially thereafter. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 289 Chap. 4301, Laws of Florida—1893 Provided for a government composed of Mayor, City Council of one member from each ward and seven at-large; Board of Public Works of three members; Board of Police Commissioners of three members; Comptroller, Treasurer ; Recorder, Municipal Judge; Marshal. Mayor, Councilmen-at-Large, Comptroller, Treasurer: To be elected by qualified electors-at-large ; Ward Councilmen by the qualified electors of their respective wards; election by qualified electors Tuesday, July 18, 1898, and biennially there- after on the fourth Tuesday in May. Board of Public Works, Board of Police Commissioners, Municipal Judge, Recorder, Marshal, and all other city of- ficers not provided for, to be elected by the viva voce vote of the City Council. Ordinance, October 3, 1893 Board of Bond Trustees of the Waterworks and Improve- ment Bonds of City of Jacksonville created ; composed of nine members. The Board of Bond Trustees was made an executive board and its powers greatly enlarged by Ordinance July 24, 1894. Chap. 4498, Laws of Florida—1895 Provided for a government composed of Mayor, City Council of two members from each ward; Board of Public Works of three members; Board of Election Commissioners of five members; Comptroller, Treasurer, Recorder, Muni- cipal Judge, Marshal. Terms of all to be for two years. (Board of Bond Trustees not affected.) Councilmen to be elected by the qualified electors of their respective wards; Board of Public Works by the viva voce vote of the Council; all other officers by the qualified electors of the City at large. Board of Police Commissioners abolished and its duties assigned to the Board of Election Commissioners (created). First election on the third Tuesday in June, 1895, and biennially thereafter. Chap. 4872, Laws of Florida—1899 Board of Election Commissioners abolished and its duties assigned to the Board of Bond Trustees. 290 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Chap. 6357, Laws of Florida—1911 Duties of the Board of Public Works and the City Board of Health assigned to the Board of Bond Trustees. Term of office of the Bond Trustees changed to four years each. Office of Comptroller abolished and in lieu thereof the offices of Assessor and Auditor created, effective July 1, 1911. Assessor to be elected by electors biennially ; Auditor to be appointed by the Council biennially. Office of City Marshal abolished, effective June 15, 1918. Chap. 6415, Laws of Florida—1912 Special session of the Florida Legislature, called at the expense of the Jacksonville Board of Trade, to authorize a bond issue for the purpose of constructing municipal docks and terminals. Board of Port Commissioners composed of 15 members created to supervise the construction. Chap. 6702, 6703, Laws of Florida—1913 Wards 10 and 11 created. Ward 10 formed by a division of Ward 9; Ward 11, by a division of Ward 1. Council to be composed of 22 members—two from each ward—effective in 1915. Chap. 7659, Laws of Florida—1917 City Commission of five members created; first set of Commissioners to be appointed by the City Council—two for a term of two years and three for a term of four years— their successors to be elected by the qualified electors for terms of four years each. Board of Bond Trustees abolished, its duties to be as- sumed by the City Commission. Office of Mayor abolished, effective in June, 1919, one of the Commissioners then to assume the duties as ex-officio Mayor. Port Commission abolished and its duties assigned to the City Commission. City Council to be composed of one member from each ward and seven at large, effective in June, 1919. Board of Charities created; to be composed of seven members, three of whom must be women; appointed by the City Commission and confirmed by the Council. a Auditor to be appointed by City Commission bien- nially. eo —"* HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 291 Chap. 8281, Laws of Florida—1919 Office of Mayor re-created by amendment to be accepted or rejected by the electors. (This amendment was adopted at the election of June 17, 1919.) Ordinance P-18, October 28, 1919 Wards 12, 18, 14 and 15 created. Four Delegates were admitted to the Council, one from each ward. Council in- creased thereby to 22 members—one from each ward and seven at large. Chap. 8979, Laws of Florida—1921 Provided for a City Council to be composed of one member from each ward and six at large, effective June 21, 1921. Chap. 9788, Laws of Florida—1923 Playground and Recreation Board created; to consist of five members serving without pay; appointed by the Mayor biennially. (Became a law without the approval of the Governor.) Growth of the City Government The evolution of Jacksonville’s government through its various stages is a story full of interest. Before the War Between the States the Mayor and the City Council served without compensation—for the honor of the office. The blanket charter of 1869 changed it all, for coming into the hands of outsiders, the city government was operated with a high hand and without regard to expenses. When the home people gained control again in the election of 1876, they were confronted by a depleted treasury and the accu- mulated waste of half a dozen years. It took some time to build it up again. Ward representation was created by the Charter of 1887. The Board of Public Works was created at the same time, an infant that grew into a powerful board in after years. The board commonly called the Board of Bond Trustees was cre- ated by the City Council in 1893. Its powers were enlarged from time to time, until, by its absorption of other boards and finally the Board of Public Works in 1911, it became the city governing board in fact. 292 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The appointment of the Bond Trustees by the City Coun- cil instead of by the electors was a question that was agitated for a long time, and a number of efforts were made to change the form of government. Manager, commission, and other forms were drafted, taken to the Legislature for approval and were lost there or defeated by the voters here. The Bond Trustees continued to run the city until July, 1917. Most of the important city improvements were completed or started under their jurisdiction and stand today as testimony of what they did. The Chairmen of this board during its life- time were: G. R. Foster, December, 1893, to January, 1895; B. F. Dillon, 1895 to November, 1907; Bion H. Barnett, 1907 to April, 1910; W. M. Bostwick, Jr., 1910 to October, 1913; F. Richardson, 1913 to October, 1914; G. M. Powell, 1914 to February, 1916; Gus Muller, February to May, 1916; W. M. Bostwick, Jr., 1916 to July, 1917. The present form of government comprises five Commis- sioners; Mayor; twenty-one Councilmen; Assessor, Treas- urer and Collector; Recorder, Municipal Judge, elected by the qualified electors. SEAL OF JACKSONVILLE Jackson on a horse rampant. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 293 Mayors of Jacksonville The first Mayor of Jacksonville was William J. Mills, who moved to Jacksonville from Amelia Island; he was elected under the charter of 1832. The designation of the chief executive was Mayor until 1841, when a new charter changed it to Intendant and it continued thus until 1859, when it was changed to Mayor again. The following record of Mayors of Jacksonville was compiled from various publications, largely from the newspapers of the time: i 1882—William J. Mills 1847—Oliver Wood 1833—William J. Mills 1848— 1834—William J. Mills 1849—Rodney Dorman 1835— 1850—J. McRobert Baker 1836— 1851—Rodney Dorman 1837— 1852—Henry D. Holland 1838— 1858—Isaac Swart 18389—Stephen Eddy 1854—F. C. Barrett 1840—None 1855—Philip Frazer 1841— 1856—F’.. I. Wheaton 1842— 1857—George C. Gibbs 1843— 1858—John 8. Murdock 1844—Obediah Congar 1859—Holmes Steele 1845— 1860—Halstead H. Hoeg 1846—Joseph B. Lancaster 1861—Halstead H. Hoeg (No elections were held in 1840, 1862, 1863, and 1864) 1865—Halstead H. Hoeg (Dem.) After the close of the war a feeble effort was made to establish a municipal government. Halstead H. Hoeg, who had been Mayor of Jacksonville two terms before the war, was induced to act as Mayor in 1865, for one year. Although this government consisted of Mayor, Marshal, Clerk of Coun- cil, six Councilmen, and three Policemen, it was one in name only, as the actual control of affairs was in the hands of the U. S. military. 1866—Holmes Steele (Dem.) Dr. Holmes Steele followed Hoeg as Mayor in 1866. Dr. Steele had likewise been Mayor of Jacksonville before the war. He was a highly educated man and Southern to the 294 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA bone, having served through the war. As before, there was not much for this administration to do. 1867—Holmes Steele (Dem.); John Clark (Dem.) The negroes under radical Northern white leaders began to experiment with politics even before they were enfran- chised. Immediately upon the report that Congress had passed the “Reconstruction Acts”, they met in the negro Baptist church here, chose a ticket for city elections, and adopted resolutions reading, ‘‘Resolved, That we have become bona-fide citizens of Florida and the United States; that there is now no destinction between the white and black man in political matters’’, etc. Their election did not take place, as it was prohibited by military order of Colonel Sprague, commanding the U.S. troops at Jacksonville. Dr. Holmes Steele was appointed to succeed himself as Mayor. He died in office, May 7, 1867. John Clark was unanimously elected by the City Council May 14, 1867, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Dr. Steele. Mr. Clark was a merchant and respected citizen; it was said that the selection was made at the suggestion of Colonel Sprague. Wm. Grothe was the Acting Mayor in the interim between Mayors Steele and Clark. 1868—-Edward Hopkins (Dem.) In the spring of 1868, Edward Hopkins was either elected or appointed, it is not clear which, to the position of Mayor. The Southern residents took no active part in it, as they had been practically disfranchised under the ‘‘Reconstruction” Acts of 1867. 1869—Edward Hopkins (Dem.) Edward Hopkins was elected Mayor in 1869. The Con- stitution of 1868 had made suffrage universal, and the South- ern residents were now entitled to vote. The freedmen showed little interest in this election; their efforts now were directed more especially to State offices and the ‘fundamental foolishness” at Tallahassee. 1870—Peter Jones (Rep.) The administration of local government by radicals began in 1870, when alien politicians marshalled their forces and gave battle to the Hopkins party. Peter Jones, a newcomer HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 295 from the North, was selected as a fit candidate in full sym- pathy with their principles. Edward Hopkins was the candi- date of the Democrats and the conservative Republicans. Several weeks prior to the election political meetings were held in an open oak grove near the corner of Laura and Forsyth Streets, where crowds, nearly all freedmen, assem- bled at the sound of fife and drum, to listen to the white and the colored orators, who spoke loudly and long. These were boisterous scenes amidst great confusion, vehement hand- clapping and frequent ‘“‘Amens” on the part of the negroes. They were Jones’s meetings. The election was on April 5th. There was only one ballot box for the entire city. The voting place was a small two- story brick building situated in the middle of Newnan Street, south of and facing Bay. The election for Mayor resulted: Jones, 322; Hopkins, 293. Elected with Jones was the following administration, all Republicans: Roy P. Moody, Marshal; C. W. Blew, Treas- urer; J. C. Greeley, Collector; W. M. Ledwith, Assessor; George W. Frazier, Clerk. Aldermen: J. L. Requa, Thos. Eells, Perez Fridenberg, T. A. Willson, W. L. Coan (manager of the Freedmen’s bank), S. N. Williams, C. B. Simmons (colored preacher), and W. T. Garvin (colored). The South- ern white men were Williams, Ledwith, Moody, and Frazier. 1871—Peter Jones (Rep.) Peter Jones measured up to all the requirements expected of him and he gained strength during his first administra- tion with his party. The Democrats realized that it was use- less to attempt to regain local government as they were hope- lessly outnumbered. F.I. Wheaton, a lawyer and once Mayor of Jacksonville before the war, however determined to make the attempt. The election was held on April 4, and resulted: Jones, 539; Wheaton, 140. 1872—Peter Jones (Rep.) Peter Jones had little difficulty in securing the nomination from his party. Jones was opposed by Paran Moody, also a Republican. This contest is said to have been a spirited one. The election was held April 4th, resulting in the election of Jones as follows: Jones, 444; Moody, 328. 296 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1873—J. C. Greeley (Rep.) In the election this year, the Democrats and the con- servative Republicans united for the purpose of defeating Peter Jones and his ring, and centered on J. C. Greeley. Mr. Greeley was a conservative Republican. The election was held April 1st, and Greeley was elected, but by what majority is unknown. 1874—-Peter Jones (Rep.) J. C. Greeley and Peter Jones were opposed again this vear. Jones was elected by a small majority, the vote on April 4th being: Jones, 398; Greeley, 344. 1875—Peter Jones (Rep.) The Southern residents now took up the fight in earnest to wrest the city government from the Northern politicians. They nominated Thomas E. Buckman, prominent citizen, Democrat, and ex-Confederate officer. Peter Jones was again a candidate. This was a square party fight, and al- though Captain Buckman was defeated, he made a strong showing and paved the way for the Democratic victory the following year. The election on April 5th resulted: Jones, 518; Buckman, 418. 1876—Luther McConihe (Dem.) There were four candidates in the race for Mayor this year, namely, Peter Jones, radical Republican; Luther Mc- Conihe, Democrat; J. R. Dey, independent Republican; Ed- ward Hopkins, Democrat. The campaign started in earnest when W. Stokes Boyd, of Philadelphia, a man of means and political strategy, en- tered the contest as McConihe’s political manager. Boyd was spending the winter here and said he wanted some fun. April 8d was a red-letter day for the Democrats, as McConihe was elected, the vote being: McConihe, 448; Jones, 248; Dey, 109; Hopkins, 92. McConihe was a Boston capitalist, OEM Free Mason, and an all-round good citizen. There was great rejoicing among the Democrats over this election, for it was generally considered a return to home rule. Elected with McConihe was the following body of men, the first entirely white city government in eight years: John Tyler, Marshal; J. B. Crabtree, Clerk; M. A. Dzialynski, HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 297 Assessor; B. A. Thebaut, Collector; H. M. Moody, Treasurer. Aldermen: T. E. Buckman, J. H. Burton, A. Doggett, J. C. Greeley, J. E. Hartridge, G. R. Jones, Gus Muller, A. E. Sawyer, B. H. Webster, all Democrats except Greeley and Sawyer, who were conservative Republicans. 1877—W. Stokes Boyd (Dem.) April 2d: W. Stokes Boyd (Dem.) defeated J. H. Abbott (Rep.), the vote being: Boyd, 647; Abbott, 589. Abbott was said to be a bitter partisan. The Democrats celebrated the victory by an enthusiastic gathering at Polk’s hall on the following night. 1878—-Luther McConihe (Dem.) April 1st: Three candidates were in this race, namely, Luther McConihe, Peter Jones, and J. H. Abbott. The vote was: McConihe (Dem.), 557; Jones (Rep.), 518; Abbott (Rep.), 56. The election was a quiet one. 1879—Peter Jones (Rep.) July 17th: Owing to some legal snarl the election this year did not take place in April. A writ of mandamus was sued out in the circuit court and an election was ordered for July 17th. Luther McConihe (Dem.) and Peter Jones (Rep.) were the candidates for Mayor. Jones was elected. 1880—J. Ramsey Dey (Rep.) April 5th: J. Ramsey Dey of New Jersey, a livery stable man, defeated Damon Greenleaf, a jewelry merchant. Dey was a Republican and Greenleaf ran as an Independent. The Democrats and conservative Republicans supported Green- leaf. Vote: Dey, 648; Greenleaf, 597; Peter Jones, 1; Ellis Moon (negro), 1. Peter Jones again was a candidate in the Republican nom- inating convention, but Dey secured the nomination. The names of Jones and Moon were written in at the election. 1881—Morris A. Dzialynski (Dem.) April 4th: Morris A. Dzialynski, Democrat, and an ex- Confederate soldier, defeated Horatio Jenkins, Republican, by a vote of 559 to 529. This was the same Jenkins that figured so prominently in the Osborn political machine during the “Reconstruction” period. | 298 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1882—Morris A. Dzialynski (Dem.) April 3d: The campaign issue in this election was the question of open saloons (liquor) on Sunday. The vote for Mayor was: M. A. Dzialynski (Dem.), 693; William H. Ledwith (Rep.), 428; J. R. Dey (Ind. Rep.), 91. 1883—W. McLaws Dancy (Dem.) April 2d: For Mayor the vote was: W. McLaws Dancy (Dem.), 887; P. E. McMurray (Rep.), 529. Open saloons on Sunday and the city’s affairs in general were pre-election questions in the campaign. 1884—-W. McLaws Dancy (Dem.) April 7th: The two tickets in the field this year were known as the Democratic-Conservative and the Citizens’. The Republicans were affiliated with the Citizens’ ticket. The result of the election was: W. McL. Dancy (Dem.-Cons.), 649; C. B. Smith (Cit.-Rep.), 566. 1885—M. C. Rice (Dem.) April 6th: The vote for Mayor in this election was: M. C. Rice (Dem.), 761; C. B. Smith (Citizens’), 656. Remarking on this election the Times-Union said: “The young Democrats turned out and worked with a will and to their efforts to a great extent is due the success of the ticket. The friends of the Citizen or Smith ticket also worked hard and money is said to have been freely spent. One thing above all others was noticeable and that was the increased price of purchasable votes. Last year the price ranged from 25 cents to $2.50; but this year the average was $7.00, the range being from $5.50 to $12.50.” 1886—Patrick McQuaid (Dem.) April 5th: Patrick McQuaid (Dem.) was victorious over J.R. Dey (Rep.) by a vote of : McQuaid, 767; Dey, 333. At the Democratic convention Dr. W. McL. Dancy re- ceived the nomination for Mayor, but he decided not to run for the office. Patrick McQuaid was then asked to head the Democratic ticket. 1887—(April election) J. Q. Burbridge (Dem.) The young men’s Democratic club started early for the April election and endorsed J. Q. Burbridge for Mayor. At the regular Democratic convention W. McL. Dancy was nom- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 299 inated, but the young Democrats would not withdraw their support from Burbridge with the result that there were two Democratic candidates in this election. The Republicans did not enter a candidate in this contest. The election was held April 4th, and resulted: Burbridge, 854; Dancy, 644. 1887—(December election) C. B. Smith (Rep.) The charter of May 31, 1887, abolished the towns of La- Villa and Fairfield, and extended the limits of Jacksonville to include these and the most of Springfield. The term of City officials was increased to two years. The charter was so drafted as to permit the interpretation that it included no provision for the registration of voters for the first elec- tion. Legal opinion was divided on the subject and the ques- tion was carried to the Supreme Court for decision. The decision was that an election would be legal. In the mean- time the districting of the city into 9 wards was accomplished. The new registration indicated a majority of 364 colored voters for the entire city. There were two tickets in the field for this election—one called the Citizens’ ticket with Frank W. Pope for Mayor, and the other the Composite ticket headed by C. B. Smith. There was no Democratic ticket. Supporting the ‘‘Com- posite” or Smith ticket were the Republicans and the large negro vote brought in with the absorption of the suburbs. The election was held December 13, 1887. Smith received an overwhelming majority, the vote being: Pope, 736; Smith, 2,394. Of the 18 Aldermen elected with Smith, 13 were Re- publicans and five of these were negroes. The question of the legality of this election was immedi- ately revived and the matter was again carried to the Su- preme Court. Pending the decision a peculiar situation pre- vailed. The newly elected officials met and organized; but Mayor Burbridge and the old Council continued to function until March 28, 1888, when upon the decision of the Supreme Court they surrendered the government to the newly elected officials. In the Smith administration five Aldermen, the Municipal Judge, fifteen of the twenty-three Policemen, two Sergeants of Police, and the Chairman of the Board of Police Commis- sioners were negroes. This administration was entirely distasteful to the ma- jority of the white people of Jacksonville and it was fre- 300 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA quently linked with the “carpet-bagger” regime of former days. During the yellow fever epidemic of 1888, the white portion of the city government only in part remained in Jack- sonville, which resulted in a great deal of inconvenience and embarrassment. Finally, with the charge that the existing municipal government had proven itself incapable of the functions necessary for a judicious administration of the City’s affairs, and that it was calculated to destroy the stand- ing and credit of Jacksonville as a municipality, the Demo- crats, supported morally it was said by conservative Repub- licans, applied to the Legislature for a change of charter designed to correct the evil complained of. The result was a drastic change in the charter, by which the election of all City officials by electors was abolished and the method changed to one of appointment. 1889—Patrick McQuaid (Dem.) House Bill No. 4 (Chap. 3952) was approved May 16, 1889. It provided for the appointment of the City Council of Jacksonville by the Governor, and when so appointed the Council became the appointing board for all of the other City officers including the Mayor. Under the provisions of House Bill No. 4, Governor Francis P. Fleming appointed a Council of 18 members, two from each ward as the city was then constituted. Eleven were Democrats and seven were Republicans as indicated in the following list: Ward 1—B. F. Dillon, (D)+ L. C. Emery (R) Ward 2—A. W. Cockrell, Jr. (D)+ C. W. Kinne (R)f Ward 38—Frederick Pasco (D)+ F, W. Mumby (D) Ward 4—D. U. Fletcher (D)+ C. S. Adams (R)f Ward 5—T. W. Roby (D)+ O. L. Keene (R) Ward 6—T. J. Boyd (D)+ J. W. Miller (R) Ward 7—J. H. Stephens (D)+ W. A. McDuff (R)+ scar Neunert (D)+ . Gerow (R) Ward 8—E. E. Belisario (D)f Ward 9—C. B. Rogers (D)¥+ UO: | Those marked (+) in the above list met at 3 p. m. June 3d, and organized. D. U. Fletcher was unanimously elected President. Council then adjourned until 9 p. m. At the night session the name of Patrick McQuaid was put in nomi- nation for Mayor; he was unanimously elected to serve for HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 301 two years. He was present at the time and immediately took the oath of office. The Cc :ncil proceeded with the other elections as fol- lows: W. C. West, Recorder; E. F. DeCottes, Comptroller ; W. A. Bisbee, Treasurer; S. Wiggins, Marshal; W. A. Mc- Lean, Municipal Judge; W. B. Young, George O. Holmes, H. 8. Ely, Board of Police Commissioners; J. C. L’Engle (3 years), J. M. Schumacher (2 years), G. A. DeCottes (1 year), Board of Public Works. On the day following (June 4th) the new government assumed its duties. Several of the Republicans appointed by Governor Fleming failed to qualify and their places were later filled by other appointees. June 17,1890, Marshal Wiggins made a murderous assault on Mayor McQuaid and fled from the city. The Council offered a reward of $400 for his arrest. Several months later he was arrested, tried and acquitted; afterward he was again tried, convicted, and sentenced to pay a small fine. Harry Squires was appointed Marshal in Wiggins’s place. Squires absconded in December, 1890, with $1,400 of the city’s funds. He was never heard of afterward. J. A. Vin- zant was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1891—Henry Robinson (Dem.) June 9th: The City Council met to elect city officers under the provisions of House Bill No. 4, which were still in force. C.S. Adams nominated J. C. Cooper for Mayor; J. H.Stephens nominated D. U. Fletcher. The result of the ballot was: Cooper, 10, Fletcher, 7. Notice of his election was given Mr. Cooper, but he declined the office. June 12th: Council met in special session to elect a Mayor. R. D. Knight nominated D. U. Fletcher; C. B. Rogers nomi- nated Henry Robinson. Ballot: Robinson, 10; Fletcher, 7. Dr. Robinson was sent for; he came before the Council that night and took the oath of office. 1893—Duncan U. Fletcher (Dem.) The elective franchise was restored to the qualified elec- tors of the city at large by Senate Bill No. 3, approved May 16, 1898. Primaries were held in the nine city wards early in July, and the general election on July 18th. The Austra- lian ballot was used in this election for the first time in Jack- 302 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA sonville. There were two candidates for Mayor, both Demo- crats: D. U. Fletcher heading the “Straightouts” and M. A. Dzialynski the ‘‘Fusionists”. The election on July 18th re- sulted: Fletcher, 759; Dzialynski, 552. 1895—William M. Bostwick (Dem.) Two months before the election of 1895 an association of citizens was formed with the object of building up a ticket that would harmonize the various political factions of the city. The conservative Republicans were affiliated with it and the negroes under the leadership of Joe Lee supported it. The choice of the association for Mayor was Dr. William M. Bostwick, an old and respected resident, life-long Democrat and an ex-Confederate. The regular or “Straightout” Demo- cratic nominee was Wiley G. Toomer. The Populists entered the contest under the name “Progressive”; its ticket was headed by Wm. Clarke. The election was held June 18th and resulted for Mayor: Bostwick, 1,517; Toomer, 1,184; Clarke, 88. 1897—Raymond D. Knight (Dem.) This election was pointed out as being the most quiet and business-like of any municipal election in the history of the city—no bands and spell-binding speeches as formerly. Three Democratic tickets were advanced: Straightout headed by R. D. Knight; Business Men’s League, by J. G. Christo- pher; Young Men’s Liberal League, by Dr. W. McL. Dancy. At the request of Dr. Dancy the last withdrew just before the election. The election was held June 15th, and resulted for Mayor, R. D. Knight, 1,472; J. G. Christopher, 1,308. The other city officers were elected from both tickets, the Straightouts electing Treasurer, Comptroller, Marshal, four Election Commissioners and six Councilmen; the Business Men’s League, Municipal Judge, Recorder, and five Council- men, while the names of seven successful Councilmen and one Election Commissioner appeared on both tickets. 1899-—J. E. T. Bowden (Dem.) June 8th: Primary. Terminating a bitter fight that started with five candidates in the field for Mayor, but nar- rowed down to two, the election resulted: J. E. T. Bowden (Dem.), 907; R. D. Knight (Dem.), 687. This was an in- formal primary and the first in the history of the city. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 308 June 20th: General election: J. E. T. Bowden, 1,154; E. G. Blair (Ind.), 366; August Buesing, 17. 1901—Duncan U. Fletcher (Dem.) The official Democratic primary plan was inaugurated with this election. First Primary, June 6th: D. U. Fletcher, 959; J. D. Bur- bridge, 425. General Election, June 18th: D. U. Fletcher, 1,271; I. Grunthal (Rep.), 625. 1903—George M. Nolan (Dem.) First Primary, May 28th: J. E. T. Bowden, 830; J. D. Burbridge, 572; G. M. Nolan, 650; J. S. Hollingsworth, 225. Second Primary, June 3d: G. M. Nolan, 1,084; J. E. T. Bowden, 995. General Election, June 16th: G. M. Nolan,1,208; F. H. Barnard (Soc.), 487. The Socialists had a full ticket in the field; their maxi- mum strength was their vote for Mayor. 1905—George M. Nolan (Dem.) 1906—William H. Baker (Dem.) First Primary, June Ist: G. M. Nolan, 1,148; W. G. Toomer, 1,029; E. G. Blair, 243. Second Brians June 7th: G. M. att 1,203; W. G. Toomer, 1,166. General Election, June 20th: G. M. Naish 1,337 ; Thomas Hickling (Soc.), 136. The Socialists entered candidates for all municipal offices ; all were overwhelmingly defeated. Mayor G. M. Nolan died in office November 9, 1906. Judge W. H. Baker, president of the Council, was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1907—William H. Sebring (Dem.) First Primary, May 7th: W. H. Sebring, 1,107; J. D. Bur- bridge, 879; W. B. Clarkson, 731. J. D. Burbridge withdrew from contest, making second primary for Mayor unnecessary. General Election, June 18th: W. H. Sebring, 1,627; Thomas Hickling (Soc.), 89. The Socialists entered candidates for the other city offices also, but their highest vote was 115. 304 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 1909—William S. Jordan (Dem.) First Primary, May 11th: W. S. Jordan, 1,481; W. H. Sebring, 1,214; G. T. Christie, 301. Second Primary, May 25th: W.S. Jordan, 1,644; W. H. Sebring, 1,320. General Election, June 15th: W. S. Jordan, 871; T. W. Cox (Soc.), 76. There were Socialist candidates for the other city offices, but none received as many as 100 votes. 1911—William 8S. Jordan (Dem.) First Primary, April 18th: W. S. Jordan, 1,518; P. A. Dignan, 1,087; St. Elmo W. Acosta, 642; W. H. Sebring, 504. Second Primary, May 2d: W.S. Jordan, 2,857; P. A. Dig- nan, 1,478. General Election, June 20th: W. S. Jordan, 2,570; W. E. Alexander (Soc.), 537. 1918—Van C. Swearingen (Dem.) First Primary, February 25th: Van C. Swearingen, 2,056; W.S. Jordan, 1,354; J. J. Ahern, 691; S. T. Shaylor, 267; G. T. Christie, 187. Second Primary, March 18th: Van C. Swearingen, 2,492; W.S. Jordan, 2,142. General Election, June 17th: Van C. Swearingen, 1,364; T. W. Cox (Soc.), 112. 1915—-J. E. T. Bowden (Dem.) First Primary, January 26th: Van C. Swearingen, 1,541; J. E. T. Bowden, 1,360; C. W. Johnson, 1,123; Rudolph Grun- thal, 255. Second Primary, February 23d: J. E. T. Bowden, 2,655; Van C. Swearingen, 1,888. General Election, June 15th: J. E. T. Bowden, 2,172; I. C. Baldwin (Soc.), 758. The Socialists had candidates for the other city offices, but all were defeated by about seven to one majorities. 1917—John W. Martin (Dem.) First Primary, February 6th: J. W. Martin, 2,890; J. E. T. Bowden, 2,056. Second primary for Mayor not necessary. General Election, June 19th: J. W. Martin elected with- out opposition. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 305 1917—City Commission Created First Commissioners (all Democrats) appointed by City Council under provisions of new charter: For 4-year term, John §S. Bond, C. B. Rogers, John A. Futch; for 2-year term, Horace Drew, W. H. Dowling. Commission met July 3d and organized; J.S. Bond elected Chairman. Horace Drew resigned October, 1917; R. E. Wheeler appointed. W. H. Dowling resigned January, 1919; W. A. Evans appointed. 1919—Commissioners (4 yrs.): Wm. A. Evans (Dem.), St. Elmo W. Acosta (Dem.) Mayor (2 yrs.): John W. Martin (Dem.) | First Primary, May 20th—Commissioners: St. E. W. Acosta, 1,485; J. T. Alsop, Jr., 1,452; C. T. Paxon, 1,292; W.A. Evans, 1,213; P. A. Dignan, 561; A. E. Adamson, 430. Second Primary, June 83d—Commissioner: W. A. Evans, 1,659; St. E. W. Acosta, 1,650; J. T. Alsop, Jr., 1,479; C. T. Paxon, 1,401. General Election, June 17th: Evans and Acosta elected without opposition. Mayor: An amendment to city charter re-creating the office of Mayor carried by a vote For, 2,539; Against, 987, at the general election. It was stipulated that candidates for this office should run at this time and if the amendment car- ried the candidate receiving the greatest vote would be declared elected. There were two candidates, both Demo- crats, and the vote for Mayor was: John W. Martin, 2,349; J. KE. T. Bowden, 1,164. 1921—Commissioners (4 yrs.): Frank H. Owen (Dem.) Mark B. Herlong (Dem.), Thomas C. Imeson (Dem.) Mayor (2 yrs.): John W. Martin (Dem.) First Primary, May 10th—Commissioner: T. C. Imeson, 4,871; F. H. Owen, 4,318; M. B. Herlong, 4,219; Rudolph Grunthal, 3,559; G. E. Brown, 3,086; G. R. Paschal, 2,097; J. D. Burbridge, 1,881; D. A. Mayfield, 1,878; W. H. Herndon, 1,865; Mrs. Florence M. Cooley, 1,854; R. E. Wheeler, 1,106. For Mayor: J. W. Martin, 8,409; J. E. Matthews, 2,207. 306 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Second Primary, May 24th—Commissioner: F. H. Owen, 5,848; M. B. Herlong, 5,816; T. C. Imeson, 5,764;G. E. Brown, 3,828; R. Grunthal, 3,702; G. R. Paschal, 1,482. General Election, June 21st: Owen, Herlong and Imeson for Commissioners and Martin for Mayor elected without opposition. Negroes ran for Councilmen from Wards 6, 8, 9, 13, and two at large, but all were overwhelmingly defeated. 1923—Commissioners (4 yrs.): St. Elmo W. Acosta (Dem.), Fred. M. Valz (Dem.). Mayor (2 yrs.): John T. Alsop, Jr. (Dem.) First Primary, April 17th—Commissioner: St. Elmo W. Acosta, 3,797; Fred M. Valz, 3,589; A. E. Adamson, 1,890; T. J. McGiffin, 1,836; J. H. Patterson, 1,517; W.T. Cowles, 970. For Mayor: John T. Alsop, Jr., 4,412; J. E. T. Bowden, 2,725. Second Primary for Commissioners and Mayor unneces- sary. General Election, June 19th: Acosta, Valz, and Alsop elected without opposition. The Police Department The Marshal constituted the active police force of Jack- sonville in the days before the War Between the States. His duties were manifold and varied, for it was for him to see that all of the town ordinances were carried out and obeyed. He had the authority, nevertheless, to call upon any citizen of the town to help him when force was necessary, and a citizen refusing such assistance was liable to fine or impris- onment. The Marshal’s was a day-time job. At night after 9 o’clock the Patrol went on duty in compliance with the Curfew Law. The Patrol consisted of two of the town’s citizens selected in their turn. The fire bell was rung every night at 9 o’clock as a signal for the negroes to be in their quarters. If found on the streets after that hour, or out of bounds, without a written pass signed by their owners, or if free negroes, without a legitimate reason, they were arrested by the Patrol and locked up for the night to be taken before the Intendant (Mayor) the next morning for trial. Usually the owner paid the small fine; it was only for the most serious offenses that the slave was whipped, and usually by his owner. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 307 The town had no regular whipping-post, where the slave was beaten into unconsciousness and left with his head hanging upon his chest to be viewed by the passing residents. All that sort of thing is fiction. The negro was property in those days and to maim or injure him bodily was not the purpose of the punishment. That there were cruel masters there is no doubt, but they were no more representative of the slave- holding Southerner than the cruel parent is of the American people today. The town, however, did possess a pillory and stocks outfit for white thieves, but its use was seldom needed as there was little thieving in those days. On the rare occa- sions when it was used the culprit was never known to remain in the community afterward. Every citizen of age, excepting clergymen and doctors, was subject to Patrol duty. An exemption for one time could be obtained by the payment of $3 and providing a substitute, but not twice in succession. Midnight usually found the Patrol slumbering serenely in their homes. The negroes cor- rupted Patrol into “patteroller”, and a familiar medley among them was: Run, nigger, run, the patteroller’ll ketch yer, Run, nigger, run, it’s almost day; I run, an’ I run, till I los’ my way; I run, an’ I run, an’ I run my bes’, Till I run my head in a hornet’s nes’. In the beginning the Marshal received oniy fees for his services, but later, in the 1850’s, he was allowed a specific salary besides, to wit: Annual salary, $150; of taxes collected, 5% ; of money collected for swimming or flatting cattle across the St. Johns River, 5%; of fines collected, 50%; and allowed the same costs as a constable. The names of only a few Marshals before the war have been found. One of them was a hero; his name was Yeomens. It was in the 1840’s, when two men from Tallahassee came to Jacksonville and started in to paint the town red. They put a beam under the market building and turned it over on its side, then started in for a high time in general. Yeomans, the Marshal, ran to his home, buckled on his big sabre, and with a belt full of pistols swore he would arrest the two men or lose his life in the attempt. McMullen and Bryant, the men from Tallahassee, heard of this threat and went in search of the Marshal. Yeomans was standing in the door- 308 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA way of a billiard room when McMullen and Bryant appeared and without warning shot him down with a load of buckshot. A bystander named Huffham, who was inside the building, rushed to the aid of Yeomans and was also shot down. ‘Yeo- mens died, but Huffham recovered. Bryant escaped. Mc- Mullen was captured and put in jail in Tallahassee. His mother was allowed to visit him in jail and on one of these visits she and her son exchanged clothing and McMullen walked out and escaped. Neither Bryant nor McMullen was ever brought to trial, and one of them afterward came to Jacksonville and made this his home. After the war Jacksonville was continuously occupied by Federal troops until April, 1869. In this period, while there seems to have been a sort of civilian police patrol, the mili- tary Provost Marshal and Guard were really in charge of the town and it was not until the second term of Mayor Hopkins, in 1869, that police protection became altogether a civilian matter. Until 1888 the Marshal was the head of the Police Department; his services, however, included duties connected with nearly every department of the town government. In 1871, the position of Captain of Police was created. This officer was directly in charge of the police force. The Marshal was elected yearly by the electors, and the Captain of Police was appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. List of Marshals and Captains of Police Mayor in Marshal Capt. of Police Office. (Elected) (Appointed) 1869—Hopkins W..’S:: Rawsonye |) ee 1870—Jones RP. Moody oai4 yi a a 1871—Jones R. P. Moody I. N. Divine 1872—Jones EK. Fortunet I. N. Divine 1873—-Greeley E. Fortune} James Hoey 1874—Jones EK. Fortunet James Hoey 1875—Jones John Tyler James Hoey 1876—McConihe John Tyler James Hoey 1877—Boyd P. E. McMurray W. S. Rawson 1878—-McConihe G. H. Mays} W. S. Rawson 1879—Jones G. H. Mays} W. C. Cooper 1880—Dey G. H. Mayst W. C. Cooper 1881—Dzialynski G. H. Mays} John Tyler 1882—-Dzialynski John Tyler W. D. Vinzant 1883—Dancy John Tyler W. D. Vinzant 1884—-Dancy W. D. Vinzant John Tyler 1885—Rice W. D. Vinzant W. F. Ivers 1886—McQuaid John Tyler John Keefe 1887—Burbridge T. B. Hernandez G. M. Brittain HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 309 The charter of 1887 created the Board of Police Commis- sioners and the designation Captain of Police was changed to Chief of Police. The office of Marshal was retained, but the duties were more of a civil nature and not immediately associated with the Police Department. The operation of the Police Department under the new charter began in April, 1888, when James Hoey was appointed the first Chief of Police. At this time the Police Department was virtually under the control of negroes and it was a situation that had a great deal to do with the legislation of 1889 known as House Bill No. 4, by which the Police Department for the first time since the war became entirely white. The Police Commissioners appointed under the provisions of House Bill No. 4 appointed Paul G. Phillips Chief of Police. Jackson- ville’s present Police Department really dates from that time, June, 1889. On October 19, 1895, the first patrol wagon was put into use. It was drawn by Mary and Martha, two fine black mares. This wagon was used until August, 1897, when “Black | Maria” was revived and put into service. *“Black Maria” was bought by the Police Commissioners in 1891. It was built to be pulled by one horse, but at that time the only paving was the old worn-out cypress blocks and it was found that the wagon was entirely too heavy for the work. It was never used to haul a prisoner to the police sta- tion and the only time it had ever been seen on the streets was when it was bought and Chief Phillips drove it on Bay Street one day and then put it away in the City Building at the foot of Market Street, where it remained for years entirely forgot- ten. “Black Maria” was fitted up and covered and put into service August 18, 1897. The first auto patrol was put into use in 1911. The first mounted police was a bicycle squad that went on duty Sep- tember 5,1897. The first regular traffic squad at street inter- sections went on duty October 1, 1919. The signal lights at street intersections were first used in August, 1924. The Police pension law was passed by the Florida Legislature in 1915. After the War Between the States and until 1876, Police Headquarters was in the little brick building that blocked the foot of Newnan Street. The Department then moved to a building in the rear of the County courthouse on East For- 310 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA syth Street; thence to the foot of Pine (Main) Street, and finally to the east side of Ocean Street between Bay and Forsyth. It remained there until December, 1890, when it was moved to a warehouse that had been fixed up for its occupancy at the foot of Liberty Street. In April, 1900, the City bought the old Togni hotel property near the southwest corner of Forsyth and Newnan Streets facing Newnan and converted it into a police station; the Department was moved there in April, 1900. This building was burned in the fire of May 8, 1901. After the fire the Department occupied a wooden building near the Union Depot, formerly used as a negro boarding house, and it remained at this location until April 26, 1902, when it occupied its present station rebuilt after the fire on the former site, to which the southwest cor- ner of Forsyth and Newnan, comprising about 52 feet, had in the meantime been added by purchase. This property was sold to S. A. Lynch June 20, 1924, for $90,000, the agreement containing a time clause to enable the city to select and build upon another site. Raspberry Park was a name familiar for a long time in connection with the Police Department. It was located on Hogans Creek between Julia and Cedar Streets and was the home for the City’s convicted prisoners. Its history may well be omitted here. The Board of Bond Trustees, realizing that the conditions under which city prisoners were being handled was the worst possible method, in April, 1912, pur- chased 640 acres about seven miles north of the city, ditched and drained the tract, and converted it into the present City Prison Farm. Chiefs of the Jacksonville Police Department: James Hoey, April 5, 1888, to June, 1889; Paul G. Phillips, June, 1889, to July, 1892; John Keefe, July, 1892, to February, 1894; Paul G. Phillips, February, 1894, to May, 1895; John Keefe, June, 1895, to July, 1897; W. F. Ivers, July, 1897, to January, 1898; W. D. Vinzant, February, 1898, to April, 1913; F. C. Roach, May, 1913, to March, 1921; W. D. Vinzant, April to June, 1921 (temporarily recalled from retirement) ; A. J. Roberts, July, 1921 to date. Fire Department In the original charter of the Town of Jacksonville was a provision pertaining to sweeping chimneys and other safe- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 311 guards against fire, and among the earliest ordinances of the Town Council were those fixing severe penalties for careless- ness in the use of fire. About 1850 the first effort was made to provide means for fighting fires in the town. Wells were dug at street intersections, namely Forsyth and Washington, Forsyth and Newnan, and Newnan and Adams. The town fire bell hung from a tower built over the well at Newnan and Adams Streets. Ladders were kept under sheds near the wells. Upon the discovery of fire the citizen rushed to the middle of the street and headed for the fire bell, yelling “Fire” at the top of his voice at every jump. The clanging of the fire bell brought out the entire male population of the town and a line was formed to pass buckets of water from the nearest well to the burning building; Bay Street received its supply from the river. Usually one man assumed the role of director and gave the orders, which amounted to “Water, water; hurry up there, more water’. Not long after the wells were provided, the first fire apparatus was acquired; it was a water pump worked by handles on each side, negroes furnishing the power. In the big fire of April 1854, quoting from a local newspaper of the time, the ‘fire apparatus un- fortunately fell into a situation which brought it into contact with the flames, and it was lost’. So ended the history of Jacksonville’s first fire “engine”. There was no organized fire-fighting force in Jacksonville before the War Between the States. On January 10, 1868, a volunteer company, called the Friendship Hook and Ladder Company, was organized to af- ford protection to the town in case of fire. This was Jack- sonville’s first organized fire company. The Mechanics Steam Fire Engine Company was organized February 3, 1870, and soon afterward the Aetna Steam Fire Engine Com- pany supplanted the old Friendship Company. Four other companies were organized in 1870, making six in all, and these composed the Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Department, which early in 1871 was officered as follows: Chief Engineer, A. J. Russell. First Assistant, Theo. H. Willard. Aetna Steam Fire Engine Company, J. J. Holland, Foreman. Mechanics Steam Fire Engine Company, T. E. Buckman, Foreman. Alert Hose Company, Byron Oak, Foreman. Phoenix Hose Company, H. A. L’Engle, Foreman. Americus Hook and Ladder Company, J. Marzyck, Foreman. Mechanics Hose Company, William Marzyck, Foreman. 312 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The foregoing includes the names of some of Jackson- ville’s foremost citizens. A number of these companies de- veloped considerable political influence; at one time the Mayor, Chief of Police, Marshal, and several City Aldermen held membership in the Mechanics, and it is said owed their political positions to that fact. In social life several of the companies held the highest place, and their annual hops were considered the most important social function of the year. When the fire department gave its annual parade, it was wit- nessed by the entire population of the town. The make-up of one of these (in 1882) was: Americus Hook and Ladder Company; 16 men; uniforms, red shirts, green helmets, and black pantaloons; they drew a fine new truck. Mechanics Steam Fire Engine and Hose Company; 22 men; uni- forms, red shirts, red helmets, and black panatloons; brightly polished Silsby engine and hose jumper. Jacksonville Cornet Band, 12 pieces. Alert Hose Company; 14 men; uniforms, blue shirts, red helmets, and black pantaloons. Aetna Hose Company; 16 men; they drew a new Silsby hose car- riage. Duval Fire Engine and Hose Company (colored); 22 men; uni- forms, red shirts, red helmets, and red pantaloons; they drew an old- fashioned hand engine and nearly new hose jumper. On account of the failure of the city to provide proper quarters for some of the fire companies, interest in the or- ganization began to wane. In September, 1883, the Americus Company threatened to disband and did withdraw for two months. On January 6, 1884, the Alert Company was dis- banded by the City Council for the refusal of the company to respond to a fire call, but within a week the Cleveland Hose Company was organized and took over the apparatus of the Alert Company. An effort was then made to increase interest in the department by putting it on a partially paid basis, and by providing more satisfactory quarters, and there was to a certain extent a revival of interest, until a disas- trous fire in December 1885, showed plainly that the time had come for a regularly organized paid department. After weeks of discussion the City Council, on May 4, 1886, authorized the establishment of a paid fire department. A Board of Fire Commissioners was constituted, a special tax levy of 5 mills was authorized to perfect the establish- Sa =. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 313 ment of a paid department, and the reorganization was ac- complished on July 16, 1886. Thus passed out of existence — the volunteer fire department of Jacksonville, an organiza- tion so intimately associated with the life and history of the city, that the citizens really regretted to see it go. The Mechanics Company, however, maintained its organization separately, and volunteered its services whenever there were serious fires; upon these occasions, as the company came up on the run, the spectators waved their hats and cheered with the enthusiasm of former days. The old bell in the hall of the Mechanics, on the north side of Adams Street, between Main and Laura, spoke to the men of the company for the last time at 1:20 a.m., August 18, 1891, when they were called out on the big fire that swept up Main Street that night. They placed their engine at the foot of Main Street and saved the property on Bay. Their hall was burned; after the fire they sold their engine to the city, and disbanded. It would seem that the Fire Commissioners made rather a peculiar selection when they appointed Peter Jones the first chief of the paid department, for Peter Jones was known as the “Carpet-bagger’’ Mayor of Jacksonville, which office he had held six terms; and there was decided objection to the appointment at the time. The first call of the new department was on July 21, 1886—it was a false alarm. The first actual fire call came in on August 10. The first Gamewell Fire Alarm system was in- stalled in August, 1886. Increase in territory, provided by the charter of 1887, necessitated a great extension of water mains, many new hydrants and much additional apparatus. Since then, from time to time, further extensions have been made, and numerous hydrants installed to meet the growing needs of the city. The paid department, after its establishment in 1886, comprised a central station and three sub-stations; their lo- cations then and subsequent changes were: No. 1 (Central Station)—South side of Forsyth Street between Ocean and Newnan; moved to its own building, northwest corner of Ocean and Adams Streets, September 21, 1897; burned out in the fire of May 3, 1901; rebuilt on same site and occupied February 1, 1902. No. 2—West side of Main Street between Church and Ashley ; moved in 1898 to west side of Main Street between 314 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA State and Orange; burned out in the fire of May 3, 1901; re- built on same site; moved April 28, 1909, to southeast corner of 4th and Main Streets, Springfield. No. 3—E. Bay Street between Washington and Catherine; moved to E. Bay near Railroad Avenue; burned out in the fire of May 3, 1901; rebuilt on its present site, 14 Catherine Street, and occupied March 4, 1902. No. 4—East side of Bridge (Broad) Street, near north- east corner of Adams; moved October 1, 1896, to its present location on the south side of Adams Street between Broad and Jefferson; was not burned out in 1901. No. 5—Established in January, 1897, in a neat frame building on Riverside Avenue, at the head of Forest Street; rebuilt as a brick station in 1908. No. 6—Established June 30, 1907, on east side of Florida Avenue between Union and Pippin Streets. No. 7—Established July 1, 1911, on south side of Kings Road between Davis and Johnson Streets. No. 8—Established in April, 1923, at the northeast cor- ner of Rossell and Stockton Streets, Riverside. High pressure system, protecting business district, in- augurated December 20, 1909; station at the foot of Newnan Street. First auto equipment, combination chemical and hose ap- paratus, put into service May 2, 1912. Aerial motor truck, September, 1912. Two platoon system effective January 6, 1920. Fireboat John B. Callahan, named for the councilman who had fought a losing fight for it in 1914, was officially accepted by the city September 14, 1922. It was converted from a Government sub-chaser. The Florida Legislature of 1915 authorized pensions for city firemen for superannuation or disability in service. Chiefs of the Jacksonville Fire Department: Peter Jones, July, 1886, to his death January 22, 1891; he was succeeded by J. H. Stephens, who resigned in 1892. The present chief, T. W. Haney, assumed his duties September 5, 1892. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 315 _ CHAPTER XVII PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS Changes in Town and City Limits 1822, June. (As originally surveyed). Boundaries: East, Catherine Street; North, Duval Street; West, Ocean Street; South, St. Johns River. 1832, February: (Incorporation). Beginning at a point on the South bank of the River St. Johns, opposite Hogans Creek, on the North side, running North half a mile up said Creek; thence West one mile and a half to McCoys Creek; thence South to a point on the South side of the River St. Johns, opposite McCoys Creek; thence East to the point of beginning. 1837, January: Boundaries changed. Beginning at the mouth of McCoys Creek on the St. Johns River, running thence up said Creek to a point where John W. Richard’s fence joined said Creek; thence in a North course to the first branch North of the Kings Road leading to St. Marys; thence down said branch to Hogans Creek; thence down said Creek to the mouth where it empties into the St. Johns River; thence across said river to the South side; thence up the South side of said river to Hendricks’ Point; thence across St. Johns River to the mouth of McCoys Creek aforesaid. 1841, February: The boundaries of the town were re- duced to identically the same limits as in the original incor- poration of 18382. 1842, March: Limits extended. Beginning at a point on the South bank of the St. Johns River directly South from the mouth of Hogans Creek, thence North to the mouth of Hogans Creek aforesaid; thence along said creek, ascending with the meanders of the South branch of said creek to a point near the public road, called the Kings Road, where said creek takes a direction from nearly Southwest (Southeast) to nearly Northwest (Northeast) ;from said bend? by a direct line in nearly a Southeasterly direction to the mouth of Mc- *This bend was near the intersection of the present Broad and Beaver Streets; the south branch of Hogans Creek was filled in years ago and does not now appear on the map of the city. 316 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Coys Creek; thence across the St. Johns River by a direct line to Hendricks’ Point; thence Eastwardly along the bank of St. Johns River to the point of beginning. 1887, June: City limits extended. Towns of LaVilla and Fairfield abolished, the limits of Jacksonville, as extended, including them. The official description of the limits was in terms of surveyors’ measurements, and unintelligible to the average layman. Approximately the line ran from a point on the East edge of the river channel West to 13th Street in Fairfield; thence West following the line of 18th Street 414 miles to a point where the West line of North LaVilla S/D joined the South line of Grand Boulevard S/D; thence South 1% mile to a point 600 feet South of Kings Road; thence West to the Atlantic Coast Line tracks; thence South in a straight line 334, miles to the bank of the St. Johns River at a point near and East of the foot of Donald Street ; continuing thence to the East edge of the river channel; thence down channel to the point of beginning. As thus defined, Jacksonville em- braced 1014, square miles of land area. 1919, December: Boundaries of Jacksonville extended. (For exact description see Ordinance P-18, Bill P-40). Ap- proximately the line is: Beginning at a point on the West edge of the St. Johns River Channel, thence Northwesterly along the Northeast line of Arden S/D to the center of Little Fishweir Creek; thence up said Creek to a point 155 feet Northerly of the center of Herschell Street; thence North- easterly parallel to Herschell Street to a point 130 feet West of Talbot Avenue; thence directly North cutting diagonally across Avondale S/D to a point 180 feet West of McDuff Ave- nue and continuing North, parallel to McDuff Avenue, to the track of the St. Johns Terminal Company one mile north of the Seaboard Shops; thence East to the Atlantic Coast Line tracks and continuing East 14 mile along the line of the old city limits to a point about 600 feet South of Kings Road; thence North 14 mile along the old city limits to the South line of Grand Boulevard S/D and continuing North through Grand Boulevard S/D to a point 100 feet north of 21st Street; thence East parallel to 21st Street to a point 100 feet West of Myrtle Avenue; thence North parallel to Myrtle Avenue to 33d Street; thence East, South of the Municipal Golf Course and State Fair Grounds, to Brentwood Avenue; thence North- easterly and then Southeasterly following the line of Brent- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 317 wood S/D and including that sub-division, and continuing Southeasterly to the Cemetery Road where it joins Main Street; thence along the Southern side and following that side of Cemetery Road to Talleyrand Avenue and back on Talleyrand Avenue to the center of Long Branch; thence down said Branch to the East edge of river channel; thence up said channel to the point of beginning. The land area em- braced within these limits is 15% square miles. City Bond Issues 1857—$50,000 Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Central Railroad Bonds.—In 1855 the question of bonding the Town of Jack- sonville for $50,000 to assist in financing the building of the railroad from Jacksonville to Alligator Town (now Lake City) was suggested. To test the sense of the voters upon the matter, an election was held May 15, 1855, and resulted: “For”, 97; “Against”, 65; “Taxation”, 1. The bonds were authorized and issued January 1, 1857, one-half payable in 10 years, and the remaining half in 15 years, interest at 8 per cent. These were Jacksonville’s first bonds. After the War Between the States, the citizens of Jacksonville were called upon to decide whether these bonds should be repudi- ated; impoverished as they were, they decided to carry the issue to preserve the standing of the town. On December 11, 1866, the Legislature authorized the City of Jacksonville to issue new bonds to the amount of $30,000 to take care of the first installment of the “Old Railroads” and the accrued in- terest. It was not until about 1877, after the City govern- ment had passed from the control of the “Carpet-baggers”’ to that of the home people that these bonds were called in, little by little, and retired. In 1883, only $12,400 face value remained outstanding; these were retired in the three or four following years. 1878—$250,000 Sanitary Improvement Bonds.—This is- sue was a direct result of the yellow fever epidemic of 1877, when the people became aroused to the necessity of better sanitation, and the establishment of waterworks and sewer- age systems in Jacksonville. On January 15, 1878, $250,000, 20-year, 8 per cent bonds were issued. These were called the Sanitary Bonds. The expenditure of the money was placed in the hands of a Board called the Sanitary Bond Trustees, composed of five prominent citizens, namely: A. 8S. Baldwin, 318 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Dr. T. Hartridge, J. J. Daniel, S. B. Hubbard, and M. W. Drew. The money provided by this issue was used in a thorough cleaning-up of the vicinity; filling in and disinfecting low places, drainage, improvement of Hogans and McCoys Creeks, establishing the present waterworks and construct- ing a system of sewers. The interest on the bonds was met by special tax levy, and small payments were made from time to time on the principal. In this way $50,000 worth of bonds were retired. In the bond issue of 1894, there was a pro- vision for the redemption of all outstanding Sanitary Bonds, and the last of them were called in and paid August 16, 1895. 1894—$1,000,000 Waterworks and Improvement Bonds. —On May 30, 1898, the Legislature authorized an issue of $1,000,000 Waterworks and Improvement bonds of the City of Jacksonville. The issue was approved by the voters Oc- tober 17, 1898, specifically as follows: $200,000 for the redemption of outstanding Sanitary Bonds 225,000 for extending and improving the waterworks system. 175,000 for extending and improving sewerage and drainage. 175,000 for opening and improving streets and parks. 100,000 for purchasing location and erecting city building. 75,000 for erecting electric light plant. 25,000 for bulkheading street fronts. 25,000 for enlarging fire department. This was Jacksonville’s first bond issue for general city improvements. Considerable annoyance and delay in vali- dating certain of these bonds resulted from injunctions brought by private corporations that would be affected by the improvements. Of the authorized issue, $972,000 was used. They were 30-year, 5% bonds, dated May 15, 1894, and maturing May 15, 1924. Bonds of this issue, amounting to $38,500, were retired before maturity, and the remainder at maturity. 1901—$400,000 Improvement (Fire) Bonds.—Authorized May 30, 1901; issued November 15, 1901, 5%, maturing May 15, 1924. This issue was the outgrowth of the fire of May 8, 1901, and was used in paying judgments against the city; for the construction of public buildings destroyed by the fire, and replacements for municipal plants. Bonds of this issue paid before maturity, $4,000; balance paid at maturity through a refunding issue of April, 1924. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 319 Tabulation of Outstanding Bonds7 Date Issued Outstanding Amount Dec.31,1924 Due Int. Purpose of Issue. Jan. 1, 1906 $ 400,000 1986 5 Municipal Improvements $400,000 and Park Lands. Oct. 1, 1910 100,000 1986 5 Paving. .$100,000 Nov. 1, 1911 220,000 1986 4% #.Municipal Improvements $250,000 and Park Lands. Feb. 1, 1912 250,000 1987 4% °#®Paving and Park Lands. $250,000 Mar. 1, 1918 1,889,000 1943 4% #$Municipal Docks and $1,428,000 Terminals. Nov. 1, 1915 250,000 1945 5 Sewers and Drains. $250,000 Feb. 1, 1916 248,000 1946 44% Sewers and Paving. $250,000 Sep. 1, 1919 600,000 1949 65 Sewers, Paving and Viaduct. $600,000 Apr. 1, 1921 1,000,000 1981 5 Municipal Improvements $1,000,000 and Paving. Apr. 1, 1921 1,000,000 19381 5 Municipal Docks and $1,000,000 Terminals. Sep. 1, 1923 400,000 5 Incinerator, Paving, $ 25,000 1925 Sewers and Drains. 25,000 1926 25,000 1927 25,000 1928 50,000 1938 50,000 1938 100,000 1948 100,000 1948 Apr. 15 1924 400,000 1954 6 Refunding (issue of 1901). $400,000 $6,207,000 Total outstanding General Issues. Special paving, sidewalk and improvement bonds fully secured by liens against property affected: Total outstanding December 31, 1924, $1,918,000. Total bonded indebtedness, all classes, $8,125,000. +Data furnished by J. E. Pace, City Auditor. 320 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA City Taxes Jacksonville operates on the budget system. The ex- penses for the year are estimated; the expected revenues are deducted, and the balance is supplied by the taxpayers within the city limits. Property is assessed at a certain per- centage of its market value; from the roll so determined by the Tax Assessor, the City Council makes up a tax levy suf- ficient to meet the expected balance. The tax levies, in mills, since 1885, have been as follows: 1885 20.00 1895 15.80 1905 16.10 1915 12.80 1886 25.00 1896 14.75 1906 16.10 1916 12.80 1887 23.00 1897 18.00 1907 16.10 1917 15.50 1888 28.00 1898 15.00 1908 17.10 1918 13.80 1889 16.25 1899 15.20 1909 15.00 1919 18.00 1890 11.00 1900 16.00 1910 15.00 1920 17.00 1891 16.50 1901 16.00 1911 17.00 1921 21.00 1892 15.20 1902 16.00 1912 rh b0 1922 20.90 1893 138.80 1908 16.20 19138 11.80 1923 22.90 1894 11.80 1904 16.20 1914 138.80 1924 21.90 Waterworks There being no suitable spring or stream near the city from which to obtain a supply of good water for the estab- lishment of the waterworks system, provided for in the Sani- tary Bond issue, exploration for water from underground sources was begun August 1, 1878. The point selected was on low ground in the suburb then known as “Springfield,” on the north side of Hogans Creek, west of Pine (Main) Street. Two-inch pipes were driven at different places in the locality, to a depth of 30 to 88 feet and tried with hand pumps; these showed considerable water at 30 feet below the surface. These experiments being considered satisfac- tory, 514 acres of land (now Waterworks park), were pur- chased for $3300. Dr. J. A. Cloud of Philadelphia, was awarded a contract for establishing the waterworks, a sys- tem of sewers, and other public work. The plans contem- plated a reservoir built down to rock bottom, and work on it was begun July 16, 1879. During the progress of the exca- vating work, a number of subterranean streams were opened. The reservoir was carried down to a depth of 31 feet; it was 48 feet in diameter at the bottom and 51 feet at the surface. The walls were bricked, and pipes were built-in to bring in water from the subterranean streams intersected. When completed, the depth of water in the reservoir averaged 27 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 321 feet, and the amount 375,000 gallons. The well was pro- tected by an octagon building; the pump house was built of gray Florida brick with stone trimmings. The pumping machinery comprised two Worthington Duplex engines with a capacity of 1,500,000 gallons daily. The waterworks as thus constructed was accepted by the Sanitary Bond Trustees July 6, 1880, and Dr. Cloud was paid $89,725, in Sanitary Bonds, for the job. The original system was in use until the fall of 1882, when there was an irruption of salt water into the streams supplying the reservoir, and the water became unfit for use. It was then found necessary to look elsewhere for a supply until a better solution could be reached. A temporary supply was obtained by throwing a dam across Hogans Creek, 500 yards above the plant, opposite Hansontown, and water from the pond thus created, was conveyed to the reservoir by means of a trunk 10x20 inches, constructed of 2-inch plank, and which was provided with a series of filters. At the same time the lateral pipes in the reservoir were sealed. The existence of numerous springs in the “valley” of the north branch of Hogans Creek induced further explorations for underground water, and by sinking wells to a depth of 75 feet, flowing wells were produced. This water was directed into the creek to augment the volume for use at the water- works. The water was generally considered unfit for drink- ing purposes, and the residents of Jacksonville, after a great deal of complaint, went back to the old system of cisterns and surface wells for drinking water. Explorations for underground water closer to the water- works plant were started in 1884. ‘| 210 5 = 4 = Whi ar ( ———-—-phy—- + = Uda et welche Bai Loe Bas K A sti 45. Gas Works. 46. ‘G rand View Hotel. 47. Park Theatre, _Seaeesens oe aan ees % KEY WEST RAILWAY PRESENTED BY JACKSONVILLE, TAMPA & KEY WEST RY. CO. oS. Meike" ¢ 4s HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 357 September 26, 1894, and the work had to be done over again. Though not entirely completed the shed was opened to trains February 4, 1895. It was an enormous structure one-fifth of a mile long by 520 feet wide, with a transcept 168x40 feet. The contract for the brick depot was let in June, 1896, to S. 8S. Leonard for $58,000. The building was completed Jan- uary 15, 1897, and covered 325x120 feet. This station served the traveling public for nearly a quarter of a century and for many years had the distinction of being the largest depot in the South. The wear and tear of years began to tell on this pile of brick and our present station grew out of a public demand for a more presentable depot for Jacksonville, as well as @ More commodious one.¢ Considerable wrangling arose in connection with the loca- tion of the new depot, as the city tried to force the railroads to change the site to one west of Myrtle Avenue. The change would have entailed an enormous additional expense on the Terminal Company and the railroads and they fought the proposition in the courts and before the railroad commission, and won. When these matters were settled plans were drawn for the present station, which included the preservation of most of the old brick depot fronting Bay Street. The land now covered by the concrete approach was then owned by private parties and was built up with brick buildings to Lee Street; the Terminal Company purchased this land and tore down the buildings in order to provide a suitable approach for the new station. Work was then started on relaying the tracks and rebuilding the sheds, work on the new depot having started in the meantime. The completed station was thrown open to the public at 12:01 a. m. November 17, 1919, the occasion being marked by no celebration. The 14 sandstone columns in front form an imposing entrance to the main waiting room, which is 125 feet long by 80 feet wide, with a dome 70 feet above the floor. The main building is con- structed of Tennessee marble and cost $750,000. The total cost of the improvement including trackage, sheds and pur- chases was $1,300,000.¢ seg REA a Chapter XVIII aMemoirs of Florida, FP. Fleming, 1902; bDiary of O. L. Keene, resident of Jacksonville at the time; a W. M. Bostwick, resident of Jacksonville at the time ; dReports of Federal army officers; eCorporate history of S. A. L., C. R. Capps, vice- pres.; fJ. R. Kenly, president A. C. L.; gLocal newspaper account published at the time ; ” hFlorida Weekly Dispatch, 1880-81 ; tHistory of A. C. L., H. D. Dozier, 1920; iE. S. Spencer, Gen. Mer., J. & S. W. Ry.; kCentennial Ps ‘of Macon (Ga.) Tele- graph ; mJ. E. Ingraham, vice-pres. Florida East Coast Ry.; gE. C. Long; sPaul Brown’s “Book of Jacksonville’, 1895; ‘Terms of City ordinance ; ean Loftin, Gen. Counsel, Oe COS ae 358 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER XIX RIVER NAVIGATION Early Steamboats The first steamer to ply the waters of the St. Johns River and the first in Florida was the George Washington, in 1830.° In 1834 the steamer Florida was running more or less regu- larly between Savannah and Picolata on the St. Johns. The Essayon carried troops and supplies up and down the river during the Seminole war.’ Along in the 1840’s, the Sarah Spaulding plied between Jacksonville and Lake Monroe. This was a high-pressure boat and she made a fearful noise while in operation. She was often used for near-by excur- sions on the river, and occasionally went to Fernandina by the inside route. Her accommodations comprised eight berths, four on each side, opening into the saloon, but pro- vided with curtains that could be drawn as a means of sep- aration.? The General Clinch ran between the St. Johns and Savannah in 1842. Then the Thorn made her appearance on the river, running to Palatka.” The Darlington came in 1852, and up to the time of the war was the regular boat between Jacksonville and Enter- prise. The Darlington was perhaps the best known of the early river boats. She was built in South Carolina in 1849, and for a time ran up the Pedee river into Darlington Dis- trict, hence her name.2 She was captured by the United States forces at the draw-bridge near Fernandina, in 1862, and remained in their possession until the close of the war, being used most of the time as a transport vessel. In 1857 the steamers Hattie Brock, Zephyr and William Barnett began running as up-river boats. The William Barnett met with disaster in about a year, when her boiler exploded, kill- ing her captain and a number of other persons.’ The Hattie Brock was captured far up the river by a Federal gunboat in 1864; she was confiscated, and sold in 1866,¢ but after the war she ran on the river as one of the Brock Line. The Savannah Line About 1845 a regular line between the St. Johns and Savannah was inaugurated. The pioneer vessels of this HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA ~~ 359 service were the Ocmulgee, St. Matthews, and William Gas- ton. The William Gaston was taken off this run in 1854, and was then used as a river boat. She towed many rafts up and down the river, and it was a peculiarity of her captain, Charles Willey, as soon as he rounded Commodore’s Point or Grassy Point, which was usually late in the night, to begin to sound his whistle and keep it blowing until he had reached his landing, to the great annoyance of midnight sleepers in Jacksonville.’ In 1851 two new steamers were put on the Savannah run —the Welaka and the Magnolia. The Magnolia ran only a short time, when her boiler exploded while she was off St. Simon’s Island, Ga., killing her captain, William T. McNelty. A few years later the Welaka was wrecked on the St. Johns bar. These vessels were replaced by the Seminole and the St. Johns, both of which likewise met with disaster, each in turn being burned at her dock at Jacksonville. The hull of the St. Johns was raised and rebuilt, and she ran on the same route until 1862; after the war she ran under the name of Helen Getty.® The last of the early boats built for this line was the St. Marys, in 1857.2 In February, 1864, the St. Marys, while loading cotton, was blockaded in McGirts Creek by the Fed- eral gunboat Norwich, and to prevent capture was sunk there by her crew.‘ She had escaped capture on a previous occa- sion by dodging into Trout Creek just as the United States gunboat that was looking for her came up the river. The St. Marys then came out, went down the river, and out to sea, bound for Nassau, N. P.¢ The St. Marys lay buried in McGirts Creek until March, 1865, when she was raised, re- built,¢ and eventually placed on her old run under the name of Nick King. The Charleston Steamers In 1851, the Florida began running regularly between Palatka, Jacksonville, and Charleston. Two years later the Carolina was put on, and in 1857, the Everglade, then the Cecile, and a short time before the war the Gordon and the Calhoun. The Gordon became famous as the vessel on which the Confederate commissioners ran the blockade at Charles- ton and proceeded to Havana.? 860 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA In 1860 a party of Jacksonville people bought a steamer with the intention of starting a line between Jacksonville and New York. This vessel, the Flambeau, was bought in the North. She was put on the ways for repairs, but the war came on and the enterprise was abandoned, the stockholders losing what they had put into it.f A Federal gunboat by this name operated in Southern waters during the war? and it is not improbable that she was the same vessel that the Jack- sonville people had bought in 1860. In the early days, the steamers burned lightwood knots for fuel, and a great volume of dense black smoke was emitted from their stacks. Some idle person was generally on the lookout, and when the smoke of a steamer was seen, he would start the cry, “Steamboat, steamboat, coming round the point,’’ when the inhabitants would collect at the wharf, to hear the latest news. The arrival of a steamer in those days was an event of much importance.4 After the War The Federal gunboats swept the St. Johns clear of river steamboats, but when peace was declared a few of the old- timers found their way back into the trade. The Darlington returned and was the pioneer boat on the river for many years. The Hattie Brock came back; likewise the St. Johns, renamed Helen Getty, and the St. Marys, renamed Nick King.’ The Robert Lear was the first boat to Enterprise after the war. Soon other boats made their appearance, gradually increasing in numbers until in the early 1880’s the river fairly swarmed with them, carrying passengers up and down the river or loaded to the gunwales with freight. The orange trees set out after the war on the estates up the river had come into full bearing, and as there were no railroads south of Jacksonville, this was a lucrative business for the river boats. They played their part, and a most important one, too, in the development of Jacksonville, as they made the St. Johns River into a pulsating artery of trade, furnishing the only means of transportation for freight and passengers to a large portion of the peninsula. The spirit of rivalry among some of the steamboat lines developed a number of passenger boats the equal of those anywhere in the United States. The John Sylvester and the Sylvan Glen were very fast boats belonging to different lines. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 361 Their schedule to Palatka was the same and each round-trip was a race from which they frequently returned only a few minutes apart. The passengers entered into the spirit of these races with the greatest enthusiasm, and accounts of these exciting incidents, sometimes from the pen of nation- ally prominent people, often appeared in the Northern press.’ We read “Hundreds of pecple go to the wharves to see the steamboats off. Strains of music fill the air and all is hurry and bustle. Just as the minute hand of the clock reaches the hour of departure, they are off; the music grows fainter and fainter as it recedes, and the crowds return to the fashion- able promenade on Bay Street, to assemble again the next day”.’ Everything was done for the interest and pleasure of the passengers, even the negro deck hands collected at night to sing their quaint, weird song's and lullabies for the entertainment of the tourists aboard.' The Northern visitors returned to their homes carrying with them lasting dream- like recollections of these trips on the historic St. Johns.’ With the building of the railroads southward from Jack- sonville the passenger boats, one by one, were sent away to other waters.’ The D. H. Mount In 1865 the D. H. Mount started running between New York and Jacksonville, but on her second voyage from New York she was lost, presumably off Hatteras on October 28, 1865. There were 23 persons on board bound for Florida, among them some prominent Jacksonville people, including S. L. Burritt, and Mrs. J. C. Greeley and son. Nothing was ever heard of the Mount and all of her passengers perished.” The following is a list of boats that have plied the St. Johns since the war.+ At one time or another, some of these boats were attached to different lines, hence the duplication of names in the list. . Jacksonville-Savannah Service This service was resumed after the close of the war. The boats that ran on this line were Helen Getty (old St. Johns), Lizzie Baker, Sylvan Shore (New York-Harlem {Credit to Captain H. D. DeGrove (President of Independent Line of Steamers) for the greater part of this information. 7 wr MT LN \ \\y Ne Z tlh Saloon of a St. Johns River Steamboat, 1884. From a drawing in Webb’s History of Florida. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 363 boat), and Nick King (old St. Marys).° This was called the “Outside Line” and was discontinued when the “Inside Line”’ was inaugurated on October 19, 1877, the City of Bridgetown making the initial trip. Other boats of this line were: David Clark, Carrie, Darlington, Katie, Reliance, Florida, St. Nicho- las. This service was discontinued after several years of operation. Jacksonville-Charleston Line About the time the Jacksonville-Savannah Outside Line was started a line was put on to Charleston. The first boats were: Lizzie Baker, City Point, Dictator, Charleston.’ These were followed by St. Johns, City of Palatka, City of Monti- cello (formerly City of Norfolk). The operation of the Jack- sonville-Charleston line continued until the Clyde New York- Jacksonville service started in 1886. Brock Line In 1867 the Brock Line of river boats was organized and included: Florence, Darlington, Hattie Brock. After Cap- tain Brock’s death some years later, his boats were sold in 1881 in the settlement of his estate.’ Pioneer Line When the Brock Line ceased the Pioneer automatically became the oldest line on the river.? It was composed of small boats for service up the river: Arrow, Volusia, Fox, and Daylight. DeBary-Baya Merchants Line The DeBary Line originated in 1876, when at the request of the public Frederick DeBary started the George M. Bird as a passenger boat between Enterprise and Jacksonville. Prior to this, Mr. DeBary, who owned a fine estate on Lake Monroe, used the George M. Bird as a transport for his horses and dogs up and down the river on hunting expedi- tions, or for fishing trips.” The contract for carrying the mails was awarded to him in 1880, and two other steamboats were added. From time to time others were put on, until the DeBary Line constituted the largest on the river. 364 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Captain H. T. Baya also had brought together a line of fine steamboats established in 1878, and the two lines came in close competition with each other. This brought about a consolidation in March, 1883, under the name of DeBary- . Baya Merchants Line. The DeBary steamboats: Geo. M. Bird, Rosa, Fannie Duggan, Welaka, Everglade, Anita (formerly Florence), Frederick DeBary, City of Jacksonville. The Baya Line: Spitfire, Georgea, Gazelle, Water Lily, Pastime, Magnolia, Sylvan Glen, H. T. Baya. In the consolidation some of these boats were released to other lines. The DeBary-Baya line was absorbed by the Clyde interests in June, 1889, and became the Clyde St. Johns River Line. The City of Jacksonville and the Frederick De- Bary were retained for this service. The DeBary was re- placed by the Osceola January 8, 1914./ Jacksonville-Palatka Daylight Line Most of the boats of this line were fast boats for their day. The line was inaugurated in 1876, when the Hampton made the first trip. The boats from first to last were: Hamp- ton, General Sedgewick, J. B. Schuyler, Cygnus, George R. Kelsey, John Sylvester, Eliza Hancox, H. T. Baya, Sylvan Glen, Vigilant. People’s (Plant System) Line Inaugurated in 1883, by the Plant System of Railways to connect the terminals at Jacksonville and Sanford. It was a fine fleet comprising: H. B. Plant (first all-steel steamer built in United States): Margaret (formerly Geo. R. Kelsey), Chattahoochee, Jennie Lane, H. B. Plant No. 2. When the railroad terminals were later connected by rail the passenger boats of the People’s Line were taken off the run and sent elsewhere. Jacksonville-Green Cove Springs Line Enterprise, Mary Draper, Euphemia, Port Royal, Flora, Captain Miller, Manatee, James E. Stevens, Florence Wither- bee, May Garner, Magnolia. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 365 Jacksonville-Crescent City Line Flora, Euphemia, Erie, Crescent City (formerly Harry Hill), Governor Safford, Georgea, Pilot Boy, Crescent, Clif- ton, Cliveden, Attaquin, Star. Palatka-Crescent City Line Escort, Princess, Lavinia, Mary Draper, Harry Lee, Put- nam, Comet, Eulalia. Spring Garden Line Clifton, Daylight, Picolata, City of Georgetown, Spring Garden. Jacksonville-New Smyrna Line (Outside) Greenwich, Fearless, Athlete. Jacksonville-Middleburg Line Twilight, Pioneer, Gertrude Dudley, Heck. Jacksonville-Mayport-Fort George Island Line Edith, Rockaway, Silver Spring, Mary Draper, City of Brunswick, Pope Catlin, Mayport, Kate Spencer, David Kemps, May Garner, Thos. Collier II, Mabel F., Gazelle, Water Lily, Falcon, Hessie, Nell. River Tugs and Tow Boats Islander, Cracker Boy, Flora Temple, Rosa II, Mary How- ard, Magnet, Louise, Homer, Twilight, Trojan, H. M. C. Smith, Philadelphia, Robert Turner, Ruby, Neptune, The Barnett, Sadie, Hoo-Hoo, Howland, Ruth E., L. H. Pelton, St. Johns, Volunteer, Lavinia, Bertha Ritta, Cadillac, Frank, R. L. Mabey, Oyster Boy, Seth Low, J. E. Stevens, Kate Spencer, Admiral Dewey, Three Friends (gained wide noto- riety as Cuban filibuster), Mascotte, Biscayne, Godfrey Keebler, Billow, Annie H., Kate Cannon, Bullfrog, Arctic, I. R. Staples, Dauntless (famous filibuster), Alexander Jones, Harold, S. S. Brewster, Martha Helen, Bona Cord, Redwing, Katherine, Catherine G., Sadie, Tupper. 366 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Independent Boats Camusi, Chesapeake, Clayton, Belle of the Coast, Emmit Small, Farmer, Governor Worth, Lawrence, Mermaid, Mys- tic, Missoe, Orange Maid, Queen of the St. Johns, Santee, Sappho, Swan, Thos. Collier I, U. S. Grant, W. T. Wheeless. Ocklawaha River Boats These were strange craft built expressly for navigation on the Ocklawaha River. They were propelled by a small recess wheel built in the stern to protect it from snags, and it is probable that no such construction was used anywhere else in the world. The boats were: Okahumkee, Forrester, Tuskawilla, Osceola, Marion, Ocklawaha, Alligator, Astatula, Lollie Boy, Mary Howard, Matemora, Silver Spring, Wekiwa, Waunita, Hiawatha. Ferryboats at Jacksonville The Topsy and the Fanny Fern were ferryboats running to different landings near Jacksonville in the late 1860’s and early 1870’s.c The Louise was a ferry connecting railroad terminals at Tocoi and West Tocoi; afterward between Jack- sonville and the J. M. P. Railway terminus at Arlington. Uncle Sam was the car ferry between Jacksonville and the terminus of the J., St. A. & H. R. Railway at South Jack- sonville./ The regular steam ferry boats between Jacksonville and South Jacksonville in the order of their service were: Arms- mear, Mechanic, Ravenswood, Commodore Barney, Duval, Dixieland (small naphtha), South Jacksonville. Nearly all of the St. Johns River boats became famous locally in one way or another; some had a wider sphere of celebrity, and a few were known throughout the United States. The fate of a large number of them was one of dis- aster and their remains lie scattered from the bar to the far upper reaches of the river and along the coast from Bruns- wick to New Smyrna. When the waterfront of South Jack- sonville was bulkheaded and filled in, the remnants of many of them were covered up, as that was a favorite dumping- ground for those worn out in service. All left a history in- terwoven with romance—the romance of the St. Johns River. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 367 The Mallory Line In 1878, the government began dredging work at the mouth of the river to deepen the channel at the bar. With this improvement the Mallory Line opened a steamer service to Jacksonville, on November 5, 1878, when the Western Texas came in. This was the largest vessel that had ever entered the river up to that time and her arrival was marked by a great celebration in Jacksonville. The completion of the Fernandina & Jacksonville railroad in 1881 caused the abandonment of the service in April of that year. The steamers engaged in the Jacksonville service were: Western Texas, City of Dallas, City of San Antonio.’ Clyde Line Passenger Service’ The first steamer of the Clyde Line, the Cherokee, Cap- tain Leo Vogel, steamed up the river Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1886, amidst the boom of Wilson’s battery and a boisterous welcome by river craft. The arrival of the big steamer was celebrated by a banquet and a general jubilee. The line opened with one ship a week, the Cherokee and the Seminole being assigned for this purpose. The Seminole’s first arrival was on December 1, 1886. During the yellow fever epidemic of 1888, the Clyde serv- ice was discontinued for three months. At its close in De- cember, the service was resumed and two new ships were added, the Iroquois and the Yemassee, with a schedule of two sailings a week. The Delaware was assigned to the Jackson- ville service for the winter of 1889-90, and a schedule of three sailings a week was maintained during that winter. The Algonquin was built and placed in the service, her first ar- rival being on October 3, 1890. The Comanche arrived on December 7, 1895. These additions gave Jacksonville a per- manent schedule of three sailings a week to Charleston and New York. In 1901, the Apache and the Arapahoe were both built and placed on the line, the Apache arriving on her maiden voyage June 22, and the Arapahoe on August 5. In 1905, the Huron was converted from a freighter and placed on the passenger run for a number of years. Then the Mo- hawk came, making her first entrance into port November 10, 1908, just 20 years after the inauguration of the service, and again the occasion was celebrated. Last in the list was 868 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA the Lenape, the queen of the fleet; her first arrival was on January 24, 1918. For years the Clyde Line maintained two docks at Jack- sonville, one at the foot of Hogan Street and the other at Washington Street. The Hogan Street pier was burned September 15, 1889, but was rebuilt and enlarged. These piers becoming inadequate, nearly two blocks of riverfront between Washington and Market Streets were acquired, and on July 7, 1910, the preliminary work on new terminals was begun. These piers, each 150x450 feet, were constructed at a cost of $500,000 complete. They were opened May 15, 1911, with the docking of the Arapahoe. Docking for six ships at a time is afforded. Two of these piers were greatly damaged by fire April 8, 1917, entailing a loss of $189,000; they were immediately rebuilt. The Clyde Line has been an important factor in the growth and development of Jackson- ville. Merchants and Miners Line’ The announcement early in 1909, that the Merchants and Miners Transportation Company had decided to extend its Baltimore-Savannah line to Jacksonville, created a great deal of interest here. The service was opened with the arrival of the Merrimack on June 21, 1909. J.C. Whitney, president, and other high officials of the company were aboard; they were given a banquet by the Board of Trade, and the oc- casion was celebrated in other ways with much enthusiasm. The service opened with three sailings a week, the first vessels arriving: Merrimack, June 21; Cretan, June 22; In- dian, June 25; Chatham, June 27; Itasca, June 29. The Itasca was supplanted by the Parthian, which arrived on July 18, 1909. A series of mishaps befell the M. & M. ships in 1910. The Chatham, while attempting to enter the river in a dense fog, went on the north jetty January 14, 1910, and became a total wreck; there was no loss of life. The Quantico, taking the place of the Chatham, ran on a sand-bar near Mayport on her maiden voyage January 26, 1910; she was floated off on the next tide without damage. OnFebruary 16, 1910, the Parthian rammed and sank the steamer Magic City off Pilot Town. There have been no accidents to the ships of this service since then. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 369 Early in 1911 the M. & M. terminals on East Bay Street near Hogans Creek were enlarged and on May 27, 1911, the Jacksonville-Philadelphia line was opened with the arrival of the Berkshire. This service was opened with the Berkshire and the Lexington; in the winter the Indian was added, pro- viding two sailings a week to Philadelphia, which in 1912 was increased to three, and with three sailings to Baltimore, the M. & M. provided six sailings a week from Jacksonville. Among the ships that have had regular service between Jacksonville and Baltimore and Philadelphia may be men- tioned: Merrimack, Cretan, Indian, Chatham, Itaska, Par- thian, Quantico, Essex, Lexington, Suwanee, Somerset, Berkshire, Tucsan, Frederick, Persian, Dorchester, Ontario, Nantucket, Powhatan, Gioucester, Juanita, Allegheny. Fate of Some of the St. Johns River Boats” Alexander Jones—Wrecked on the Florida east coast. Anita —Went North in 1889 and was burned at Boston. Armsmear —Burned at Palatka, where she was running as a ferryboat at the time. Arrow—Sank at South Jacksonville. Athlete— Burned en route to New Smyrna February 12, 1886. Belle of the Coasi—Burned at Carrollton, La., January 8, 1897. Bertha Ritta—Burned off Black Point February 25, 1911. Cadillac—Sank at Palatka. Camusi—Burned at Palatka, Jan- uary 26, 1894. Catherine G.—Sank above Palatka. City of Brunswick-—Caught fire at her dock at Mayport, 1898; was cut loose, drifted up to St. Johns Bluff, where she sank. City of Jacksonville—Wrecked at Portsmouth, N. C., September 19, 1899; was afterward reclaimed and put back into service. City of Sanford—Burned off Point LaVista at 4 a.m. April 24, 1882, with loss of eight lives. Comet—Sank at Crescent City. Commodore Barney—Sank at her slip at foot of Newnan Street in September, 1901; remained there several months; was raised, towed over to the railroad bridge, where her remains now lie. Darlington—Career closed by boiler explosion near Savannah. David Clark—Burned at Fernandina October 7, 1889. David Kemps—Burned on Black Creek June 18, 1897. Escort—Burned near Palatka. Euphemia—Stranded on shores of Dunn’s Lake, where her hull was in evidence many years. Everglade—Burned at Jacksonville. Fannie Duggan—Stranded in Lake Monroe in 1885. Florence Witherbee—Went to New Orleans; struck a snag, sank and was left on the bottom. 570 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Frederick DeBary—Burned at her Laura Street slip December 3, 1883; was rebuilt; finally went to Tampa and renamed City of Tampa. Gazelle—Burned in 1877; rebuilt and went North. Georgea—Burned on St. Johns River. H. B. Plant l— Burned at Lake Beresford April 29, 1890; three negro deck hands drowned. Hampton—Started for South America and was lost in a storm. Harry Lee—Sank near Palatka. How- land.—Sank at South Jacksonville; never raised. Jsis—Sank in Lake George November 6, 1882, with loss of three lives. J. E. Stevens—Burned at Mayport July 26,1894. Kate Spencer —Foundered on Sapelo bar (Ga.) July 6, 1898. Lizzie Baker— Wrecked in north channel at mouth of St. Johns in April, 1880. Louise—Ferryboat; struck a snag and sank in St. Johns River February 16, 1890; negro deck hand drowned; was raised and afterward burned at Arlington. Margaret— Wrecked near Cape Henry September 29, 1895. Mary Draper —Was sunk in a collision with Kate Spencer; raised, went to Charleston where she was burned and rebuilt three times; a remarkable boat and is still in service. Martha Helen— Burned at foot of Ocean Street February 6, 1910; engineer burned to death. Mascott—Wrecked on Cumberland Beach March 29, 1893. Mayport—Caught fire at her dock at May- port December 22, 1898; was cut loose and drifted out to sea burning. Mechanic—Ferryboat; wore out in service and lies buried under the South Jacksonville waterfront. Mermaid— Burned at Jacksonville. Oyster Boy—Burned at mouth of Trout Creek. Pastime—Sank at Tampa. Pelton—-Lost in storm while at work on over-sea railroad at Key West. Port Royal—Sank at Green Cove Springs; was raised, towed to Jacksonville and burned here while undergoing repairs, Octo- ber 31, 1887. Ravenswood—Ferryboat; burned at her slip in South Jacksonville January 138, 1895. Red Wing—Sank near Jacksonville. Reliance—Went down between Jacksonville and Savannah as a result of boiler explosion. Robert Turner—Lost at sea near Savannah. Seth Low—Burned at mouth of Trout Creek; her remains and those of the Oyster Boy lie side by side. Star—Burned on Crescent Lake. Starlight—Burned at Sanford May 11, 1878; her crew and passengers had a nar- row escape. 7rojan—Burned near Green Cove Springs March 2, 1903. Twilight—Sank in Black Creek July 31, 1887, Engi- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 371 neer Grant Connor drowned; boat was raised and rebuilt in 1890. Volusia—Destroyed by boiler explosion at her slip at foot of Newnan Street December 2, 1882. Bibliography, Chapter XIX aHistorical sketch in Jacksonville city directory, 1870; bMemoirs of Florida, Flem- ing; cSt. Augustine Herald, published in 1834; dMrs. W. M. Bostwick; eWar of Rebel- lion, Official Records, etc.; fO. L. Keene; gDr. J. C. L’Engle; hJ. C. Greeley ; iCapt. H. D. DeGrove; j;Newspaper files; kAncient, Colonial and Modern Florida, Welsh; /Rec- ords of the Clyde Line; mHistory of Florida, Webb; nDates taken from notices in loca! newspapers. 372 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CHAPTER XX URBAN TRANSPORTATION The first wheeled vehicles in this vicinity were the ox- carts and stage hacks of the pioneer period. The first wheeled vehicle that Jacksonville could claim as strictly its own was a dray driven by a venerable colored man named Sam Reed and drawn by as venerable a mule named John. This combination not only did the draying for the town, but it was also the town hearse in the early 1850’s. Rowboats supplied the place of carriages; otherwise the people rode horseback or walked. The rowboat came into its own for marooning parties and picnics under the trees on the banks of the beautiful St. Johns. The sulky and the buggy were here before the War Between the States; but the saddle horse as a means of getting about never lost its prestige. There was a Spirit of sport involved in this, too, which attained such popularity that we find the Aldermen of Jacksonville in 1857 promulgating an ordinance prohibiting horse-racing on the streets of the town. The omnibus and the street hack made their appearance soon after the war. Then came wagons and drays in number, and buggies and carriages for pleasure driving were without novelty on the streets; but one day in the winter of 1869-70 there drove into town a vehicle that caused the people to stop and gaze. This outfit was a high two-seated surrey of the then latest type, drawn tandem by high-spirited perfectly matched bob-tailed bays whose harness shone with decora- tions like polished gold and was strung with bells like the sleigh-bells of the North. It was the hobby of Charles Mau- rice Camille, Marquis de Talleyrand-Perigord, who in 1869 bought the old Miliwood place northeast of Jacksonville. He spent several winters here and always drove about in spec- tacular style. The Talleyrand section derives its name from him. Street Cars The Jacksonville Horse Railroad Company was chartered in December, 1875, for the purpose of inaugurating a street HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 3873 car system here. Construction was started, but owing to financial and other difficulties the company allowed its fran- chise to lapse. The Jacksonville Street Railway Company, composed of H. B. Plant and associates, was incorporated December 23, 1879, and the City Council passed an ordinance January 14, 1880, granting the company a franchise to lay its tracks on Bay, Catherine, Duval, Hogan, Forsyth and Julia Streets. The line was opened in the fall of 1880. Finding that it did not pay to run cars on Catherine, Duval and Forsyth Streets, the tracks on these streets were removed with the consent of the Council. The line was then extended toward East Jacksonville and to the Fair Grounds in Fairfield; then on Hogan from Bay to Beaver, thence west to Clay. The barns were where they are now, in Brooklyn. The schedule was “once every 30 minutes” and the price of a ride 5 cents. The locomotive was a mule, popularly called a “hay-burner”’. A mule’s bray is not usually considered sweet music, but such announcement of the approaching “rapid transit” was a comforting sound to the patiently waiting citizen of Jackson- ville in the 1880’s. Pine (Main) Street Line: In 1882 a company was chartered to build a street car line on Pine Street from Bay to what is now Eighth Street in Springfield, then considered far out in the woods. The line was completed and put into operation within a year by B. Upton. In August, 1884, the line was leased to G. A. Backenstoe, and the new owner set to work improving it and sawdusted the street to the terminus in Springfield, where he built a skating rink, dinner hall and restaurant with a view to making the terminus an attractive resort. It did not pay, however, and the property was taken over by S. B. Hubbard and associates, who were then develop- ing Springfield. The line soon after this was extended east on Eighth Street to Walnut, to First, to Pine—the same loop that exists today. Jacksonville and LaVilla Street Railway: The company that built this line was organized in April, 1884. Tracks were laid on Newnan Street from Bay to Forsyth; thence on For- syth to Laura, to Adams, and west on Adams to Myrtle Avenue, the terminus being at Burch’s brickyard. The line was opened January 24, 1885, with a big celebration. It was 374 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA in operation about a year, when it was absorbed by the Jack- sonville Street Railway Company. The tracks east of Bridge (Broad) Street were taken up and the tracks of the Jackson- ville Street Railway extended up Bridge from Bay to Adams and connected with the tracks on Adams Street running to the brickyard in LavVilla. Jacksonville and Suburban Railway: The city approved the charter of the company that built this line July 1, 1884, and the line was completed that winter. The route was on Ocean Street from Bay to Duval; thence to Washington, to Union, east on Union beyond the old City Cemetery, and north to Campbell’s Addition, the line being built primarily to develop that property. It was operated with two mule cars and a 20-minute schedule, fare 5 cents. This line was in operation about two years, when it was probably purchased by the Jacksonville Street Railway Company. The tracks on Ocean Street were removed and laid on Newnan Street. From these four crude mule car lines developed the street railway system of Jacksonville today. The Plant Investment Company acquired the property of its last competitor, the Main (Pine) Street Railway Company, in April, 1900, and changed the gauge of the latter to stand- ard (in 1901) as required by a city ordinance. The Plant Investment Company sold its Jacksonville street railway holdings to Stone & Webster in 1902. The first electric street car in Jacksonville was run on the Main Street line February 24, 1898, from Bay Street to the waterworks; it was well patronized and discussed by the citizens. This line was completely converted into an electric line March 16, 1898, when the first car went around the Walnut Street loop. The Jacksonville Street Railway Co. ran its first electric car March 1, 1895, on Bay Street, and in the following May withdrew the last horse-drawn street car in Jacksonville. In February, 1886, the street car line was extended from the barns in Brooklyn to the end of May Street in Riverside (immediately in the rear of the San Juline Apartments), then the edge of a swamp. This was a negro picnic ground for years. From May Street the line was extended to the vicinity of Willow Branch in 1901. In 1909 the Ortega Company completed a line from Ortega to connect with the line of the Jacksonville Electric Co. at Aberdeen Avenue; the HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 875 Ortega line was acquired by the latter in March, 1911. The line was extended to Camp Johnston in April, 1918. The Lackawanna Avenue-Seaboard Shops line was opened in 1910. Street car service to Murray Hill began January 1, 1914. The Main Street car line was extended to Evergreen Cem- etery and Phenix Park in the fall of 1901, and to Cummer’s Mill in 1910. The Pearl Street loop was completed in Jan- ary, 1908. The Eighth Street extension through Glen Myra to Talleyrand Avenue was completed in July, 1917. The extension to the State Fair Grounds was made in Febru- ary, 1918. The Pearl-Hogan Street line was opened in Sep- tember, 1923. The South Jacksonville line opened May 15, 1924. It is owned by the City of South Jacksonville and operated by the Jacksonville Traction Co. The small ‘‘one-man” cars were first used July 28, 1922. In 1919 the Jacksonville Traction Co., claiming that it was operating at a financial loss, appealed to the City Council for a change in its charter so as to permit an increase in fare. The Council called an election at the expense of the street railway company to decide the matter and the voters rejected it three to one. The case was taken before the State Railroad Commission and after a year’s struggle the street railway company was authorized to increase the fare from 5 to 7 cents, which became effective December 15, 1920; the street railway company had two months before gone into the hands of areceiver. The present fare, 10 cents straight, or 5 tokens for 35 cents, became effective June 2, 1924. The Ferry A public ferry across the St. Johns River was mentioned by Bartram in 1774; it was probably used in connection with the Kings Road. This ferry was operated from the south side of the river and it would be interesting to know just how a traveler on the north side wishing to cross managed to attract the attention of the ferryman a mile away on the opposite side. It was said that hours of gesticulating, riding up and down the bluff (at Liberty Street) and firing of guns and pistols failed to attract notice. The first ferry from the north side was John Brady’s dug-out in Spanish times. Soon after Jacksonville was platted the matter of a ferry received Legislative action 376 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA and in December, 1824, a franchise was granted to John L. Doggett; this franchise was renewed in 1838 for seven years. The system of rowing passengers and flatting horses and cattle across the river prevailed up to the War Between the States. The service from Jacksonville was eventually placed under the supervision of the Town Marshal, who received a portion of the tolls collected for flatting cattle across the river. After the war a system of steam ferries grew up, with calls at different nearby landings on both sides of the river. The small side-wheel steamers Topsy and Fanny Fern were engaged in this service for years. Upon the completion of the railroad from South Jacksonville to St. Augustine in 1883 a small steam ferryboat, the Armsmear, was put on to carry passengers across the river; she was the pioneer of the regular ferry service of subsequent years. In 1886, upon the purchase of the St. Augustine railroad by Henry M. Flagler, the ferry franchise was included, but for certain reasons Mr. Flagler desired that it be operated as the J. T. & K. W. ferry and it was so known while under his ownership. The railroad bridge across the river was completed in Jan- uary, 1890, whereupon the service was discontinued as a railroad ferry and operated as a local ferry. In March, 1892, J. A. Russell and associates leased the ferry to furnish a connection with the proposed extension of the J. M. & P. Railroad from Arlington to South Jackson- ville. Archer Harman soon afterward became president of the ferry company as well as the railroad, and the suits against the railroad involved the ferry more or less. In the final disposition the property reverted to the J., St. A.& I. R. Railroad Co., and in 1895 was sold to Edward Morley. In 1897 the ferry was being operated by a company headed by H. H. Hoffman and it was so operated until 1901, when the Jacksonville Steam Ferry & Terminal Company took it over. In September, 1901, the ferryboat Commodore Barney sank in her slip at the foot of Newnan Street and remained there six months. Following this the ferry service became a make- shift with temporary boats, ending in the franchise passing to G. D. Jackson and Louis Barberie; but they also were unable to make a success of it on account of being hampered by injunctions when they attempted to make important im- provements. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 377 Interests headed by J. M. Barrs acquired the ferry fran- chise in 1904; built the ferryboat Duval, and placed her in service Sept. 20, 1904, her first trip being made from the foot of Main Street, which for the first time was used for ferry purposes. This change from Newnan to Main Street was made in the face of injunctions brought by private parties, it was said for business reasons; but the ferry company con- tinued to use Main Street, built the slip and erected the pres- ent terminals in 1905. On March 15, 1905, the County Com- missioners granted the ferry company, which had been incor- porated as the South Jacksonville Steam Ferry Co., a fran- chise under which extensive improvements were made in South Jacksonville. The ferry company then bulkheaded the river front on the south side and improved it as Dixieland Park (see page 233.) The South Jacksonville Steam Ferry Company sold out to the Ames Realty Company in July, 1912; the new owners changed the corporate name to Jacksonville Ferry & Land Company. With the growing popularity of the ocean beaches and the increasing use of the automobile the ferry became a bonanza for its owners. Before the Jacksonville-St. Johns River Bridge was built in 1921, it was not unusual on Sun- days and special occasions, though two large ferry-boats were in use, for a line of automobiles awaiting their turn to cross the river to form reaching from Broad Street to the ferry slip at Main. On one occasion the line extended out East Bay Street to Florida Avenue, thence beyond St. Andrew’s church in East Jacksonville; the last automobile of that line reached the ferry three hours later. Upon the opening of the highway bridge across the river July 1, 1921, the business of the ferry was reduced almost to the point of non-profit, which resulted in a curtailment of the ferry service and the sale of one of the boats, the South Jacksonville. Bicycles The bicycle is entitled to a place in history, not alone for the pleasure it gave during the twenty years of its popularity prior to the coming of the automobile, but also for its con- tribution to the development of sections adjacent to the city and its service as the pathfinder of most of the local improved boulevards today. 378 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The first bicycle appeared in Jacksonville about 1885 and was said to have been owned by Harry Lampkin. It was an “Ordinary”, the high kind with a 60-inch front wheel and a small wheel behind, metal tired and without chain gear. The owner of the next “Ordinary” here was Evelyn Sanderson, who afterwards became an expert rider and won most of the prizes in the early amateur racing contests in this section. The low, diamond frame, solid rubber tired “safeties” with chain gear appeared in Jacksonville about 1888, when the “Ordinaries” soon became classed as curios. The first lady’s bicycle in the State was a “Victoria”, ordered for Miss Alice Robinson of Jacksonville, and it arrived in October, 1890. Then followed an epoch wherein the bicycle became an important factor in social life. There were fashionable bicycle parties and picnics, moonlight rides along the river out Talleyrand way, and along the railroad to Panama. Bicycle parties searched out the by-paths into the country and by popular usage blazed the way for most of our hard- roads. Asa social feature the bicycle had its ascendancy and decline within the decade 1890-1900, the cause being ascribed by an authority to the fact that “They (the women) tired of it, as they do of every muscular sport, except when novelty gives a brief stimulus or social opportunity. The lamp laws nearly killed evening parties, the chief use they could make of the bicycle”. It was not so with men, who continued to use the bicycle for both business and pleasure until the auto- mobile came into more or less general use in 1906-7-8. Today the use of the bicycle is confined to light delivery and mes- senger service and to boys and girls for pleasure. In the heyday of bicycle popularity the Wheelmen’s Club of Jacksonville was an important organization. The first club was organized November 23, 1887, with J. H. Crosby, president, and L. A. Wilson, captain. The yellow fever epidemic of 1888 broke up the club, but it was reorganized afterward and was in existence until 1907, when it disbanded and sold its club house just west of the Law Exchange build- ing to the Church Club for $13,000. Of those residents of Jacksonville before the fire who may read these lines, some will remember the donax speed- way near the Old Soldiers’ Home and a moonlight ride around the “belt” and back to town; some will muse—and close the vision with a sweitzer sandwich while Nick Arend “scraped the foam”’. ; ] a 7 ee eee et) ’ ’ a sth ‘ Lh . 2 + ry La Pras ; - or 4 ; , ’- e. * * , , os Wy : Va | \ f F a oe, a 7 Uae ee hy Nes ng baad ARREST net yt a or %s mii ran a oF pray oy are. nae ot faye ky +9 Lv Be IE PP en rae Cok . 4 f : W a DD," . — “Inoy uv Sal QF JO posds @ Jo ajqedeo 1vd 10,0W-WUe—a4s “d “Y-¢ B SVM I] “OO6T ‘FP AtenuBeP UO SUTALLIV ‘a][IAUOS YO JO YAR[D “W SepTeYyH 04 A.tojVF 9Y} wioiy poddiys pue voltoury Jo Aueduioy a[iqoulov0'7T ay] Aq spew SVM OUTYIeU STU, ydeisojoyd ev wo1y “VaIHOTHA NI ATIAMOWOLIVY AGVW-AYOLOVA LSUId HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 379 Automobiles The first autocar in Jacksonville was devised and built by John Einig of this city in the summer of 1896. In general body appearance it resembled a narrow buggy with high iron-tired wheels. The motor was a small steam engine that threw out a blinding cloud of steam when running and made a noise that caused it to become known as “‘Einig’s chug-chug wagon”. Its mechanism confined it to the paved streets. The heat generated by the engine was so great that it was uncomfortable for long runs. Two single seats were pro- vided. An illustrated description of this motor-buggy was published in the Scientific American and the publicity brought many inquiries to the inventor. Mr. Einig was finally induced to sell his machine to an Englishman for $1,000, and it was crated and shipped to New York. Its subsequent history is unknown. In 1899 Mr. Einig purchased an auto-carriage of French design and had it shipped to Jacksonville. It was equipped with a gasoline motor made in France. It arrived in sections and was assembled by its new owner, who made a number of refinements upon it. This machine was first seen on the streets here July 4, 1899. It did not prove entirely satisfac- tory and was eventually discarded. Charles A. Clark was the first local resident to own a factory-made stock car. It was a locomobile known as Stan- ley No. 2, made by the Locomobile Company of America. It resembled a buggy of ordinary size, with wheels equipped with bicycle pneumatic tires. The motive power was a 5 h. p. steam engine capable of a driving speed of 40 miles an hour under favorable conditions. The machine weighed 450 pounds and cost at the factory $650. It arrived in Jackson- ville January 4, 1900, and was the first automobile in Florida and was said to have been the first in the Southeast. The automobile as a business proposition saw its start in Jacksonville about 1903 and probably the first newspaper advertisement of an automobile dealer in the State was that of Fred E. Gilbert in the Times-Union of October 25, 1908. Mr. Gilbert opened the first garage here and was the pioneer of the business in Jacksonville; he was an enthusiast without a peer; Atlantic Boulevard to the beach was largely the result of his enthusiasm and persistent effort. 380 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA On November 8, 1903, the first automobile parade in Flor- ida was a feature of the Gala-week carnival, there being 26 machines of various makes, types, and styles in line; at that time 32 automobiles were owned in Jacksonville, and the fact was highly advertised to stress the progressiveness of the city. The city then passed a speed-limit ordinance and the first arrest for exceeding the limit of six miles an hour in the down-town section was on April 30, 1904, when a prom- inent business man was hailed into court. The next step was the organization of the first local automobile club on March 16, 1905, known as the Jacksonville Automobile and Motor Boat Club, with H. A. McEachern, president; Charles A. Clark and Fred E. Gilbert, vice-presidents; Herbert Race, secretary-treasurer. In the fall of 1905 the number of auto- mobiles owned in Jacksonville had increased to 166, and again this fact became the subject for advertisement. The automobile races at Atlantic Beach in April, 1906, aroused enthusiastic interest in automobiles generally, and a pronounced impetus to their popularity as a pleasure ve- hicle followed the completion of the hard road to the beach in 1910; in 1911, a checklist showed 1120 machines owned in Jacksonville. 3 March 6, 1916, Jacksonville’s first automobile show opened, with a display of 29 different makes, ranging in price from the Cadillac, 7-passenger, standard, at $2085, to the Saxon roadster at $395, f.0.b. factory. The show was of great interest and a success in every way. Up to America’s entrance into the World war, the auto- mobile was considered more or less a luxury, to be enjoyed by the well-to-do. With the opening of the Government shipyards here, where wages beyond the dream of former years were paid, the working man, who had hitherto ridden his bicycle or taken the street car, in many instances now drove to his job in his own automobile. After the war there was a partial recession, due to economic causes, but this was on- ly temporary. Within the last three years automobile traffic conditions have grown to be a serious matter, with dangerous smash-ups occurring almost daily, and fatal accidents of such frequency as to receive hardly more than passing comment from the general public. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 381 Air Craft Elderly citizens of Jacksonville remember seeing balloon ascensions when they were children, and memory easily re- calls the flight made here in 1905 by an air gas-bag propelled by oars; but the first flight in this vicinity without artificial aid, was that of a huge box-kite aeroplane at Atlantic Beach during the automobile races, April 9, 1906. Chas R. Hamil- ton was the aviator, and he attained a height of 250 feet, from which elevation he suffered a “nose” dive, escaping death by a miracle. On the 14th, Israel Ludlow in a similar accident sustained injuries that paralyzed him for life. On February 1, 1908, Lincoln J. Beachey made the first flight in an airship propelled by motor, in Kast Florida. The flight was made in South Jacksonville, in what was known as Beachey Airship No. 6. This was a dirigible shaped like a cigar, with rudder behind and propeller in front. It was equipped with a 4-cylinder, 10 h.p. gasoline engine weighing 82 pounds; the total weight of the ship was 240 pounds. In this flight Beachey was in the air 12 minutes. On Feby. 3d, he crossed the river and flew over Jacksonville, circling with perfect control several times, to the great amazement of the inhabitants. The first flight made in Jacksonville of a heavier-than-air machine was that of Charles K. Hamilton in a Curtiss bi- plane, May 21, 1910. The flight was made at Moncrief race- track and was the first of a series of exhibitions, one of which was a race between the bi-plane and a Cadillac-30, driven by Dexter Kelly. Owing to unfavorable wind conditions, the Cadillac won. Karle Dodge’s School of Aviation opened at Black Point (State Camp), December 4, 1916, and the Curtiss aeroplanes of modern type soon became familiar objects in the sky in this vicinity. This school for training aviators was in opera- tion until the summer of 1917, and an outstanding feature connected with it was that no fatal accidents occurred. Aeroplanes had now ceased to be a novelty to the people of Jacksonville, but the final word in spectacular air “stunts” was yet tocome. It was during one of the Liberty Loan cam- paigns that an aerial circus, participated in by American, French and English planes, held spellbound the population of Jacksonville gathered on the housetops. No such exhibi- tion of “air stunts” was ever seen here before, or since. 382 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA There is an Aero Club in Jacksonville, permanently organ- ized December 4, 1924, under a charter from the National Aeronautic Association. Charter officers: T. C. Imeson, pres- ident; H. C. Bullard and John Wright, vice-presidents; Y. O. Brown, secretary-treasurer. | Bibliography, Chapter XX This record was compiled entirely from the newspapers. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 383 CHAPTER XXI THE PORT OF JACKSONVILLE The first aid to navigation at the mouth of the St. Johns River was not with respect to improving the bar, but to mark its location. A lighthouse was erected by the U. 8S. Government in 1830, but three years later it was taken down, as it became threatened by the sea.* The location of this first lighthouse at the mouth of the St. Johns was not far from the south jetty, north of the fishing shacks.‘ The coast- al beach in that vicinity was washed away, but since the jet- ties were built it is making up again, in the sand field to the left as you approach the south jetty on the beach. The second lighthouse was built in 18385, about a mile farther up the river, on the south side, directly in front of what is now called the “White Heron Tea Room” on the “Wonderwood” property. This tower likewise became threatened by the wash of the river and by drifting sands, and it was abandoned upon the completion of the present lighthouse at Mayport in 1859. The remains of the second tower were visible until a few years ago; the site is now un- der water.‘ The keepers of the light, from 1880 to 1852 (subsequent records were burned at Washington), were in the order named: William Livingston, Roque Leonardy, John Warren, Henry Maxey, Matthew H. Philips, W. H. Huston, G. C. Acos- ta, Josiah Fennimore.* Most of these names are familiar as residents of Jacksonville before the War Between the States. While they were the official keepers, it is said that the actual keeper of the light was an old negro named Peter.¢ Peter no doubt witnessed many a stirring scene at the mouth of the river, as some venturesome and impatient mariner attempted to navigate the shallow stretch, and afterward wrote in his log, “Got stuck on St. Johns bar’’. The Jacksonville Courier, of August 6, 1835, published this interesting correspondence about St. Johns bar: Mr. Editor. Sir—Herewith I send you a communication from Capt. Wightman, the head Pilot at the mouth of the River, stating some facts relating to the Bar, the publishing of which, I have no doubt, will be of considerable service to vessels bound to this port. For the gratification 384 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA of merchants, underwriters and mariners I would inform them that the pilotage is now better attended to, and is in better hands than it has been for many years. Capt. Wightman and Capt. Kimmy are both good seamen and per- severing men; they have both sailed vessels from this port for many years, and were considered good pilots before their appointment, but since that time they have taken great trouble to obtain every informa- tion possible concerning the state of the Bar. We have the assurance that vessels arriving off the Bar will not now be obliged to lay off and on for days, showing a signal for a Pilot, and even then being obliged to send in for one, as has been frequently the case within two years. (Signed) W. R. Dear Sir: The Bar of St. Johns River is at this time at the North- east part of the entrance, and affords from 12 to 15 feet at high water, as the state of the tide may be, whether spring or neap tides. Vessels bound into the St. Johns River wishing a pilot should keep the Light- House bearing from SSW to WSW, and run into 4, 5, or 6 fathom water, as the weather may be; in running in for the Light-House in the night, bring it to bear as above, and anchor in 6 or 7 fathoms, if moderate and smooth. Masters of vessels may always know that their signal for a Pilot is seen by the Pilots on shore, by its being answered by a signal from the Light-House. The Pilots pledge themselves to give prompt attention to all vessels coming to this Bar and River. St. Johns Bar, July, 18365. Timothy Wightman, Branch Pilot. Preliminary Efforts for Bar Improvement Dr. A. S. Baldwin, of Jacksonville, was the first to ad- vance a theory and the first to become active for bar improve- ment. His theory was that by closing Fort George Inlet, less sand would collect at St. Johns bar, and the currents of the river would develop and force a channel there. A public meeting of citizens was called to take action upon his views, with the result that in 1852 he was sent to Washington to ask an appropriation of Congress to carry out this idea. In this he was successful, and Congress appropriated $10,000, a con- siderable sum for that time. Soon afterward, Lieut. H. G. Wright was sent here by the Government to investigate and make a survey; this was in 1858. Lieut. Wright made a re- port that the difficulties at the bar could be largely overcome by the construction of a single pier or jetty on the north side of the main channel, across the bar. The appropriation never became available and the recommendation of Lieut. Wright was never acted upon, as it is said that parties having power- ful influence at Washington, who were at that time interested ae HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 385 in the harbor at Fernandina, caused the abandonment of the contemplated improvements at the mouth of the St. Johns River. The war came on, and the chaotic conditions afterward prevented the revival of the question of bar im- provement until late in the 1870’s./ About 1877, Dr. Baldwin again became active in the mat- ter of deeper water at the bar. Early in 1878, he went to New Orleans to confer with Capt. James B. Kads, who was then building the Mississippi River jetties. An agreement was made with Capt. Eads to come to Jacksonville, make a survey and report for a fee of $1000. Dr. Baldwin returned to Jacksonville and soon raised the money by popular sub- scription. Capt. Eads arrived in March, 1878, and on the 29th submitted a report that there was no doubt of the suc- cess of a system of jetties; that by the construction of two converging jetties, from the mainiand across the bar to deep water, a permanent channel of 20 feet, at average flood, could be secured, and that the total cost of the work would be about $1,700,000. He recommended high jetties, i.e., above high water level./ Capt. Eads’ report was approved by a committee of citi- zens, and a memorial to Congress was prepared asking for the appropriation. In this memorial it was stated that from 1866 to 1878, the loss of vessels and cargoes by shipwreck, between Cape Canaveral and Brunswick, approximated $1,500,000, and that in 1872 alone, loss on the Atlantic coast of Florida north of Canaveral, was $570,000, much of which might have been saved by a land-locked harbor at the mouth of the St. Johns River. The memorial was effective, for late in 1878, Capt. George Daubigny, under the direction of Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, made an exhaustive survey at the mouth of the river.’ On data thus obtained, Gen. Gillmore recommended a system of jetties as Capt. Eads had advised, only he recommended low or submerged jetties instead of high. Gen. Gillmore’s plan was adopted June 30, 1879.¢ In the meantime, the Government had been engaged in a dredging project at the mouth of the river, in what was known as the south channel, but owing to the shifting nature of the sand, no permanent improvement was anticipated. However, while the dredge was kept going, the depth of water was increased several feet, and when the Western Texas, of the Mallory line, steamed in on November 5, 1878, 386 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA the event was celebrated at Jacksonville as a new shipping era for this city.f On Christmas Day, 1878, something un- expected happened at the bar: A new channel suddenly broke out to the northward, in the path of an old channel, furnishing practically 11 feet at high water. This caused the Government to abandon the dredging work in the south channel.’ *St. Johns bar, before the jetties were built, was fan- shaped, and extended practically from Talbot Island to Burn- side Beach, a distance of more than two miles, at any point of which the channel was liable to break through. The channel would generally break out to the northward and gradually — work its way to the southward, until it ran close along the south beach, when from different causes, as the varying stages of the river and storms, it would close up in the south beach channel, and open up again farther northward, and thus repeat its unique caperings./ The Jetties The estimated cost of the jetty work under Gen. Gill- more’s plan was $1,306,000. Congress made the first ap- propriation to start the work, $125,000, in June, 1880, and contracts were awarded to R. G. Ross & Co., and J. H. Durkee. Both of these contracts were completed before another ap- propriation became available, and the construction work ceased for atime. This was the history of the work all dur- ing the early years—appropriations became available in relatively small amounts, and separate awards were made under each appropriation, which resulted in considerable delay, and additional expense in repairing damage arising during the intervals. And so the work wore on. If the or- iginal estimate was an accurate one, the system of separate awards cost the Government $200,000, for that was the amount in excess of the estimate when the work had pro- gressed to the point of completion under the submerged plan. It had been decided, however, not to stop the work at that stage, but to build the jetties higher, which was in ac- cordance with Capt. Eads’ recommendation in the beginning. The following reminiscences of Capt. R. G. Ross are here preserved as a valuable first-hand account of the work at the mouth of the river. No one knew more about the inside history of the jetty work then he, for from the award of the - — HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA = 387 first contract he was continuously associated with the im- provement for 40 years. Reminiscences of Captain R. G. Ross In 1880, the depth of water on St. Johns bar at low tide varied be- tween six and eight feet. There were two entrances, one close to the south shore and the other about a mile to the northward. Owing to the shifting nature of the sands, the depth of water varied at different times, and before vessels could enter, the pilots had to sound both chan- nels in order to determine the deeper at that moment. So the most ad- vantageous location for the jetties became a serious problem. Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, who designed the jetties and had general supervision of the work, Maj. J. C. Post, directly in charge, with headquarters at Charleston, and I made a number of visits to the mouth of the river, in conference as to where the jetties should be located. Gen. Gillmore favored locating the south jetty far inland toward Mayport. Maj. Post argued that it would be a great saving in expense, and serve the same purpose, to start it farther toward the mouth of the river. They finally compromised by splitting the difference and beginning on midway ground. I favored Gen. Gillmore’s plan and still believe it the better. Considerable discussion arose as to the location of the north jetty, also. The present location was selected as the most feasible one, but Gen Gillmore was of the opinion that it was too near Fort George Inlet. He said the Inlet would probably give trouble, though in that event it could be closed. The Inlet is still open, and as the General predicted, did, and is now giving more trouble than anticipated. The main trouble now is the continual washing of sand over and through the north jetty, thus feeding up Ward’s bank and other places between the jetties, thereby causing the need for more or less dredging all the time. Lieut. Fisk was sent down to assist Major Post locally, and estab- lished his headquarters on Fort George Island. We started the pre- liminary work on the south jetty December 14, 1880. As a foundation for the stone, a mattress was made of logs 9 inches in diameter at the smaller end, placed close together, spiked, and fastened with binders. On top of this raft a layer of loose brush, one foot in thickness, was placed and fastened down with poles and wire. The width of each mat- tress varied from 25 to 150 feet, according to the depth of water. The stone came from New York City by vessel, in small loads of not more than 300 tons to the vessel, as they could not come in drawing more than 11 feet. At that time great hills of rock were being cut down in New York to grade new streets, from 50th Street on toward Harlem, preliminary to the boom that followed. The contractors sold us this stone for 25c a ton, f.o.b. vessel. Thus New York City sent us the foun- dation for making Jacksonville the most prosperous city on the South Atlantic coast. It was impossible to regulate the arrival of the ves- sels bringing the stone, and usually they came in bunches in a “north- easter”. I have known as many as ten to arrive off the bar at one time, 388 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA and it took some live hustling to discharge them all without having to pay demurrage. A very annoying circumstance arose about 1885, when an individual stopped our work by an injunction, claiming that he had a patent on the log mattress that we were using. Fortunately, some time previously I had thought out a design of mattress, composed of fascines of brush and other small growth, that might answer the purpose just as well as the logs, and save a great deal in the cost. The opportunity to test it out was now at hand, and shortiy afterward we laid the first fascine mattress foundation. it proved a perfect success, and from that time the Government used the design in all foundations for jetties there- after, and the plan is now in universal use wherever jetties are built on sand or mud base. About this time we made a change from New York stone to the hard flint-surface stone found around Ocala. It was hauled by teams to the various stations and shipped to Jacksonville, where it was loaded on the barges and towed to the jetty work at the mouth of the river. This stone was used for the submerged portion of the jetties and an- swered the purpose well. At this stage of construction, Capt. W. M. Black, engineer in charge of the work at that time, devised a plan of two ridges of stone with a space between, built up to the level of low water. The space between the ridges was then filled in with oyster shell and a layer of stone placed on top. The shell made a solid heart- | ing when covered over with stone; being mixed with Florida limestone, they both found their natural element in the ocean where shell-fish had something to cling to, thus cementing the whole into a solid breakwater below the low water level. The oyster shell hearting was used only where the water was deep and still. This kind of construction has proven satisfactory. The original plans were for submerged jetties (i. e., built up to the level of low water) and this phase of the work was practically com- pleted in June, 1893; but in the meantime the plans were amended to include a superstructure seven feet higher. Work on this superstruc- ture was commenced in 1893-4. Granite boulders, averaging five tons each, were brought down from South Carolina and placed on top of the submerged work. This building up of the jetties progressed satisfac- torily, though it was slow work and took years to complete. The length of the jetties was extended from time to time, and there were some unforeseen developments that required attention. The western end of the north jetty was extended on the low beach back to high land, a distance of about 1000 feet. While this work was progressing, a heavy northeaster, attended by an unusually high tide, caused a ser- ious washout and much damage. This extension was finished in the spring of 1921. So it may be said that the building of the jetties stretched over a period of forty years, not continuously throughout the last twenty years, but at irregular intervals, as necessity required. It is interesting to note the changes that took place in the river, HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 389 as a result of building the jetties. When the work had progressed far enough to cause the breaking out of the channel at the mouth of the river, it was discovered that the current was increasing farther up the river. As the water deepened between the jetties and a rapid current developed, it was noticed that St. Johns Bluff was washing away at a dangerous rate. And the same condition developed as far up as Dames Point. The hundreds of thousands of yards of sand washed into the channel in this way necessitated the expenditure of a great deal of money in dredging work, and it was not until the retaining walls, rip- rapped with stone, were built along exposed places that the erosion was permanently corrected. The channel ran close to St. Johns Bluff, and the increasing current, together with the wave action created by passing steam vessels, under- mined the bank, and we would occasionally see landslides carrying large and small trees into the river. Here the ebb tide was much stronger than the flood, in fact, it usually ebbed nine hours and flood only three. An enormous amount of sand was removed from the slope of the bluff by erosion and settled where the current left it toward the mouth of the river, thus making shoal places and forming sand banks that had to be removed by dredging and dumping into the ocean. So now the point of St. Johns Bluff sets back several hundred feet from where it originally was. All of this waste happened within a period of about ten years. The army engineers and other officers, who from time to time were assigned in relation to these improvements, helped in their official capacities to put Jacksonville where it is today. It is not generally known that an effort to honor them was made in the early 1880’s by naming some of the streets in “Riverside” for them. J. F. LeBaron, employed as an assistant engineer upon the jetty work, being also a capable surveyor, was asked by the owner of a tract of land in “River- side” to make a survey of it and lay out streets. This tract is what is now known as Old Riverside, lying between Forest and Margaret Streets. LeBaron was accorded the privilege of naming the streets, and as the survey progressed he named them for the officers that had been engaged on the work at the mouth of the St. Johns River. Gill- more Street was named for Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, who designed the jet- ties and was chief engineer, in charge of the work. Post Street for Maj. J. C. Post, assistant to General Gillmore. Fisk Street for Lieut. W. L. Fisk, assistant to Major Post. Rossell Street for Capt. W. T. Rossell, successor to Major Post. Lomax Street for Gen. Lindsay Lomax, an ex-Confederate officer; he was inspector of jetty work. May Street traces to the same influences, its original name being Mayport Avenue. Capt. James B. Eads was also honored, Oak Street having originally been named Eads Street. It was LeBaron’s idea to continue naming the streets in “Riverside” for the officers engaged upon the jetty work. ; 390 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA From time to time considerable replacements have been made of top boulders for the jetty work. The foundation has about settled permanently, having been welded into a solid mass by barnacles and other sea growth. Suppose old Peter could come back now and sit on the rocks at the mouth of the river. His thoughts would be of the time when there were lamps to fill and wicks to trim, al- though his lighthouse home had been washed away. He would listen intently to the mellow cadence coming in from the bell-buoy out at sea—that rise and fall of sound which reminds you of Poe’s famous poem, “The Bells”. The line of inquiry in Peter’s mind would run: Whence came these rocks? Why such a rapid current? Where is Pelican Bank, and what has become of the sea birds that had to fight for standing room? Where are the schooners, anchored for an entrance tide; and where are the hulls of wrecks that used to line the shore? What makes those rowboats go so fast, and what is that popping noise? What great ship is that coming in, and why the wires between her masts? These things explained to him he would stare in bewilderment and fright, and fade away—into the Past. *Traditions handed down from a former generation of fisher-folk still cling to the mouth of the river—legends of romance, of pirates, and of buried gold. I have made an effort to trace some of them to a historical backing; but save those of hardship and danger, none seems to be verified by anything of record. The south jetty, from end to end, is 214 miles long, while the north jetty is half a mile longer or 3 miles in length. The distance between the outer or sea ends is 1600 feet. At the entrance the channel bears close to the north jetty, thence toward and along the south jetty, close to the shore. Ina straight line, the mouth of the river is 1514 miles from the courthouse in Jacksonville and by channel, from the foot of Market Street, 2714 miles. Channel Improvements Long before the jetties were completed, it was evident that the depth of water at the entrance would be increased to approximately 20 feet, the estimate made by Capt. Eads. There were, however, some parts of the channel between HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 891 Jacksonville and the ocean with less depth than this, espe- cially at Dames Point. So in order that Jacksonville might derive the maximum benefit from the improvement at the mouth of the river, the Board of Trade, in 1891, launched a movement for bonding Duval County for $300,000 for chan- nel improvement at Dames Point. The usual machinery was set in operation to legalize a bond issue; the issue was ap- proved, and on December 3, 1891, Duval County voted 1450 for and 723 against bonds. This was Duval County’s first bond issue after the War Between the States, and it sold at a premium of nearly two per cent.f The river work was started in June, 1892, and exactly two years later it was com- pleted. It was possible for ships drawing 20 feet of water to now dock at Jacksonville. This project had hardly been completed when the ques- tion of still deeper water for Jacksonville arose. The Board of Trade was behind this movement also, and it finally reached Congress. Congress deliberated six years, and in 1902, made an initial appropriation of $350,000 to start the work of dredging a channel 24 feet in depth and 300 feet wide, from Jacksonville to the sea. Two powerful dredges were built, the St. Johns, a sea-going dredge, and the Jack- sonville, as an auxiliary. These dredges were familiar ob- jects on the river for a long time. In four years the work was completed, and the 24-foot channel became a reality./ Ten years later, another dredging project was started that resulted in a 30-foot channel from Jacksonville to the sea. Vessels weighted to this depth can now come in and dock at the municipal docks at low tide. Total Cost The total expenditure for river improvement since 1880, including the jetties, but not including maintenance, and in- cluding also the bond money of Duval County, approximates $7,000,000. Results fully justify the expenditure. Jackson- ville has met the Government a part of the way by building the municipal docks, which have already become an impor- tant factor in South Atlantic shipping. Engineers in charge of the bar and harbor improvements at the port of Jacksonville: Gen. Q. A. Gillmore (Maj. J. C. Post locally), 1880-84; Capt. W. T. Rossell, 1884-86; Capt. W. M. Black, 1886-91; Maj. J. C. Mallery, 1891-93; Lt. A. M. 892 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA D’Armit (ad interim), 1898-95; Maj. T. H. Handbury, 1895- 96; Lt. Col. W. H. H. Benyaurd, 1896-99; Capt. C. H. Mc- Kinstry, 1899-1901; Capt. Herbert Deakyne, 1901-02; Maj. F. R. Shunk, 1902-07; Lt. Col. L. H. Beach, 1907-08; Capt. G. R. Spalding, 1908-11; Maj. J. R. Slattery, 1911-13; Lt. Col. W.B. Ladue, 1913-17; Maj. J. F. Bell, 1917; Col. John Millis, 1917; J. W. Sackett, 1917-18; J. M. Braxton, 1918-19; Col. ° G. E. Edgerton, 1919; Col. W. J. Barden, 1919-20; Col. Spen- cer Cosby, 1920; Maj. W. C. Lemen, 1920-22; Lt. Col. G. A. Youngberg, 1922 to date. *All of the army officers were members of the U. S. En- gineer Corps, and all were graduates of the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, except Major Lemen, who was ap- pointed directly from civil life. Bibliography, Chapter XXI aG. R. Putnam, Com. of Lighthouses, Washington ; bData furnished by J. C. Yonge; cAs published in early newspapers ; dWebb’s History of Florida; eReports of Jackson- ville Board of Trade; fLocal press account; gCompiled by H. H. Richardson, Secy. of Board of Trade; Data furnished by Col. G. A. Youngberg; iLocation shown on a sur- vey in 1852. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 393 CHAPTER XXII PARENT CHURCHES AND DENOMINATIONS (in the order of their establishment) So far as known, religious services were first held in Jack- sonville over a store at the northwest corner of Bay and New- nan Streets; this was about 1825, and the services were gen- eral rather than denominational. Services were held ir- regularly at one place and another, and occasionally at the court house, until the block house was built, when that seems to have become the place for general worship, except for the EX\piscopalians, who continued to use the court house. Early in the 1840’s the several denominations took steps to provide for themselves separate houses of worship. The first church building erected in the town was built by the Baptists, on the east side of the lot at the northeast corner of Duval and Newnan Streets in 1840. The Baptists sold this property to the Presbyterians in 1844, and two years later the Presby- terians sold it to the Methodists. This building stood on the site now occupied by the Methodist School of Christian Edu- cation. Methodist The Methodists seem to have been the pioneers in organ- ized Church work in Jacksonville. In 1823-4, several mission- aries were sent to East Florida with headquarters at St. Augustine, among them Rev. John Jerry. Jacksonville was on Mr. Jerry’s circuit. “From St. Augustine to the Cow Ford he traveled on horseback, carrying his change of cloth- ing, books, lunch, and sack of corn to feed his horse’’.¢ The following extracts taken from the diary of Rev. Isaac Boring? indicate that there was a regularly organized Methodist society in Jacksonville in 1829: Sunday, March 8, 1829. Preached at Jacksonville and dined with Mrs. Hart, and heard that some members of our church had been dancing. Sunday, April 19, 1829. Preached at Jacksonville, filling all the appointments of the week. Sunday, May 17, 1829. Preached at Jacksonville. For the first time I was allowed to preach in the court house. During divine serv- ices, a drunken man made so much noise that Mr. Hart very politely led 394 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA him out of the house. After preaching I met the Society, filling all the appointments of the week. Very little data are obtainable regarding the Methodist congregation from this time till 1840; but without doubt it held together, worshipping in different buildings until the block house was built. When the Presbyterians bought the Baptist chapel at the northeast corner of Duval and Newnan Streets in 1844, the Methodists worshipped with them, and in 1846 they bought the property from the Presbyterians.¢ The custom in that day was to separate the congrega- tion, the right-hand side of the building being reserved for women and the left for men. The pulpit was raised, but the minister sat behind a screen out of view of the congregation. The church was afterward provided with English pews, hav- ing doors that could be locked; these doors were removed at a later date.¢ The congregation finally outgrew the chapel. There be- ing space on the corner, a larger church was erected in 1858, and was called St. Paul’s. It was a wooden building, 41x60 feet over all, and had a tower in which was a bell. The first Methodist parsonage was built in 1867, through the efforts of Rev. F. A. Branch.’ St. Paul’s went safely through the war and served the congregation until 1890, when the building was sold to the Roman Catholics. The bell was included in the sale, and was consecrated according to the rites of their Church and sent to their mission at Pablo Beach. The church was moved to the Roman Catholic property across the street in February, 1890. As soon as the lot was clear, work on the foundation for a new brick Methodist church was begun. The corner-stone was laid August 27, 1890. This edifice was of pressed brick, heavily trimmed with Indiana limestone and finished off with iron cornice. The first service in the new church was held in the basement August 23, 1891, before the structure was completed. The church, as finally finished, cost about $50,- 000. It was built through the untiring efforts of Rev. J. B. Anderson, and was the outgrowth of a promise made by him at the death-bed of his friend, Bishop McTyeire; and in mem- ory of the Bishop it was named McTyeire Memorial.‘ The building was gutted by fire May 8, 1901. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 395 In rebuilding the church after the fire, the foundation and a considerable portion of the old walls were retained; the architecture of the roof and tower was changed somewhat, but the base outline is practically the same. The first serv- ice in the rebuilt church was held April 20, 1902. The name was changed to First Methodist in 1906. The School of Christian Education building, immediately east of the church, was completed in the fall of 1922. The parsonage formerly occupied the site, and it is the site, too, of the first church building erected in Jacksonville. Pastors since 1846: J. N. Minor, 1846-47; F. A. Johnson, 1848; E. L. T. Blake, 1849-50; J. M. Valentine-J. C. Ley, 1851; J. C. Ley, 1852; T. W. Cooper, 1853; Thomas Gardner- O. B. Stanley, 1854; D. B. Lynne, 1855; R. McKenro Tydings, 1856; W. G. M. Qarterman, 1857; J. K. Glover, 1858-59 ;* W. M. Kennedy, 1860; R. M. Tydings, 1860-61 ; Church closed 1862-65 ;” F. A. Branch, 1866-68; Josephus Anderson, 1869- 71; T. W. Moore, 1872-73; J. B. Fitzpatrick, 1874-75; H. B. Frazee, 1876-78 ;“ C. E. Dowman, 1879-80; H. B. Avery, 1881- 82; E. H. Harman, 1883-84; H. E. Partridge, 1885; H. H. Kennedy, 1886-87; J. R. Sharpe, 1888 (died of yellow fever) ; J. B. Anderson, 1889-92; J. C. Sale, 1893; R. T. DuBose, 1894- 96; T. J. Nixon, 1897-98; R. V. Atkisson, 1899-1902; W. M. Poage, 1903-05; J. B. Ley, 1906-07; J. W. Bingham, 1908-09; Andrew Sledd-I. C. Jenkins, 1910; I. C. Jenkins, 1911; W. J. Carpenter, 1912-15; J. B. Mitchell, 1916-22; L. M. Broyles, 1923-24. Protestant Episcopal Rev. Raymond A. Henderson, missionary at St. Augus- tine, held the first service of the Episcopal Church in Jack- sonville, April 12, 1829; in 1834, the Parish was organized, under the general act of the Legislative Council of the Ter- ritory of Florida for the incorporation of religious bodies.°¢ The Episcopal congregation was incorporated by Act 28, of the Legislative Council, approved February 23, 1839, which provided as follows: Be it enacted by the Governor and the Legislative Council of the territory of Florida, That William J. Mills and Samuel L. Burritt, Wardens, and Robert Biglow, Harrison R. Blanchard and such others as were elected Vestrymen of the Episcopal Congregation at Jacksonville, and their successors in office, shall be, and they are hereby declared to 396 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA be a body corporate, by the name and style of the Church Wardens and Vestrymen of St. John’s Church at Jacksonville. * * * The congregation began to raise funds for the erection of a church. The ladies of the Church added materially to the building fund by means of a sewing society, over which Mrs. Thomas Douglas presided for a long time. One-half of the square owned by St. John’s Church, at the head of Market Street, was deeded to the Church September 17, 1842, by Mrs. Maria Doggett, as a donation; the other portion was ac- quired at a later date.¢ The corner-stone of the church was laid Sunday, April 24th, 1842, by Rt. Rev. Christopher Edwards Gadsden, Bishop of South Carolina. The structure was soon up and services were held in it, but it was not entirely completed until 1851, when it was consecrated by Rt. Rev. Stephen El- liott, Bishop of Georgia. The building was burned by Fed- eral troops March 29th, 1868. In building the first church, every person who contributed a certain sum of money was given a deed to a pew in his own right, and the same was entailed to his heirs. The early choir was composed as follows: Dr. A. 8. Baldwin, leader, base viol; J. W. Bryant, first flute; William Lancaster, sec- © ond flute. The singers were, Mrs. A. M. Reed, who also played on a melodeon which a servant carried on his shoulders to the church for each service; Miss Eliza Lan- easter, and Mrs. William Douglas. The communion service consisted of two small waiters and two silver cups—family silver loaned by Mrs. Susan L’Engle. A burial plot was pro- vided north of the church for members of the congregation, and the ashes of some of Jacksonville’s early residents still occupy the original graves, although most of the bodies were removed many years ago to the old city cemetery on East Union Street.¢ In 1866, a temporary wooden church was erected and the congregation worshipped in it eleven years. The corner stone of a new church was laid April 7, 1874; there was con- siderable delay in completing it, and it was not until Easter Day, April 1, 1877, that the first service was held in the edi- fice. This was a handsome red brick church, costing $27,000 and having a seating capacity for 800. It was consecrated May 7, 1882, by Bishop John Freeman Young.‘ This church. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 897 together with the parish house and the rectory, were de- stroyed by fire May 3, 1901. The ceremony of laying the corner-stone of the present church was performed February 18, 19038, by Rt. Rev. Edwin G. Weed, assisted by the rector, Rev. V. W. Shields. The first service in the new church was held on Easter Day, 1906. It was consecrated May 15, 1911, by Rt. Rev. Edwin G. Weed. The cost of this church was $90,000.* st. John’s church occupies an elevated site at the head of Market Street at its intersection with Duval Street. By ordinance of the city council, published July 25, 1870, The lots of land in possession of the vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Church, fronting Market Street north of Duval, being 210 feet square, is and shall be held by said Church to have and to hold forever, Pro- vided, always, That that portion of land which encloses the street shail be held by said Church exclusively for church and school purposes. St. John’s Parish also owns the former home of Mrs. Mary Packer Cummings, at Keystone Bluff on the St. Johns River, which she bequeathed to the Parish for the purpose of a home for children, with sufficient endowment for a lim- ited number of children; it has been in operation for several years as a home for boys. In 1921, the Parish acquired by purchase the handsome dwelling at the southeast corner of Market and Duval Streets, which is now used as a community house, offices, and guild rooms. In May, 1923, ground was broken on the north side of St. John’s church for the erec- tion of a Church school and choir school, the building being a gift to the Parish by James P. Taliaferro and his daughters, Mrs. Jessie T. Hubbard and Mrs. Anna T. Lane, as a memorial to the late Mrs. Millicent J. Taliaferro; it was first used by the Sunday Schoo! October 5, 1924. Mr. Henderson continued to hold occasional services in Jacksonville until the summer of 1834; in the fall of that year he was succeeded by a regular rector, Rev. David Brown. Mr. Brown remained for more than 10 years, he being suc- ceeded in May, 1845, by Rev. John Freeman Young. Mr. Young was followed by Rev. Isaac Swart in 1848, and Mr. Swart by Rev. W. D. Harlow in 1851. Mr. Harlow was rector until Rev. W. W. Bours was called in 1855.2 In the memor- able year 1857 (yellow fever epidemic) Rev. O. P. Thackara came to Jacksonville to do ministerial work in the stricken 398 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA community and was joined by Rev. F. M. McAllister of Georgia. The rector, Mr. Bours, was on a visit to his family in New York at the time the fever broke out, but when the sickness became serious he at once returned to his charge, and after a devotion that was unsurpassed in his attention to others he himself died of yellow fever. A marble tablet to his memory stood upon the interior wall of the church be- fore it was burned during the war. Messrs. Bours, Thackara and McAllister were a noble christian band all through the terrible epidemic.’ In 1858, Rev. Samuel Kerr (pronounced Carr) was called to the Parish. Mr. Kerr was followed in 1861 by Rev. Horatio H. Hewett. Mr. Hewett was a North- ern man and left with the Federal squadron in 1862, and the Parish remained vacant until after the war.° Rev. O. P. Thackara again came to St. John’s and took temporary charge, in February, 1866, and remained until December of that year, when a permanent rector, Rev. W. Eston Epps was called. Mr. Epps was succeeded by Rev. R. H. Weller, June 18, 1869. Mr. Weller was the rector 20 years, during which time several missions, that have since grown to be large Churches, were established, among them Good Shepherd in Riverside. Rev. V. W. Shields succeeded Mr. Weller December 2, 1889. The Parish under Dr. Shields’s charge continued its expansion and growth. With the ap- proach of his 35th year of continuously active service, the longest in the history of any of Jacksonville’s Churches, Dr. Shields wished to resign, believing that a younger man should take up the work; but his congregation refused to part with the loving influence that many of them had known throughout their lives, and elected him Rector Emeritus in order that they might have him with them still in actual contact. Dr. Shields was succeeded as rector of St. John’s by Rev. M. Doswell October 19, 1924. Roman Catholic During the pioneer years services of the Roman Catholic Church were conducted at the home of some one of the Church members. The first purchase by the Church in Jack- sonville was the lot at the northwest corner of Duval and Newnan Streets from I. D. Hart, the deed being made to Bishop Gartland of Savannah and the consideration men- tioned being “one penny”. The precise date of the erection HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 399 of the first church, which was built through the efforts of Father Edmund Aubriel, is not known, but it was certainly prior to 1847, as the map of Jacksonville of that year shows that the church was there at that time. Although the Parish had not been created, religious services were carried out with regularity and in accordance with the established rules of the Church. Back of the altar was a beautiful painting of the Immacu- late Conception of Our Lady, a gift from the French Govern- ment. It is an interesting fact that the church was dedicated as the Immaculate Conception several years prior to the time that the dogma was defined as an Article of Faith by Pope Pius IX in 1854. It is said that the painting was saved when the church was burned by Federal soldiers in 1863, but its history cannot be traced further.¢ Under date of March 29, 1868 (the day of the evacuation), the correspondent of the New York Tribune, with the Federal army at Jacksonville, wrote his paper: Yesterday the beautiful little cottage used as the Catholic parson- age, together with the church, was fired by some of the soldiers, and in a short time burned to the ground. Before the flames had fairly reached the church, the soldiers had burst open the doors and commenced sack- ing it of everything of value. The organ was in a moment torn to strips and almost every soldier who came out seemed to be celebrating the occasion by blowing through an organ pipe. Dr. Alfred Walton, medical officer of the Eighth Maine regiment at Jacksonville, wrote in his diary: Saturday, March 28, 1863: At 9 a. m. some of the boys set fire to the Catholic church and it together with the parsonage, all furnished, was destroyed. Two other houses were also burned before the fire was put out. The claim of the Church for recovery for this loss was denied by the U. S. Congress on the ground that no direct evidence was submitted that the soldiers burned the prop- erty.” In rebuilding the church after the war the site selected, though in the same block, was at the southwest corner of Newnan and Church Streets. The work of rebuilding was begun in 1871, and completed March 8, 1874, when the church was consecrated by Bishop Gross of Savannah. This was a 400 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA plain brick building without spire or steeple. This church was destroyed in the fire of May 3, 1901. The site for the new church was again changed, to the northeast corner of Ocean and Duval Streets, but still in the same block, all of which is now owned by the Church. Here on Sunday, April 7, 1907, the ceremony of laying the corner-stone of the present edifice was performed by Bishop Kenny of St. Augustine. The basement walls of the church are of brick and rest on a foundation of reinforced concrete; the superstructure is of Kentucky limestone. The style is Gothic, with a tapering main spire surmounted by a cross 17814 feet above the sidewalk.t The building represents nearly four years of continuous work and an outlay of $160,- 000. This church was dedicated December 8, 1910, in the presence of 2,000 spectators of all denominations, by Bishop Kenny, assisted in the ceremonies by Bishop Foley of the Philippines, Very Rev. William McGinnis of Brooklyn, N. Y., and Rev. M. Maher, pastor of the church.’ The Roman Catholic Parish of Jacksonville was not estab- lished until 1857. Previously, the residents of the town of this faith, few in number, received the ministrations of visit- ing priests from St. Augustine and Savannah. Worthy of note among them for their zealous and arduous work were Fathers Claude Rampon and Patrick Hackett, who resided at St. Augustine and visited Jacksonville at regular intervals from 18386 to 1848; and Fathers Benedict Madeore and Ed- mund Aubriel, who likewise resided at St. Augustine and visited Jacksonville from 1843 to 1858./ In 1857 the former territory of East Florida, which had been included hitherto within the Diocese of Savannah, was constituted a separate ecclesiastical jurisdiction as Vicariate- Apostolic, with Bishop Verot in charge. The first resident pastor at Jacksonville was Rev. William J. Hamilton, who came from Savannah in 1857. He was a man of remarkable organizing ability. After establishing the Church at Jack- sonville on a solid basis, he was transferred in 1861 to a more important field of work in the Diocese of Mobile, where he died in a few years. His successor in Jacksonville was Rev. M. Penough, who remained until 1864./ After the War Between the States, Father Chambon and the Very Rev. Father Clavreal had charge of all the missions in Florida for several years, Jacksonville being their head- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 401 quarters. After Father Clavreal, Father Laudry was pastor for a short time. Rev. Charles Gaboury was pastor from 1869 to 1872. The Very Rev. Father P. Dufau, Vicar-General of the diocese, succeeded him and remained in charge until his death in 1881. After the death of Father Dufau, Father Bernard O’Reilly was in charge until 1884. In June, 1884, Father William Kenny (afterward Bishop of St. Augustine) was appointed pastor at Jacksonville and retained charge until his elevation to the Episcopate in May, 1902. Father Kenny endeared himself to the people on account of his great charitable work at the time of the yellow fever epidemic of 1888 and the fire of 1901. The present pastor, Rev. Dr. Michael Maher, was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Father Kenny. Upon assuming charge he was confronted by the enormous task of restoring the church, orphanage, convent, schools, and priests’ residence, all de- stroyed in the fire of May 3, 1901, which entailed a loss of more than $200,000. The restored buildings stand today as a monument to his energy. Baptist The Baptist denomination was established in Jackson- ville in July, 1838, by Rev. James McDonald and Rev. Ryan Frier. Mr. Frier was the State Missionary at that time. There were six charter members, namely, Rev. James Mc- Donald and wife, Elias G. Jaudon and wife, and two colored persons—Peggy, a slave of Elias G. Jaudon, and Bacchus, a slave of William Edwards. Rev. James McDonald was the first pastor, and Elias G. Jaudon the first deacon.¢ The congregation increased, and in 1840, purchased the northeast corner at Duval and Newnan Streets, where a chapel was erected. This was the first church building erected in Jacksonville. It was a small wooden structure, with a seating capacity for about 100 persons. It had a square tower-like steeple in which was a bell. In front was a small piazza; there was but one entrance door. The Bap- tists sold this property to the Presbyterians in 1844, and then bought a plot of ground two miles west of the court house (Myrtle Avenue, between Adams and Duval Streets), on which they erected a small brick church.< This building was partially wrecked during the War Between the States, as it was the scene of nearly all the fighting that occurred 402 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA near Jacksonville. The little brick church had a war history. Pickets and out-posts were stationed there whenever Jack- sonville was occupied by the Federal troops and near it the first blood of the war in this vicinity was shed. Sentinel-like, it witnessed scenes that have never found a place in print. A few years after the brick church was built, Elias G. Jau- don bought a piece of ground adjoining the church and donated it to the Church for a burial ground. Finding themselves too far from the center of the city, it was decided to make yet another change in location, and again Deacon Jaudon came to the assistance of the Church by buying and donating a lot on Church Street, between Julia and Hogan. Here a house of worship was erected, and dedicated February 23, 1861. Soon after this the war came on and disrupted the congregation. After the battle of Olustee, the building was taken possession of by the Federal army and used as a hospital for wounded soldiers, and from this time until the close of the war it was used as a military hospital. The building was left in a deplorable condition, scarcely a pane of glass remaining in the windows and very little plastering on the walls. The claim of the First Baptist Church for $1,170 damages done to the building during the war was approved by the U. 8S. Congress in February, 1912. At the close of the war an effort was made to separate the white and the colored members of the congregation, but the colored members being in the majority refused to give possession to the white members. The colored members finally accepted an offer of $400 for their interest in the property, withdrew, and built for themselves a new church, which they called Bethel Baptist, taking the original name. The church of the white congregation was then re-named Tabernacle.¢ In 1892 the church property on Church Street (the site is now occupied by the club house of the American legion) was sold. The present site at the northeast corner of Church and Hogan Streets was acquired in October, 1892, at a cost of $9,000. A Sunday School building was erected on the inside of this lot facing Church Street, as a unit of the future church, then called First Baptist instead of Taber- nacle,‘ but the fire of 1901 destroyed it before the church was completed. oi < Ss Pct «. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 403 The corner-stone of the present church was laid Febru- ary 2, 1903. Appropriate addresses were made by D. U. Fletcher, and Dr. J. F. Forbes of Stetson University. The church was completed in one year. It is of Bedford stone and was erected at a cost, including furnishings, of about $50,000. The church is 86x105 feet ground area.? Extensive repairs were made to the interior in the winter of 1923-24 when the auditorium was enlarged to a capacity of 1,200. Rev. James McDonald was pastor from 1838 to 1846. From 1846 to 1850, there were several unimportant short pastorates, in which the Church seems to have been unfortu- nate in obtaining unworthy or incompetent men. In 1850, Rev. Joseph S. Baker became pastor and served four years, during which time the Church and Sunday School prospered. In 1859, Rev. E. W. Dennison was called. At this time the membership was 40 white and 250 colored. Mr. Dennison’s pastorate closed in 1862, and there is no record to indicate that the Church had a pastor then until Rev. P. P. Bishop came in 1867. Mr. Bishop was followed in 1869 by Rev. Frank W. Johnson, and he in 1871 by Rev. W. W. Keepon, who was pastor one year; then Rev. B. W. Whilden from 1873 until 1875, followed by H. B. McCallum as supply. Rev. M. M. Wambolt took up the pastorate in 1876. In 1880, Rev. J. Fk. B. Mays came and remained two years; he was followed by Rev. George K. Allen, who in turn was succeeded by Rev. S. K. Leavett in 1884. Mr. Leavett was pastor until April, 1889, and was succeeded by Rev. L. B. Plumer, who served the Church two years. In 1892, Rev. Malcolm McGregor was called and was pastor until October, 1895, being succeeded by Rev. J. J. Parsons in February, 1896, who remained until December, 1899, and was followed by Rev. W. A. Hobson in May, 1900. Mr. Hobson’s pastorate was the longest in the history of the Church, being continuous until his resignation in 1923. Rev. L. G. Broughton succeeded Mr. Hobson in October, 1923. Presbyterian Preliminary to the actual formation of the Presbyterian congregation at Jacksonville articles of incorporation were granted by the Legislative Council of the Territory of Flor- ida, Act No. 51, approved March 2, 1840, which provided as follows: 404 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA Section 1. Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, That from and after the approval of this act, the Presbyterian congregation at Jacksonville, in East Florida, shall be incorporated and be a body politic, by the name and style of the Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, and by that name shall be capable and liable in law to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, defend and be defended, and to have, hold, possess, and enjoy real and personal estate; * * * Section 2. Be it further enacted, That for the better government of said incorporation, O. Congar, O. M. Dorman, Harrison R. Blanchard, Stephen Eddy, and L. D. Miller, be, and they are hereby appointed Trus- tees of “The Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville”, * * * Section 3. Be it further enacted, That all the white members of said church shall be deemed qualified electors at any and every election for trustees of said church. * * * The Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville was actually formed December 29, 1843, when five male members duly banded themselves together in connection with the Presby- tery of Georgia, Rev. Mr. Baird being present with them as a delegate from that body. Obadiah Congar and William B. Barton were elected and ordained elders. On the Sabbath day following, being the 31st of December, 1848, the signifi- cant and touching rite of the Lord’s Supper was administered and one new member was added to the Church by exami- nation.¢ In the following year (1844) the Baptists having decided to build in another locality (West LaVilla) offered their chapel at the northeast corner of Duval and Newnan Streets for sale. Captain Congar and two others purchased it. “We bought it”; says Captain Congar, “‘to keep it from falling into the hands of some worldly persons for speculative purposes”. This chapel was used by the Presbyterians as a meeting house for two years. Their first pastor, Rev. A. B. Burke, preached to them there, but only for several months as lack of funds made it impossible to retain him. Owing to the cost of up- keep the Presbyterians were compelled to dispose of the property and they sold it to the Methodists in 1846. Soon afterward, Captain Congar set about raising funds to build a small session house on a plot of ground belonging to him- self (at the southeast corner of Ocean and Monroe Streets) for the purpose of holding prayer meetings and other reli- gious services when they should have a minister. He solicited funds from friends and relatives in the North and began the HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 405 erection of the building about the first of the year, 1847. In February, 1847, it was under roof and the “glass in”; it was completed in March following. This was a plain one-story wooden building and seated about 60 persons. The other denominations were invited to use it and several of them did, and it was later used for school purposes also. Just before his death in 1848, Captain Congar deeded this property to the Presbyterian Church.¢ Captain Obadiah Congar was a pious sea-captain, born near Newark, N. J., in 1768, retired, settled at St. Augustine in 1831, and moved to Jacksonville in 1838, where he resided until his death in 1848. He died while on a visit to his old home in New Jersey and is buried there.¢ The Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville was established and largely main- tained in the pioneer years through his efforts and zeal. In 1854 Miss Phoebe Swart gave $100 to start a fund for building a church. Rev. A. W. Sproull, pastor at that time, visited the Churches in the South for the purpose of soliciting funds and he collected considerable money in this way.’ The church was completed in 1855, and dedicated in November of that year. Its location was on the corner just west of the conference house. This church went safely through the war. From the close of the war to July, 1866, it was used by the U. S. Government for purposes connected with the Freedmen’s Bureau. After the War Between the States serious dissensions arose among the members of the congregation. The pastors from the North who occupied the pulpit attempted to change the ecclesiastical relation of the Church from the Presbytery of Florida to which it was then attached, to that of Philadel- phia of the Northern Assembly. This movement was opposed by the Southern element of the Church and when it prevailed nine members withdrew on March 6, 1867, elected new officers and continued to exist as the original Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville. The church and other property were held by the Northern members.! The little band of nine members soon increased to sixteen and on June 80, 1867, Rev. W. B. Telford preached to them in the Methodist church, then called St. Paul’s. After wor- shipping in Hoeg’s hall for some time the Southern congre- gation purchased a lot at the southeast corner of Monroe and Newnan Streets where in the latter part of 1870 they erected 406 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA a frame building for Church and Sunday School purposes. They worshipped here until May 1, 1900, when the Newnan Street Church having a membership of 237 and the Ocean Street Church with a membership of 119 were consolidated as the First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville and the properties of the two Churches passed into the hands of the trustees of the consolidated Church. Thus the two Churches were again united at the original location on Ocean Street. The property on Newnan Street was afterward sold.” The church on Ocean Street was destroyed in the fire of May on L901: Preliminary steps for rebuilding the church were taken in July, 1901, and actual work began in the following Decem- ber. The corner-stone was laid January 22, 1902, with Masonic ceremonies conducted by Grand Lodge F. & A. M. which happened to be in annual communication here at the time. Rapid progress was made in construction and on June 1, 1902, the first service was held in the new church. The plans provided for an octagon-shaped auditorium with a seating capacity of 500, supplemented by. two main galleries providing room for 50 more. In the arrangement of the interior the Sunday School room, with a capacity of 300, could be thrown open and used in connection with the audi- torium.* The growth of the Church made necessary the erection of the Sabbath School and Church activities building next to the church; this building was dedicated June 6, 1923. After the departure of Mr. Burke in 1845, Obadiah Congar conducted the services until 1848. Rev. J. H. Myers (pastor at St. Augustine) occasionally preached to the Jacksonville congregation until the arrival of a regular pastor, Rev. A. W. Sproull, in 1854. Mr. Sproull was the pastor until the fall of 1856 and was followed by Rev. Donald Frazier, and Mr. Frazier by Rev. James Little in 1859. Mr. Little enlisted in the Confederate army and did not resume his pastorate at Jacksonville after the war.’ It is not known how long Rev. W. B. Telford, who was the first to preach to the Southern congregation in 1867, remained at Jacksonville. In January, 1869, Rev. Thomas L. DeVeaux of Madison, Fla., came as supply and was afterward installed as pastor; he remained until April 1, 1872. From this time until 1875, the Church had no regular pastor, but services were conducted at inter- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA A407 vals by Rev. David Wills, Rev. R. B. Anderson, Rev. Joseph Brown, Rev. Thomas Gilsay, Rev. Peter McKay, and occa- sionally by Rev. Frank Johnson of the Baptist Church. Dur- ing the summer of 1873 and from April lst to December 31st, 1874, Rev. William H. Dodge conducted the services; he was installed as pastor in January, 1875.’ Mr. Dodge was the pastor until April 30, 1900. During the summer of 1900, Rev. W. A. Alexander served as supply. In September, 1900, Rev. W. E. Boggs came as supply and was afterward installed as pastor, remaining until November, 1908. Mr. Boggs was followed by Rev. J. W. Graybill in January, 1909. Mr. Gray- bill died in March, 1912, and the Church remained without a pastor until January 1, 1918, when Rev. J. B. French came as supply; he was installed as pastor in the following April. Dr. French served the Church until his death in February, 1918. Dr. Lindsay E. McNair, at the time a chaplain at Camp Johnston, accepted a unanimous call to the pastorate, vacant since the death of Dr. French. Dr. McNair held his first service as pastor November 10, 1918.” Congregational: The Congregational Church of Jacksonville had its birth at a meeting held November 8, 1875, at the residence of William Stetson. At that meeting committees were ap- pointed to select a location for a chapel, which resulted in the purchase of a lot 105 feet square at the southwest corner of Church and Hogan Streets from Solon Robinson for $2,500 on ten years’ time at 10 per cent interest. The chapel was started soon afterward. On December 8, 1875, a constitution was adopted; this was eight years prior to the organization of the General Congregational Association in Florida, in December, 1883. The Union Congregational Church of Jack- sonville was organized January 9, 1876, with 19 members; on the same day the chapel was dedicated, by Rev. C. L. Woodworth, Secretary of the American Missionary Asso- ciation. In 1888 the question of a larger church was advanced and a building fund was started, but the yellow fever epi- demic of that year, followed by other unfavorable circum- stances delayed matters and it was not until 1898 that finan- cial arrangements were perfected. The little chapel was moved and on its site the foundation for a brick church was 408 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA laid. The first service in the new church was held June 26, 1898, though the church was far from completion at the time; it was dedicated February 5, 1899, by Rev. A. M. MacDonald. The edifice was erected at a cost of $10,000; it was Gothic in style and quite imposing. This church was burned in the fire of May 3, 1901. With $10,000 insurance money as a nucleus, funds for rebuilding the church were contributed and by the autumn of 1902 plans for its erection had been started. On April 12, 1903, the first service was held in the church, and regularly thereafter. This was a brick church erected at a cost of $22,000. The style was Old English Gothic. It was dedi- cated January 17, 1904, by Dr. E. Lyman Hood. Three Con- gregational churches had now been built on that corner. On account of street noises during service hours the trustees decided to sell the church property and rebuild else- where. They accepted an offer of $80,000 for the holdings of the Church at the corner of Hogan and Church Streets in November, 1911. Pending the negotiations the selection of the present site on the south side of Church Street between Hogan and Julia was made and when the funds from the sale became available the lot was purchased and the erection of the church begun in June, 1912. The last service in the old church was held July 7, 1912; the congregation worshipped in the Jewish synagogue during the rebuilding. The new church was under construction exactly a year. On March 9, 1918, a service was held in the assembly hall, but the church was not permanently occupied until June 15, 1913. It was dedicated by Rev. A. M. MacDonald, a former pastor, Jan- uary 17, 1904. The edifice is 102x80 feet over all, con- structed of white brick and terra cotta and represented at the time of building an outlay of about $90,000. The main auditorium is 60x60 and 26 feet high; as originally designed 30 rooms were provided to be used for Church purposes. The struggles of the trustees all during the early years to keep out of debt and at the same time progress reveal a wonderful example of perseverance. They were frequently near the line, but seldom far below it. At one time a legacy of land at Panama almost forced them into the real estate business to dispose of it and did involve the Church in a law suit.? HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 409 The work started by Rev. C. L. Woodworth was taken up by Rev. Henry F. Hyde, who remained during the most of 1876. Rev. Solon Cobb came in December, 1876, and served until June, 1878. Then in turn: Samuel Bell, 1878-79; H. L. Kendall, 1879-80; S. D. Paine, 1880-81; E. H. Curtis, 1881-82; S. F. Gale, May, 1883, to October, 1886. All of these were supply pastors. The first pastor regularly installed by the Church was Rev. Russell T. Hall in February, 1888, Dr. Ly- man Abbott of Brooklyn taking part in the ceremonies. Mr. Hall resigned in December, 1891. Rev. C. L. Woodworth returned to the Church in 1892 and was its supply pastor until February, 1894. Rev. Angus M. MacDonald was in- stalled in October, 1894, and he served the Church until Jan- uary, 1903. The succeeding pastors were: Rev. F. A. Stevens (supply), 1903; Rev. E. Lyman Hood, January, 1904, to October, 1905; Rev. George L. Hanscom, April, 1906, to March, 1912; Rev. H. T. Sell, May, 1912, to May, 1916; Rev. F. R. Marsh, October, 1916, to November, 1920; Rev. E. C. Gillette, December, 1920, to date. Lutheran During the first week of December, 1877, a number of German residents held a meeting for the purpose of organ- izing a Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, to be known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. John. Sufficient funds were soon raised to buy a lot at the northeast corner of Ashley and Laura Streets 5214x105 feet, facing Ashley. Work was begun on the church April 3, 1878, and the build- ing was finished and dedicated May 19, 1878. The ceremony of dedication was performed in both English and German. This was a neat frame chapel costing $1,700. It was de- stroyed in the fire of May 3, 1901. On May 15, 1901, services were held at a private residence, and afterward there was a meeting at which resolutions were passed to rebuild the church at the old site at once. In Octo- ber, 1901, the Tabernacle Baptist temporary shack near Church and Hogan Streets was rented for $12.50 a month; here regular services were held until the following July. In the meantime work on the new church at Ashley and Laura streets was progressing, the corner-stone having been laid May 4, 1902, with regular ceremony and appropriate sermon by Rey. M. J. Epting of Savannah. Pastor Rahn preached 410 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA the opening sermon in the Sunday School room of the new church October 12, 1902. Services were held there until December 24, 1905, when the auditorium was dedicated by Dr. A. G. Voight of the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. This church is a red brick building with slate roof, and was erected at a cost of $12,000. It comprises a Sunday School room in the basement, auditorium, and a six- room parsonage built in. The equipment, including real stained glass windows, cost an additional $6,000.° Originally the congregation was alone and independent, conducted by a few members and a pastor until 1889, when it joined the Synod of Georgia and adjacent States. Since May, 1918, it has been governed by the Model Constitution of the Synod, which is Apostolic in its sense. The congrega- tion numbers about 290 members.? Pastors: Rev. C. F. Bansemer was the first pastor and remained until his death February 3, 1889.6 Rev. J. Rein- hardt, May-July, 1889; Rev. A. G. Delfs, August, 1889-May, 1890; Rev. J. F. Probst, September, 1890-June, 1895; Rev. S. S. Rahn, January, 1896, to his death, July 1, 1911; Rev. T. G. Hartwig, October, 1911-July, 1915; Rev. W. H. Hiller, November, 1915, to date. Congregation Ahavath Chesed Several of the more prominent Hebrews of this city met in the circuit court rooms in the L’Engle building on January 18, 1882, and organized the Society Ahavath Chesed. M. A. Dzialynski was the first president. Steps were taken at once to raise funds to purchase the lot at the southeast corner of Laura and Union Streets. Soon sufficient funds were in hand to purchase the lot and commence the synagogue. The building was dedicated September 8, 1882, by Rabbi Marx Moses. There were 24 members at that time. The syna- gogue cost $7,000. The seats were of maple, with framework of ash and mountings of black walnut. There were 28 seats in two rows, giving three aisles and a seating capacity for 400 persons. The chandaliers were novel and beautiful, with a central corona of 36 gas jets. The entrance was from a vestibule through three full swinging doors.‘ This building was consumed in the fire of May 3, 1901. Immediately after the fire plans were laid for rebuilding the synagogue on the same site. The corner-stone of the new HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 411 building was laid November 15, 1901, and it was completed and occupied January 20, 1902. This was the first house of worship rebuilt after the fire. The needs of the congregation soon outgrew this synagogue, and it was sold to the Christian Scientists in January, 1908, who afterward sold it to the Greek Orthodox Church.’ After selling the synagogue Congregation Ahavath Chesed bought the southeast corner of Laura and Ashley Streets and began the erection of the present temple. The corner-stone was laid October 19, 1909, and the temple was dedicated September 23-24, 1910. Assisting the local rabbi, Pizer Jacobs, in the two-day ceremonies were Rabbi E. N. Calish of Richmond, Va., and Rabbi Harry Weiss.’ Rabbi Marx Moses was the first rabbi of the congregation and remained until 1885. Rabbi A. Rosenspitz followed Dr. Moses, but served less than a year. Dr. Ignatz Kaiser was rabbi from July, 1886, until the autumn of 1887. The con- gregation was without a rabbi from this time until July, 1888, when Rabbi J. Kahn was called. He was followed in 1890 by Rabbi 8S. Rosenberg. Then followed the Rabbis: B. Babbino, 1893 to 1900; David H. Wittenberg, 1900 to August, 1905; Pizer Jacobs, March, 1906, to January, 1912; Samuel Schwartz, September, 1912, to August, 1916; I. L. Kaplan, September, 1916, to date.’ Christian In March, 18838, a society of about 35 members who had previously been worshipping with other Churches, was formed as the Christian Women’s Missionary Society and money was donated for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a Christian Church in Jacksonville. The society met regularly and a permanent organization was perfected January 27, 1884. The lower room of the Odd Fellows’ hall was rented; then library hall at the southeast corner of Laura and Adams Streets became their place of worship.’ On August 9, 1885, a Christian chapel was dedicated to the memory of Hal B. Smith, who the year before had been drowned while sailing on the river. It was located at the northwest corner of Charles and Rossell Streets in Riverside and was erected at a cost of $800. This property was later sold. 412 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA The parent Church continued to hold services in library hall in the morning and in Riverside chapel in the afternoon and evening,’ until 1886, when a lot 42x60 feet at the south- west corner of Main and Beaver Streets was purchased and a small wooden church was erected on it. The congregation worshipped here several years, but the property did not prove satisfactory and was sold to a negro congregation on time payments. After the sale the Christian congregation held their services in various places, first in a hall over Randolph’s restaurant, Main and Adams Streets; then in library hall; in the board of trade rooms; in the dining room of the Oxford hotel across from the St. James; then in the Union building at Adams and Main Streets. Finally they went back to the church at Main and Beaver Streets, the colored congregation having failed in their payments. This church was burned in the fire of May 3, 1901. Shortly before the fire the Chris- tian Church had bought the southeast corner of Monroe and. Hogan Streets, its present location, and when the fire of May 3, 1901, came the foundation for the new church was being built.¢ The Sunday School rooms of the present First Christian church were first used on June 1, 1902. The auditorium was completed a year later, the first services being held there June 7, 1903." A unique feature of the campaign for funds to complete the church was the selling of shingles to the public for 10 cents each, by which a substantial sum was raised. The cost of the completed edifice was in the neigh- borhood of $45,000 and it is now practically free of debt. It is built of the so-called Miami rock, some of which was im- ported from Nassau, N. P.; this material has now hardened © to the substance of granite.¢ The services were conducted by Elder W. Bennett Young until the arrival of a permanent pastor, Rev. T. H. Blenus, in May, 1885. Mr. Blenus accepted a call to Savannah in June, 1888, and there was no permanent pastor until 1893, when Rev. John Friend was called ;‘ he however remained but four months. Rev. 8S. P. Benbrook was the pastor when the congregation went back to the church at Main and Beaver Streets. Rev. M. B. Ingle followed Mr. Benbrook and was pastor until November 1, 1895. Rev. J. J. Irvine was pastor from February, 1896, to June, 1898. During the intervals between these pastors, Elder Rufus A. Russell usually con- HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 413 ducted the services. Rev. J. T. Boone, the present pastor, held his first service here December 4, 1898, and his pastorate of a quarter of a century has been marked by great achieve- ment, for from the parent Church have sprung three other Churches in the city and four in nearby settlements. Christian Science’ The first record of a Christian Science Society in Jack- sonville was a notice in the local paper of October 1, 1892, as follows: The Christian Science Bible Class will meet at the residence of Mrs. James Douglas, southwest corner of Liberty and Church Streets, at 10 am., Sunday. ) February’ (3.3700 e7 eee 16 URS Fv LEY op Ts Bg COA H 15 1917 December31.......... 19 1894 December 29.......... 14 Extreme cold spells (known as cold waves) usually last two days and then give way to more moderate temperature. Snow (mostly light flurries) has occurred at Jacksonville on an average of once every seven years. The average first frost in Autumn comes in the first week of November and the last in Spring the third week of March. Our winter climate has been the subject of song and story so long that it is well known throughout the country ; but our summer climate is not so well understood, nor generally ap- preciated even by our native inhabitants. The same causes that modify the cold of winter contribute to tempering the summer climate. The vast water areas on ” +Statistical data furnished by A. J. Mitchell, meteorologist U. S. Weather Bureau. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA A497 each side of the Florida peninsula ensure a free circulation of air and nearly a constant breeze both night and day, giving us a summer climate almost oceanic in character. Midday temperatures in summer are usually well into the 90’s F., but on account of the breeze the sensation of oppression is seldom felt. Describing a characteristic summer afternoon: Soon after midday the clouds begin to bank in the west. After a while the distant rumble of thunder is heard as the rain cloud approaches; then the shower begins with a decided drop in the temperature of the air. The storm passes on and the sun peeps out from a clearing sky, mapping its rainbow on the back of the receding clouds. The air is fresh and pleasant now; the sunbeams expend their energy in the evap- oration of surface moisture and not as sensible heat. Night comes on. A gentle breeze is blowing. Unhampered by clouds, radiation of heat from the ground proceeds and as the night advances there comes a chill in the air that often makes light covering necessary for comfortable sleep. Finally morning dawns, to begin the general sequence of the preced- ing day. ; ‘When the press despatches tell us that the North or the West is suffering from the visitation of a summer hot wave and the people there are panting for breath; that a population unable to rest at night on account of the heat seeks the open places in search of an absent breeze; and finally the story of distress and death resulting from the effects of heat pros- tration—then we should recognize how favored we are by the pleasant, restful nights that characterize our summer- time. Our summers are usually from the middle of May to the last of September, relatively long but not severe. There are no cyclone cellars in Jacksonville, because there has been no need for them. One instance only is of record when a local storm assumed the nature of a well-defined tor- nado, *This instance was on March 10, 1872, when a violent wind and rain squall swept over the city about midnight and three miles north assumed the nature of a well-defined tornado that cut a clear path three-quarters of a mile wide from the Panama Road to the St. Johns River. Large trees were uprooted or twisted off, a number of houses and barns demolished, several people injured, and some stock killed. Tall grass was mowed down as if by a mower. One of the wind’s remarkable freaks was it took a man’s hat in which he had some papers off of his 498 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA head and carried it across the St. Johns River, where it was afterward found undamaged with the papers undisturbed. The hurricane season is in the fall, August to October, but sometimes years pass without a noticeable influence of these storms in this vicinity. The greatest damage that one has ever done here was in 1894, when the framing for the union station, then under construction, was blown down. Their full effect may be properly described as several days of extremely disagreeable weather—heavy rain and wind squalls. After that the return to normal weather is rapid, with a strong probability of no recurrence of storm conditions that season and possibly not for several years. We have two rainy and two dry seasons. The heaviest rains usually occur in August and September with a secondary rainy season in February and March. The dry months are April and November. In this section rainfall is more espe- cially an item of importance to agriculture. No rainfall in the watershed of the St. Johns River has ever been known to effect the river perceptibly, therefore we have no danger- ous floods. A condition of perfect climate does not exist upon the earth, but when all phases are considered the year-round cli- mate of Jacksonville registers along with the best for com- fort and safety. It is not always June in Jacksonville; our houses are provided with furnaces and our citizens wear overcoats in the winter-time. Health Even in the log-cabin days of Cow Ford people of the North braved the tedious journey and came to this vicinity in search of health. The relative mildness of the winter climate and its abundant sunshine, permitting unrestricted out-of-door exercise, contributed immense benefits and the invalids returned to their homes greatly improved. Some of them played safe, settled here, and attained a ripe old age filled with comfort and happiness. They were a part of the nucleus about which the town was built. In 18385 the editor of the Jacksonville Courier published: “This place (Jacksonville) bids fair to become the most im- portant town in Florida, not only on account of its pleasant and healthy situation, but also its situation with respect to HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 499 trade; there are at this time more exports and imports from this section than any other part of East Florida”. Captain Obadiah Congar, one of the pioneers, seven years later wrote his sister in New Jersey: ‘‘With respect to health and climate there is no place anywhere in the country better off than Jacksonville”. In all of the material examined, printed and written in this early period, the healthfulness of the place is stressed. Between 1849 and 1857 a series of epidemics of sickness introduced from outside sources swept Jacksonville, among them a severe epidemic of yellow fever. Medical science of that day was unable to cope with them and the climate was accused of being the culprit. About this time there was beginning to grow up in the North a popular belief that the atmosphere in the coastal sections of the Southern States during the warm months of the year was polluted with all sorts of disease, and Jacksonville came now to be included. This idea prevailed for many years and it was not an unrea- sonable one in view of the circumstances of those times. The medical profession groped around in search of a cause, but epidemics continued to be reported here and there, one sum- mer in one place and the next in another, until microbes and quinine pills became by-words synonymous with the thought of life in the South during summer-time. The first warm spell in spring sent the tourists and winter visitors scurrying to their homes. The last yellow fever epidemic in Jacksonville was in 1888, and it was the worst of them all. Fifteen years later the secret of the South’s scourge had been disclosed and the deadly work of the mosquito evinced without the shadow of a doubt. It took the public some time to realize the meaning of this discovery ; a deep-seated impression or habit cannot be eradicated suddenly, and the legacy of a former genera- tion existed in the North to a certain extent for a long time afterward. We have among us year-round residents from nearly every section of the United States and many from foreign lands and the consensus of their opinion is expressed in the language of the pioneers when they wrote to their folks back home, ‘‘Probably nowhere in the country can be found a more healthful place to live in than here in Jacksonville, Florida.” 500 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA CONCLUSION Jacksonville did not spring up by accident. A careful analysis of its history shows that the forces operating in its behalf in the beginning were founded on sound principles of climate, health, and location for trade. The same forces are with us still. The first has undergone no change. The second, though passing through a period of distress, was finally brought by medical discovery and control to a state of per- manent perfection greater than known before. The pano- rama of the last, trade, is that of a development based upon natural advantages through slow, then moderate stages up to the great fire of 1901; and after that the present Jackson- ville—a modern city of brick and stone, throbbing with sub- stantial business and industry and charged with the thought of more. The growth of Jacksonville is shown by the following table; the U.S. Census Bureau did not make separate returns for the town until 1850: Jacksonville’s Growth in Population ARVANA A Na Rab cee eT A 154 LBS eeu ase eet ete 1002 TB 40 Sei alain delaras 8 okerebateuere i 3502 LSHO a iluig aa.2 sale ety siete 1,045 ASGO. Pca. a eons Vee 2,018 LE TO che cae eta teen fer 6,912b ASSO Ack Dr eae gies enamel at weed 7,650¢ ABO es ve husud ate neve Acetic rele pte 17,201¢ LOO cA amt iaos ee tere etaens 28,429 LOL Ora Ai aan 57,699 LOO ie heh ceca uc cites ie ale 91,5584 1D 22 od ateelen yee ee ah ee 100,046¢ aBstimated ; bAbnormal increase due to temporary residents; cTemporary residents had departed; dCity limits extended since last census; eOn the 100th anniversary of Jacksonville the U. S. Government took an official census of the city in relation to the mail carrier service. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 501 PERSONAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT A most pleasant feature connected with the preparation of this history was the splendid cooperation accorded me by people everywhere, both in public and private life. There were hundreds of them whose names do not appear in the bibliographies with whom I talked or wrote to in relation to Jacksonville’s history, and I recall few indeed who were not courteous and helpful in every way possible. I wish I could name them all here. Julien C. Yonge, of Pensacola, who possesses the most complete file of Territorial Florida news- papers in existence, contributed much valuable data for that early period. Prof. J.O. Knauss (History), F. 8. C. W., who is making researches along specific lines on Florida’s history, furnished me with important material. The United States Government officials at Washington without exception under- stood the object of this work and cooperated generously in furnishing copies of important records; likewise the State officials. County and City officials were helpful, too, though the city has few records that go back beyond the fire of 1901. The painstaking surveys and drawings by T. Hurd Kooker, C. E., were contributions made especially for this history ; likewise the special photographs by C. H. Brown. The Florida Times-Union accorded me many courtesies in connection with this work. J. F. Marron and his assist- ants at the Public Library were helpful at all times. The officers of The Florida Historical Society all during the years of preparation of this work never failed to render every assistance possible, and especially its present President, Ar- thur T. Williams; it is a sincere gratification to the author that the title page bears the imprint of The Florida His- torical Society as publisher. There were others whose eyes will never see this book— those old citizens who knew Jacksonville in the period before the conflict between the States, and are now in the Great Beyond. I cannot ignore them in this acknowledgment, for upon their recollections is based the record of life in Jackson- ville in what they called “The happy days before the war”. In this simple acknowledgment I express to everyone my gratitude, whether for data or for a friendly interest in the preparation of this history. Tue AUTHOR. 502 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA AGREEMENT between T.Frederick Davis, author of a manuscript entitled "History of Jacksonville, Florida, and Vicinity" and the Board of Directors of The Florida Historical Society, as now or may hereafter be constituted, in relation to the publication of the said manuscript, Witneseeth: That the said T.Frederick Davis hereby conveys to the said Board of Directors the right perpetually to publish the said manuscript in as many editions as it may desire and to distribute or sell the published work at a price to be determined by itself, it being understood and agreed that any and all profit arising from the sale of any edition published by virtue of this agreement shall be devoted to the usages of the said Society. in the advancement of educational knowledge bearing upon the history of Flerida, under and in accordance with the stipulations following to wit:- (1) That the first edition shall be an exact copy of the original manuscript and made according to specifications furnished by the Author. {2} That eacn and every edition published subsequently to the first edition spall be an unabridged copy of the first edition in type matter and illustration, and at least equal to it in quality of stock, binding, and workmanship, and shall bear on backbone, cover, and title page the samé inecription«as that of the first edition and none other. {3) That no appendix and no advertisement of any character, type or iliustration, shail ever be inserted in any edition. (4) That the work shall be published only as a separate volume under ts own cover and in strict accordance with the stipulations herein named. (5) Tnat a cony of this agreement shall be published upon the page next preceding the Index of every edition published by virtue of this agreement. In agreement hereto witness our signatures this 22d day of August, 1925. srge core Heese r The Florida msotoriogh fs HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 503 SUBJECT INDEX Aeronautics: Air craft, first ap- pearance, 381; the NC 4, 275; trans-continental flight of Mc- Cauley, 274; of Coney, 279; of Doolittle, 282; aerial circus, 381; Parl Dodge’s aviation school, 381; Jacksonville Aero Club, 382. America, Yacht, 128. American Legion Post, 439. American Red Cross, 439. April Follies, 283. Arcade Theatre, 248. Arden, 45, 244. Army Camps, see Camps. Assessor, City, office created, 290. Atlantic Boulevard, history of, 237. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, 345- 348. Auditor, City, office created, 290. Aurora borealis, 111. Automobile: Growth of the busi- ness locally, 379-380; first in Jacksonville, 379; first clubs, 230, 380; first show, 380; first races at Atlantic Beach, 232, 240; first through trip to the beach, 232; first New York to Jacksonville, 233; first taxi serv- ice, 286; Glidden tour, 241. Aviation, see Aeronautics. Avondale, 48, 279. Banks: Those that ceased, 475-485. Present banks: Atlantic Nation- al, 481; Barnett National, 479; Brotherhood Savings, 485; Citi- zens, 482; Federal Reserve, 485; Florida National, 481; Morris Plan, 485; Pablo Beach, 485; Peoples, 483; South Jackson- ville, 484; U. S. Postal, 483. Bank Robberies, see Robberies. Bar Association, 202. Bar, St. Johns River, 6, 104, 383- 386. Barefoot Bill, 239. Baseball, 174, 179, 202, 231. Benai Bareth, 159. Bicycle: As a developer, 377; local history, 378; racing, 191, 198, 202. Big Jim, 322. Bit, money division, 98. Blind Tom, 170. Block House, 77. Board of Trade, see Chamber of Commerce. Boards, Municipal: Bond Trustees, created, 289; ab- sorbs duties of Election (Po- lice) Commissioners, 289; of Board of Public Works, 290; of Board of Health, 290; board abolished, 290; list of Chair- men, 292. Charities, created, 290. Election Commissioners, created, 289; abolished, 289. Health, created, 189; duties as- signed to Bond Trustees, 290. Playground and Recreation, 291. Police Commissioners, created, 288; duties assigned to Elec- tion Commissioners, 289. Port Commissioners, created, 290; abolished, 290. Public Works, created, 287; du- ties assigned to Bond Trus- tees, 290; abolished, 290. Bonds, City, 189, 317-319. Border conditions, 28. Boulevards, see Highways. Boundaries, City, changes in, 315- OL ts Boy Scouts, 440. Boys’ Home, 439. Brady, John, see Settlers. Brentwood, 243. Bridges: Jacksonville-St. Johns River Highway, 329; F. E. C. Railway, 351; McGirts Creek, 235. 504 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA INDEX Brooklyn, 42. Buckles, Stephen E., see Settlers. Buildings: City, 330-332; County, 68, 64, 473; U. S. Government, 87, 340; Skyscrapers: Atlantic Nat'l. Bank, 244; Bisbee, 244; Florida Life (Fla. Nat’l. Bank), 245; Heard (Graham), 245; Ma- son, 246; Rhodes-Futch-Collins, 246; Seminole, 245. St. James Building, 246; Union Terminal Building, 246. Bulkhead, river, first, 838. Bunco Swindlers, 159. Business depression: of 1914-16, 250-252; other depressions, see Panics. Business and Professional Wo- men’s Club, 274. California propaganda, 176, 491. Camps, army: Cuba Libre, 210- 2138; State Camp—Camp John- ston, 262-266. Card playing, 98. Carpet-baggers, who they were and what they did, 144-147; local government restored to home people, 154. Census, 500. Chamber of Commerce, history of, 432-434, | Channel, St. Johns River, 389-391. Charlesfort, see French Colony. Charter: Acts affecting local Gov- ernment, 287-291; changes in Town and City limits, 315-317; first Town charter in full, 70-74. Child, white, first born, 23, 415. Children’s Home Society, 440. Chimneys, sweeping of, 310. Christopher, John G., Steamer, 195. Chronological Record, 155-285. Churches, Religious Denomina- tions: Baptist, 401; Christian, 411; Christian Science, 413; Congregational, 407; Episcopal, 395; Hebrew, 410; Lutheran, 409; Methodist, 393; Presbyte- rian, 403; Roman Catholic, 398; Unitarian, 414. City Buildings, 330-332. City Commission created, 290. City Commissioner elections, 305- 306. City Limits, see Boundaries. City Planning Commission, 243, 283. City of Nassau, S. S., 178. Civil War, see War Between the States. Civitan Club, 440. Cleveland, Grover, 177, 187. Climate of Jacksonville, 496-498. Clyde Steamship Line, 367. Cold Waves, see Freezes. Collector, City, office created, 287; abolished, 287. Colonial Dames, 444. Community Chest, 278. Community Players, 278. Community Service, 276. Comptroller, City, office created, 287; abolished, 290. Concussion theory, 183. Confederate Organizations: R. E. Lee Camp, C. V., 172; J. B. Gor- don Camp, C. V., 247; Sons of Veterans, 196, 216; United Daughters of Confederacy, 446; Confederate Home, 198; Con- federate reunion, 247; Confed- erate monuments, see Monu- ments. Consolidation of City and County, 288. Convention, Democratic, last, 218. Coontra, 98. Corbett-Mitchell prize-fight, 199. Cotton, 37, 82, 95, 104. Councilmen At-Large, office cre- ated, 289; abolished, 289; re- created, 290. County, see Duval County. County Judges, list of, 65. Courthouses, 63, 64. Courts established, see County. Cow Boys, military company, 116, 464, Duval HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 505 INDEX Cow Ford, see Jacksonville. Crime Wave, 176, 200, 280. Curfew, 82, 306. Cyclones, see Tornadoes. Dances, old-time, 112. Daniel Memorial Orphanage, his- tory of, 434-437, Daughters of American Revolu- tion, 23, 440. Dauntless, famous tugboat, 207, 208. Dawson, W. G., see Settlers. De Gourgues, see French Colony. Delaware, S. S., 216. Democratic State Convention, last, 218. Dengue Fever, 86, 282. De Valera, Eamon, 277. Dewey, Admiral George, 217. Dodge’s aviation school, 381. Drills, Interstate, 187, 190. Duel, 83. Duval County: Created, 59; first officers, 59; Superior Court, 59; first Grand Jury, 60; first Civil Case, 61; County Courts estab- lished, 61; first lawyer, 62; early court days, 61; first marriage license, 62; courthouses, 62-64; list of County Judges, 65. Duval Theatre, 231. Earthquake, 175. East Jacksonville, 47. Election Commissioners, see Boards. Electric Lights, history of, 323- 324; explosion at plant, 231. Elections, municipal, record of, 1865 to 1924, with vote polled, 293-306. Elective Franchise, taken from people, 288, 300; restored to people, 289, 301. Elevations, highest construction, 246. Elks Club, 439. Elizabeth Edgar Home, 441. Embargo, railroad, 276. Encampments, State troops, 175, 218, 230. Erosion, St. Johns River, 389. Exchange Club, 441. Executions, white, in County, 153. Duval Fagan-Carlin murder, 152. Fairfield, 47, 287. Federation of Mothers’ Clubs, 441. Federation of Women’s Clubs, 253. Fernandina occupied by Patriots, 29; by “Carthagenians” under M’Gregor, 36. Ferry, 67, 88. Jacksonville-South Jacksonville service, 366, 375- 377. Arlington service, 2438. Fireboat, 243, 314. Fire Department, history of, 310- 314. Fires: Conflagrations, 100, 104, 131, 152; 173; 179, 188, 190; of 1891, 192; city destroyed in 1901, 219-227. Other large fires, rec- ord of in General Chronology, 156-285, Large fires at Burn- side Beach, 189; at Mayport, 258, 284; at Pablo Beach, 198, 247, 248, 498; at Atlantic Beach, A494, Fishweir Park, 45. Flags: Flag of Jacksonville, 423; Patriot flag, 36. Flagler, Henry M., 349. Florida: Discovered by Ponce de Leon, 1; flowers not a factor in the name, 1; ceded to England by Spain, 25; ceded back to Spain, 28; acquired but not pur- chased by United States, 39; as a “Republic,” 36. Florida Country Club, 441. Florida East Coast Railway, 349- 351. Florida Fruit Growers Assn., 171. Florida Historical Pageant, 281. Florida Yacht Club, 164, 442. Floods, 230. Flying Machines, see Aeronautics. Food prices, 1914-1920, 271. Ford assembling plant, 285. Fords, Indian, across St. Johns River, 25. 506 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA INDEX Fort George Island, tourist cen- ter, 494. Forts: Caroline, San Mateo, and Spanish forts at mouth of the river, see French Colony; Fort San Nicholas, 28, 36, 37. Freedmen’s Bureau: Its purpose, 139-140; activities of, 140; churches and_ schools, 140; banks, 140-141; its end, 141. French Colony on River May (St. Johns). Ribault’s first voyage: Object of, 4; discovers and names river May, 4, 6; first Protes- tant prayer in U. S., 5; im- pressions of new land, 6; erects marker of possession, 6; lure of gold and pearls, 7; sails northward and leaves handful of men at place he calls Charlesfort, 7; returns to France, 7; fate of Charles- fort, 7. Laudonniere’s Huguenot Colony: Colonists arrive at River May (St. Johns), 7; colony planted at St. Johns Bluff, 8; named Fort Caroline, 9; colonists improvident and dissensions arise, 9; trouble with the In- dians, 9; colonists decide to return to France, 10; visit of Sir John Hawkins, 10; prep- arations for leaving continue, 10; on eve of departure Ri- bault arrives with relief, 10. Ribault’s second voyage: Ar- rives at Fort Caroline with 600 colonists, 11; brings wom- en and children, 11; Span- iards chase French vessels to sea, 11; Ribault decides to at- tack Spaniards under Menen- dez at St. Augustine, 11; sails to make the attack, and his ships are wrecked by a hurri- cane, 12. Menendez: Plans to destroy French colony, 12; religion the pretext, 12; arrives at St. French Colony (Continued) : Augustine, 12; chases Ri- bault’s ships to sea, 13; plans land attack on Fort Caroline, 18; marches four days during a hurricane, 13; camps and holds council near Fort Caro- line, 18; captures Fort Caro- line, 14; general massacre of the Huguenots, 14; some women and boys spared, 14; Laudonniere escapes, 14; the placard “Not as Frenchmen, but as Lutherans”, 15; Menen- dez returns to St. Augustine, 15; murders Ribault and the shipwrecked Frenchmen, 15. Fort Caroline: Built by Laudon- niere, 8; named for boy king of France, 9; first white women and children in U. S. landed at, 11, 23; fort cap- tured by Menendez, 14; Me- nendez changes name of fort to San Mateo, 17. Fort San Mateo: Burned by ac- cident, 17; rebuilt, 17; de- stroyed by De Gourgues, 21; rebuilt, 24. De Gourgues: Organizes expe- dition against the Spaniards in Florida, 18; captures Span- ish forts at mouth of the river (St. Johns), 19; captures Fort San Mateo (formerly Ft. Car- oline), 20-21; hangs Span- iards, 21; returns to France, 21; most spectacular figure in Florida’s early history; brief account of his life, 22. Freezes: Destructive, 1835, 15; 1899, 216. List of damaging freezes, 496. Gala Week, 204, 230, 231. Garden Club, 442. Gardner Building, 203. Gato murder, 202. Georgia Southern & Florida Rail- way, 351. Glidden tour, 241. Golf course, municipal, 337. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 50T INDEX Gold, lure of early explorers, 7. Government, municipal, see Mu- nicipal. Grand Jury, first, 60, 67. Grand Opera, 174. Grant, Gen. U. S., funeral ob- served, 172. Grants, land, see Land Grants. Gun Club, 173. Hailstorm, severe, 233. Hangings, see Executions. Harbor, see Port. Harding, Warren G., 283. Hart, I. D., settler, 53; founder of Jacksonville, 57; his tomb, 58. Hawkins, Sir John, 10. Health, 498-499. Health, Board of, see Boards. Hemming Park, 115, 332. High Cost of Living, 252, 270, 278. High pressure water system, 314. Highways: Atlantic Boulevard, 237; Jacksonville-Orange Park, 247; Jacksonville-Lake City, 283; San Jose Boulevard, 284. Hogans, L. Z., see Settlers. Home for the Aged, 442. Home for Working Girls, 441. Hotels, history of, 486-495. First Hotel, see Inn. Aragon, 173, 488; Atlantic (near Mayport), 249; Buffington, 486; Burbridge, 493; Burnside Beach, 189; Carle- ton, 490; Casa Marina, 495; Continental (Atlantic Beach), 494; Duval, 489; Everett, 488; Fort George Island, 494, 495; Judson, 118, 486; Mason, 492; Murray Hall, 498; St. James, 487; St. Johns, 487; Seminole, 245, 492; Windsor, 489. Fire record of beach hotels, 495. House Bill No. 4: 189, 288, 300. Huguenot ring found in an In- dian mound, 16. Huguenots, see French Colony. Hurricanes, see Storm Season. Ice Trust cases, 233. Idaho, ferryboat, 201. Illustrations, see list in front of book. Incorporation of Jacksonville, 70. Indians— Timuqua: Habits and customs, 2, 3; become enemies of the French, 10; of the Spaniards, 17; murder a Priest on Ft. George Island, 17; assist French in attacking Span- iards, 17-20; fords and trails, 25; village on site of Jack- sonville, 24. Seminole: Newnan’s expedition against, 30; scalped by whites, 32, 35; mode of fighting, 32- 34; Seminole war, 76-81; scalping of Mrs. Johns, 78. Indigo plantations along St. Johns, 26. Influenza epidemic, 272. Ingleside, 44. Ingleside Heights, 48. Inland waterway, 236. Inn, Mrs. Waterman’s, 53, 54, 57, 59. Interstate drills, 187, 190. Jacksonville: Site of Indian vil- lage, Ossachite, 24; first known as Cow Ford, 25; first settlers in Spanish times, 40, 51-54; town founded, 54; dispute as to property lines, 54; survey of town, 55; then in St. Johns. County, 56; town named, 56;. first lot transfer, 56; Jackson- ville’s situation when founded, 57; I. D. Hart founder of, 57- 58; town developed slowly at first, 66; early description of, 66; town begins to grow, 68; in- corporated, 70; first charter, 70; ninth town incorporated in Flor- ida, 74; railroad contemplated, 74; bank organized, 74; whole- sale trade started, 74; Seminole war, 76-81; local conditions fol- lowing Seminole war, 82; poli- tics in the 1840’s, 86; first epi- demic of sickness, 86; residents of Jacksonville in early 1850’s, 508 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA INDEX Jacksonville (Continued): with map showing location of every building in the town, 87- 94; living conditions at that time, 95, 98; relation between master and slave, 95; social con- ditions preceding War Between the States, 112-114; town made a “city” by charter, 115; Jackson- ville during the War Between the States, 116-137; after the war (politically), 138-148; re- vival of business, 149-150; mili- tary occupation after the war, 150-151; Jacksonville in 1870, 152; in 1875, 153-154; tourist days, 160, 173, 491; known as “The Winter City in Summer- land’, 160, 164, 491; important railroad terminus, 161, 342; yel- low fever epidemic of 1888, 180; political turmoil, elective fran- chise taken away from people, 299; devastating fire of 1891, 191; the Spanish-American war, 205-215; city destroyed by fire in 1901, 219-227; the money panic of 1907, 234; story of cre- ating a skyline, 244-246; busi- ness depression of 1914-16, 250- 252; Jacksonville and the World war, 254-270; influenza epidemic of 1918, 272; Jacksonville in 1924, 500. Jacksonville Bar Assn., 202, 203. Jacksonville Club, 167. Jacksonville Driving Assn., 169 191. Jacksonville Light Infantry, 116, 458-462. Jacksonville-Miami S. S. Line, 236. Jacksonville Rifles, 468-469. Jefferson, Joseph, 217. Jetties, St. Johns River, history of, 385-390. Jim Crow laws, 229, 232. John Gorrie Junior High School, 422, 423. Johns, Mrs. Fleming, scalped by Indians, 78. Jones, Sam, evangelist, 192. ? Journal, Jacksonville, newspaper, A455. Junior League, 443. Jury, grand, see Grand Jury. Juvenile Court, 244. Kings Road, 25, 26, 57. Kirby Smith Junior High School, 60, 422. Kiwanis Club, 443. Knights of Columbus, 229. Knights of Pythias, 354, 444. Land Grants— English: Hastings, north side of the St. Johns, 26; Waterford, south side of the St. Johns, 26; Abraham Jones, Ortega, 26. Spanish grants, 39-50; how made, 39; base titles, 40. At- kinson (Shadow Lawn, Arden, Fishweir Park), 45; Dell (Brooklyn and Riverside), 42; Hendricks (South Jackson- ville), 41; Hendricks (La- Villa), 42; Hogans (East Jacksonville, Fairfield), 47; Hogans (Springfield), 49; Hutcheson (Willow Brook Park section and Ingleside), 44; Hutcheson (Avondale, Ribault Place, Ingleside Heights), 48; Maestre (City east of Market Street), 47; McQueen (Ortega), 40; Pritch- ard (Jacksonville), 40; Tay- lor (City west of Market Street), 45. Laudonniere, see French Colony. LaVilla, 42-44, 287. Lawyer, first, 62. Library, see Public Library. Lighthouses, 388. Lightning: Strikes ferryboat, 218; causes destruction of Armour plant by fire, 234, 284. Lions Club, 444. Lotteries, 64. Lumber industry, 28, 86, 95. Lynchings, 274. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 599 INDEX McGirts, Daniel, 26. McIntosh, J. H., and the Span- iards, 28. ; Maestre, John, see Settlers. Magic City, S. S., 236. Mail in early days, 338. Mallory Steamship Line, 367. Manufacturing, profitable, theo- retical southern limit, 433. Maps, see List of Illustrations in front of book. Markers, see Monuments. Market, first, 88. Marshal, City, office abolished, 290. Marooning parties, 112. Marriage license, first, 62. Masonic Lodge, first, 445. Mayor, office abolished, 290; re- created, 291. Mayors of Jacksonville: List of, 1832 to 1861, 293. Record of each election and vote polled, 1865 to 1924, 293-306. Memorials, see Monuments. Menendez, Pedro: Attacks French colony in Florida, see French Colony; attempts to move the Indians, 17; goes to Spain, 18; returns to Florida, 24. Merchants & Miners S. S. Line, 367. Metropolitan Light Infantry, 466- 468. Metropolis, newspaper, 455. Military: History of the local companies, 457-474; in the Sem- inole war, 457-458; Dixie Guards, 469; Duval County Cow Boys, 464; Jacksonville Blues, 470; Jacksonville Light Infantry, 116, 458; Jacksonville Rifles, 468; Metropolitan Light Infantry, 466; Metropolitan Grays, 469; St. Johns Grays, 462; Wilson’s Battery, 465; their aid to the civil authorities, 472-473; evolu- tion of the Florida National Guard, 470-472; local names of companies, 472; armories for local troops, 473; Interstate drills, 187, 190; mobilization of Second Regiment for duty on Texas frontier, 249. Mohawk Block burns, 192. Monuments: To Confederate sol- diers, 216, 226, 462; Women of the Confederacy, 248; World war dead, 284; N. B. Broward, 253; Mrs. B. F. Dillon, 236; Dan- iel Boone Highway marker, 280; Ribault marker at Mayport, 23. Moody & Sankey, evangelists, 174. Moose, Loyal Order of, 444; Moosehaven at Orange Park, 282. Mosquito theory, 185. Moss, Spanish, 5. Mothers’ Club, 230. Moving picture industry, 250; first moving picture shown in Jack- sonville, 203. Mulberry craze, 80. Municipal Boards, see Boards. Municipal Docks and Terminals, 335-3837. Municipal Golf Course, 837. Municipal Government, 287-314; charter changes affecting, 287- 291; municipality created, 287; House Bill No. 4, 288; City Com- mission created, 290; growth of the City Government, 291; elec- tions, 293-306. Municipal Improvements, 315-340. Municipal Judge, office created, 288. Murray Hill, 232, 249. Murders: Fagan-Carlin, 152; Gato, 203; Hickman, 279. National Guard of Florida, 470- 472. Neptune Beach, 248. Newnan’s expedition, 30. Newspapers, Jacksonville, record of, 448-456; list of editors, 456; history of the Florida Times- Union, 453-454; of the Jackson- ville Journal, 455. New York’s friendship for Jack- sonville, 153. 610 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA INDEX Odd Fellows, 98, 443. Old Joe, 322, Orange industry, 161, 174. Ordinances of the early town, 107- 110. Ortega, 26, 40. Pablo Beach: First development, 169; first town officers, 233; life-saving station, 243; large fires, 198, 247, 248, 4938; Bank of, 485; Murray Hall hotel, 493. Pageant, Florida Historical, 281. Palace Theatre, 274. Panics, money, 1837, 79; 1873, 154, 157; 1884, 169; 1907, 234. Busi- ness depression of 1914-16, 250- 252. Parks, City, 332-835. Dixieland Park, 238; “Phenix” Park, 229. Park Opera House, 168. Patriot Revolution: Causes of, 28; Patriots capture Fernandina and march toward St. Augustine, 29; rendezvous at Cow Ford (Jack- sonville), 29, 35, Newnan’s expe- dition, 30; Patriots destroy prop- erty, 35; Patriot flag, 36. Patrol, Town, 107, 306, 307. Paupers, early ordinance against, 110. Paving, Street, history of, 325; first brick paving, 201. Photographer, first, 90. Plant, Henry B., railroad devel- oper, 343; his death, 348; will contest, 348. Playground and Recreation Board, see Boards. Pneumatic cash system, first, 236. Police Commissioners, see Boards. Police Department, history of, 806-310. Ponce de Leon: Discovers Florida, 1; lands near Pablo Beach and takes possession for Spain, 1; did not cross the Guana or Pablo Creek, 2; the flowers that he saw, 1; departs, 2. Population of Jacksonville, 500. Port Commission, see Boards. Port of Jacksonville, history of, ‘ 383-392. Postmasters, list of, 340. Post Office, history of, 338. Primaries, see Elections. Pritchard, Robert, see Settlers. Prison Farm, 310. Prize-fight, Corbett-Mitchell, 199. Prohibition, 176, 239, 271. Protestant prayer, first in U. S., 5. Public Library, history of, 428-431. Public Works, see Boards. Quarantines, 102, 163, 165, 176, 198, 204, 217. | Races, horse: Amateur, 171. Pro- fessional, 174, 240; effect of, 240. Radio, 283. Railroads: As developers, 161-162; first to Jacksonville, 341; first through train from the North, 343; Jacksonville becomes im- portant terminus, 348. Corpo- rate history of: Atlantic Coast Line, 345-348; Atlantic, Valdos- ta & Western, 352; East Florida, 345; Florida Central, 343; Flor- ida Central & Western, 344; Florida Central & Peninsular, 344; Florida East Coast, 349- 351; Florida Railway & Naviga- tion Company, 344; Fernandina & Jacksonville, 345; Georgia Southern & Florida, 351; Great Southern, 345; Jacksonville & Atlantic (to Pablo), 350; Flor- ida, Atlantic & Gulf Central, 341; Jacksonville, Mayport & Pablo, 353; Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West, 347; Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Halifax River, 349; Jacksonville & Southwest- ern, 348; Plant System merger with Atlantic Coast Line, 348; Savannah, Florida & Western, 345; Seaboard Air Line, 343-345; Southern Railway, 351-3538; Waycross & Florida, 345. Rail- road depots, 356; waterfront franchises, 355; Plant System HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 511 INDEX Railroads (Continued): speed record, 346; bridge across St. Johns River, 351. Realty transfer, first in Jackson- ville, 56. Reconstruction of civil govern- ment after War Between the States, 141-143; military admin- istration, 142, 143; Col. John T. Sprague, 143; government turned over to the “carpet-baggers”, 148. Recorder, City, office created, 287. Red Cross, 489. Red-light district closed, 247. Red Men, Order of, 443. Republic of Florida, 36. Ribault, see French Colony. Ribault Place, 48, 281. Rifie matches, National, 249, 250. Rifles, Jacksonville, see Military. Ring, Huguenot, found in Indian mound, 16. Riots, 151, 156; Clark’s Mill, 162; riot of 1892, 196-198; Street Railway, 242. River Navigation, 358-371; first steamboat on St. Johns, 358; record of early steamboats on the river, 358-360; the D. H. Mount, 361; Jacksonville-Savan- nah service, 358, 361; Jackson- ville-Charleston service, 359,363; St. Johns River lines after the War Between the States, 363- 3866; ferryboats, 366; Mallory Line, 367; Clyde Line, 367; Mer- chants & Miners Line, 368; Jack- sonville-Miami Line, 236; Chris- topher N. Y. Line, 195; fate of many of the St. Johns River boats, 369-371. River, underground, 24, 88. Riverside, 42. Roads, paved, see Highways. Robberies: Hotel, 159; bank, 247, 279, 479. Roosevelt, Theodore, 232. Rotary Club, 445. Rotten Row, 168. St. Johns bar, 6, 104, 383-386. St. Johns Bluff: Locality of first substantial attempt to colonize in U. S., see French Colony; as first known to the white man, 9; erosion at,389; Confederate bat- tery on, 116, 126; Spanish- American war battery, 213; cradle of United States history, 28. St. Johns River: Discovered by Ri- bault, 4; its various names, 37; steamboat navigation on, 358- 371; romance of, 360-361. St. Luke’s Hospital, history of, 424-428. St. Mary’s Home, 445. Safety zones, street, 284. San Jose Boulevard, 284. Salvation Army, 445. Sawmill, first, 67; first circular sawmill, 95. Scalawag, 144. Scarlet Fever, 102. Schools: System of education be- fore the War Between the States, 415-416; LaVilla Institute, 44, 416; school affairs following the war, 416-418; mixed schools, 416; establishment of public schools, 417-418; modern expansion, 419; list of County Superintendents, 419-420. Duval High School, history of, 420-422; list of Prin- cipals, 422. The Junior High Schools, 422-423. Seaboard Air Line Railway, 343- 345. Seal of Jacksonville, 292. Seamen’s Institute, 445. Seminole Club, 446. Settlers, first at Cow Ford (Jack- sonville): Robert Pritchard, 40, 51; L. Z. Hogans, 51; Juan Maestre, 51; John Brady, 52; William G. Dawson, 52; Stephen E. Buckles, 52; I. D. Hart, 58; Daniel C. Hart, 53; Mrs. Sarah Waterman and children, 58; Joseph Andrews, 54. Shadow Lawn, 45. 512 HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA INDEX Shipbuilding, first at Jacksonville, 106; during the World war, 260. Skyline, story of, 244-246. Slaves, treatment of, 95; recovery of runaway, 96; the whipping post, 306, 307. Smallpox, 97, 165, 241. Smith, Gipsy, evangelist, 284, Social life in slavery times, 112- 114. South Jacksonville, 41, 234. Southern Railway, 351-353. Spanish-American war, see War. Spanish land grants, see Land Grants. Spanish-Huguenot episodes, French Colony. Speed record, Plant System, 346. Sprague, John T., 143. Springfield, 49. Stage line, 97. State Camp, see Camps. State Fair, first, 156. State Park Association, 160. Steamboats and Steamships, see River Navigation. Store, first at Cow Ford, 52, 66. Storm season, 498. Street names, 54, 56, 58, 389. Street Railway, history of, 372-375; Jim Crow laws, 229, 232. Strikes, labor, 162, 165, 174, 229, 204, 22 Zool LID, 2h Oy ede ‘Souvenirs, sale of to tourists, 160, 161. Sub-Tropical Exposition: Purpose of, 176; Exposition of 1888, 177; of 1889, 187; of 1890, 189; of 1891, 191; as a County Fair, 191; Interstate drills at, 187, 190. Name changed to Zoological Gardens, 198. Buildings re- moved, 322. Summer Climate, 496-497. Sunday closing (liquor) law, 163, 165, 166, 170, 201. Sunday, Rev. Billy, evangelist, 277. Sunstrokes, 497. see Talleyrand, 372. Tamarind soft drink, 99. Tax Rate, City, 320. Telegraph, first, 110. Telephone: First in Jacksonville, 159; controversy between citi- zens and Telephone Company, 171; first automatic, 247; con- solidation of Bell and Automatic companies, 276; Riverside auto- matic service, 278. Long Dis- tance service to Savannah, 204; to the Pacific coast, 249. Three Friends, famous tugboat, 205-208. Times-Union, newspaper, 453. Timuquana Club, 446. Trans-continental ah flights, see Aeronautics. Transportation, Urban, 372-382. Treasurer, City, office created, 287. Tobacco known to early Indians, 3. Tornadoes, 497. Tourist travel, 160, 167, 173, 176, 491, 494, United Daughters of Confederacy, 446. U.S. Daughters of 1812, 444. U.S. Government Building, 87,340. U.S. Engineers va Set in har- bor work, 391-392 University Club, 252. Viaducts: Adams Street, 329; Broad Street, 328; Duval Street, 328; Lee Street, 329. Volusia, Steamboat, explosion, 164. War, Seminole: Causes of, 76; trade demoralized, 76; block house, 77; attacks by the Indians, 77; country settlements broken up, 77; scalping of Mrs. Johns, 78; letters from Mandarin as to Indian activities, 80-81. War Between the States: First local troop movement, 116; threatened Federal occupation, 116; Mayor’s proclamation to the citizens, 116; Jacksonville abandoned by Southern resi- dents, 117; official records buried, 117; property burned by Confed- erates, 118. HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 513 INDEX War Between the States (Cont’d): First Federal occupation, 118; proclamation of the loyal citi- zens, 119; loyalists convention, 121; first blood of the war near Jacksonville, 121; city evacuated by Federal army, 122; unfortunate for the loyal citizens, 122; proclamation of the Federal commander, 122- 123. Second Federal occupation, 126; purpose of, 127; the evacua- tion, 127. Third Federal occupation, 127; Federal army composed of negroes under white officers, 128; fortifications erected in LaVilla by Federals, 128; skirmishing, 128-129; the cel- ebrated Confederate railroad battery, 129-130; evacuation and burning of Jacksonville by Federal troops, 130-132. Fourth Federal occupation of the city, its purpose, 138; bat- tle of Olustee, 134; return of Federal army to Jacksonville, 184; Confederate Camp Mil- ton, 134; Confederates place torpedoes in St. Johns River, which destroy three Federal gunboats, 185, and nearly cause the evacuation of Jack- sonville by Federal army, 136; closing scenes of the war, 137; another loyalists convention called, 137. War, Spanish-American: City passes resolutions condemning Spain, 203; filibustering, 205- 207; local boats engaged in, 207-208; troop movements, 209- 210; Jacksonville becomes com- missary depot for Seventh Army Corps, 209; Duval County’s Honor Roll, 210; Camp Cuba Libre, 210-218; regiments at Camp Cuba Libre, 212; sick- ness in the camp, 211; battery on St. Johns Bluff, 213; mines in St. Johns River, 213; business and social conditions during the war, 214-215. War, World: Activities preceding, 254; troop movements, 255-256; first soldier killed, 255; City in- vests in Liberty bonds, 257; hon- oring the flag, 257; armistice celebration, 257; liquor and drunkenness among the soldiers, 264, 265, 271; how Jacksonville treated the soldiers, 265. Duval County’s Honor Roll, 258; the Draft, 259; Financial Drives, 259; Shipbuilding, 260; Camp Joseph E. Johnston, 262; Home Guards, 266; Civilian War Work, 269; Living Conditions in Jacksonville during the war, 269sHiG) L270, 271, Wards, City, created: 1 to 9, 287; 10 and 11, 290; 12 to 15, 291. Waterman, Mrs. Sarah, see Set- tlers. Waterspout, 226. Waterworks, history of, 320-323. Watterson, Henry, 280. Whipping Post, 306, 307. Wholesale Trade, beginning of, 74. Wilson’s Battery, see Military. Wilson, Woodrow, 242, 284. Wireless, first message, 217; first commercial message, 236. Woman’s Club, history of, 437-439. Woman’s suffrage, 277. Women, white, first in U. S.,11, 23. Woodmen of World, 447. Wrestling matches, 164. Yacht America, 1238. Yacht Club, see Florida Y. C. Yellow Bluff fraud, 145. Yellow Fever epidemics, 1857, 106; 1877, 157; 1888, 180-186. Quar- antines, 102, 163, 176, 198, 204, 217. Concussion Theory, 183; Mosquito Theory, 185. Young Men’s Christian Assn., 447. Young Women’s Christian Assn., 447, Zeeburg, S. S., 236. ns Y * - CW yon wo ie A >» KS \ At Eee Wp wh QUIN ‘ EN ; ‘ y AN Ri hs i eA \\ \ \ \\aaae Art cv) \ AY \ a) iN) mA iy ss SEN o sig Pate fas NY Se Qe | \ % \ \\ei \ UJ \ *\ + \ ATA Wie \ \\ \\ \ Y \ \\ i" \ \ ” Wt ~ . CANS \ \ s \ \\ \WA\\ \ Cee aN a aN \ Ge 2 < \ x NY a KK Xi tae AN \ ty EN On ANG na es aX me oe SS ¥ 5 A WARS \\ ENS FANNIN A y\\ NS x ‘\ ASR 3 , Se a5 Re = serail \ os ma Ae ih . eo NBs igs \ A ALES . XK | ‘AN ell: aN ar a uN aN \ ¢ oee \\ NW \ ae 8 ANY \ Sy EN ies \ at \ AN ek ANY ‘x zi ‘i in « text \\ “ wa oe se ‘. 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