Jacksonville Florida History and Links

WELCOME TO JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA!

Jacksonville offers wonderful opportunities for visitor, investor and resident alike. From seashore to forest, nurtured by the majestic St. Johns River, located in Northeast Florida at the crossroads of two interstate highways, Jacksonville is the largest city in the contiguous United States in land area, a major port, the insurance and financial center of the state, site of U.S. Navy bases and the home of the National Football League's Jacksonville Jaguars.

In February 2005, the city hosted the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots and their fans at Super Bowl XXXIX. Thousands of football fans and volunteers in Jacksonville, anxious to show the world why our city is so special, prepared a world-class welcome. Thanks again to all the folks who visited our city and enjoyed our hospitality.

For a calendar of things going on in our vibrant city, click here. For more information about Jacksonville's vacation and business opportunities, check out the links below to the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce Web sites.
Jacksonville, Duval County

Quick "Jax Facts:"

Jacksonville is the largest city in the contiguous United States in land area, covering 841 square miles (217,559 hectares).
The City of Jacksonville ranks as the 14th largest city in the United States in population, with more than 800,000 residents.
The Jacksonville metropolitan area, which includes three beach cities and Clay, Baker, Nassau and St. Johns
counties, has a population of more than 1,000,000 residents.
Joint management agreements with national and state park services give Jacksonville the largest urban park system in the United States.
Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) is 15 minutes from downtown by car. It is served by 15 major and regional airlines that offer 250 daily flights to and from most major cities in the country and is an international gateway.
By CAR, Jacksonville is ...
       Forty minutes from Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island
       Thirty-five minutes from historic St. Augustine
       Two and a half hours from Orlando (Disney World)
       Six hours from Atlanta
By AIR, Jacksonville is:
      Sixty minutes from Atlanta
      Forty-five minutes from Orlando
      Two hours and 15-minutes from New York
      Nine hours from London
Four modern Seaport Facilities, including America's newest cruise port, make Jacksonville a full-service international seaport. In 2004, JAXPORT handled 7.7 million tons of cargo, including 533,000 vehicles.
There are three major Interstate Highways running through Jacksonville: I-95, I-295 and I-10. Additionally, I-75 is approximately 60 miles west of downtown Jacksonville.
There are four major U.S. Highways- U.S. 1, U.S. 17, U.S. 90 and U.S. 301.

For information about downtown Jacksonville: Downtown Vision, Inc.

For information about visiting Jacksonville: The Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitor's Bureau

For information about business in Jacksonville: Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
Jax Zip Code Map

PARKS
With 57,373 acres of parks, including state and federal lands, Jacksonville now ranks No. 1 among U.S. cities in gross acreage for parks and is in the top 10 in the percentage of acreage in the city devoted to park land.

The wide variety of parks ranges from small neighborhood playgrounds for toddlers to biking, hiking and horse trails to athletic fields to boat ramps. There also are vast areas of unspoiled natural wilderness, much of it newly acquired by the city. From the quiet dignity of an oak forest, to the vastness of the salt marsh, Jacksonville's nature parks have an abundance of flora and fauna to satisfy the tastes of the casual observer or the dedicated nature hound.

We ask that you share our special respect for the native inhabitants of these natural places. Where do you want to play today?

BEACHES
As much for its beautiful beaches as anything, Jacksonville has become known as Florida's First Coast. Unlike much of the rest of Florida, the First Coast's miles of beaches remain relatively unspoiled and unfenced. The Beaches communities in Duval County -- Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach and Neptune Beach -- also offer some of the best sport fishing, boating and water sport opportunities in the country.

A stroll along the beach might yield a collection of seashells, a view of the porpoise and northern right whales that cavort off the coast, or merely the relaxed state of mind that ocean waves can foster. Mayport Naval Station is home to many U.S. ships, including two aircraft carriers. Nearby, many fishing boats ply the waters for a variety of fish and shrimp.

JACKSONVILLE ZOO
The Jacksonville Zoo, north of downtown, is a natural wonderland growing and changing daily, with more than 1,000 rare and exotic creatures. Covering about 70 acres along the St. Johns River, the zoo has the only walking safari in Northeast Florida.

A true family adventure, the Jacksonville Zoo offers an entertaining and educational experience for visitors and residents of Florida's First Coast. For more details, check out the zoo's web site.

SPORTS COMPLEX
Alltel Stadium
When it comes to spectator sports in Jacksonville, there's no question that football is king. And the king's throne is Alltel Stadium, which opened in August 1995, and is home of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. The stadium is the centerpiece of the city's sports complex on the eastern edge of Jacksonville's Downtown, on the western banks of the St. Johns River near the Hart and Mathews bridges.

In February 2005, the 73,000-seat Alltel Stadium played host to Super Bowl XXXIX. The stadium is also the site of two annual college football events -- the Gator Bowl Classic and the annual Southeastern Conference match up of Florida and Georgia. Occasional concerts and other special events are also held at the stadium.

Alltel Stadium was built in less than 20 months, faster than any major-league stadium has ever been built in North America. That allowed the Jaguars to be the first expansion team in sports history to play its first home game in its first season in a new stadium or arena.

The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville
Thousands of baseball fans came out to celebrate the completion of the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, on April 4, 2003.

Located northeast of the intersection of East Adams Street and A. Philip Randolph Boulevard in the Sports Complex, the new ballpark has a seating capacity of 10,000 and is home to the Jacksonville Suns. The red brick exterior complements both the new arena and the historic St. Andrews Church, which sits adjacent to the site.

Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
In November of 2003, the Arena joined Alltel Stadium and the Baseball Grounds in the city's Sports Complex. With a capacity of 16,000, the Arena attracts national level entertainment that Jacksonville has missed out on in the past.

Located just west of A. Phillip Randolph Boulevard, the Arena's red brick exterior complements the new baseball park and the historic St. Andrews Church. It holds hockey and basketball games, allowing Jacksonville to compete for national events. The Arena was the site of an Olympic exhibition game between the US Men's Basketball team and Puerto Rico in 2004. In March of 2006, Jacksonville will host First and Second Round games for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

Near the Arena, the Duval County Veterans Memorial Wall showcases the names of more than 1500 local military personnel who lost their lives while on active duty. The Memorial Wall is a testament to Jacksonville's important relationship with the military and remains an integral part of the Sports Complex.
(More information)

HISTORY
Fort Caroline National Memorial
A near full-scale rendering of the fort was created to memorialize the 16th Century French effort to establish a permanent colony in Florida.

After initial exploration in 1562, a colony was established in 1564, only to be eliminated by Spanish forces from nearby St. Augustine in 1565. Exhibits in the National Park Service's Visitors Center provide information on the history of the first European settlement on the American mainland, the French colony's interaction with the native Timucuans and the colonists' brief struggle for survival. (More information)

Downtown Jacksonville
Downtown Jacksonville is where the Old South meets urban chic, and you can experience everything this thriving metropolis has to offer. From cafes and boutiques to museums and galleries and more than $1.6 billion in redevelopment projects, our downtown renaissance has begun. (More information)

THE JACKSONVILLE LANDING
The hub of Jacksonville's growing entertainment district in the Downtown area, The Jacksonville Landing is a cool place to dine and shop on the St. Johns River. From North Florida and around the United States, millions of people enjoy the Jacksonville Landing's festive mix of shops, restaurants and eateries and its hundreds of entertainment events annually. The Landing is one of the most popular visitor attractions in the city, attracting a large share of the 5.18 million visitors that come to Jacksonville. (More information)

[The best written work covering Jacksonville history is Old Hickory's Town by James Ward. Jacksonville's Architectual Heritage by Wayne Wood holds a treasure trove of historical photos of Jacksonville's urban landscape. For a wealth of resources on the Internet, see www.jacksonvillestory.com managed by Glenn Emery]

Native Americans
The first human inhabitants reached the area of Jacksonville between 12,000 and 16,000 years ago. At that time, the coastline was approximately one mile further east than it is today because the Ice Age in progress at the time locked up more of the earth's water in glaciers.

The best known Native Americans to inhabit this area were the Timucua, who probably numbered about 150,000 at their peak. Following the appearance of Europeans in the 1500s, the Timucua numbers declined quickly as they succumbed to diseased introduced by European explorers and settlers and died in conflicts. By 1763, the Timucua were probably gone from the area completely.

European Discovery and Settlement
Northeast Florida was "discovered" by Ponce de Leon in 1513. He and his Spanish crew landed about 25 miles from today's Jacksonville, and named it Pascua Florida as a reminder that his landing occurred during the Feast of Flowers. He claimed the territory for the Spanish crown, then sailed off in search of a magic potion of eternal youth rumored to be a hidden treasure of this new land.

The French arrived on Florida's east coast in 1562. Jean Ribault met the native Timuqua, exchanged gifts, and claimed possession in the name of the king of France by implanting a stone monument visible to subsequent ships.

A colony was established in 1564, only to be eliminated by Spanish forces from nearby St. Augustine in 1565. Florida's northeast coast was under Spanish control. The French did not attempt another colonization. Nothing remains of the original Fort de la Caroline. And St. Augustine, not Jacksonville, is now known as the nation's oldest city.

European Conflicts
In 1702, James Moore, the interim governor of Carolina colony led a force of 500 English colonists and Yamasee Indians in an attack on Spanish Florida. When the colony of Georgia was established in 1733, its governor, James Oglethorpe, built a small fort on St. George Island to enforce his belief that the new English colony extended all the way to the St. Johns River. He later moved through the area on the way to attack St. Augustine during the 1740 conflict between the English and the Spanish known as the "War of Jenkins Ear."

African-Americans
The first Africans in the area may have been escaped slaves from the Carolinas in the 1680s that sought refuge with the Spanish. The Spanish practice of slavery, influenced in part by the Catholic church, was less onerous than the slavery practiced by English settlers who considered slaves chattel property. As the area was settled, much of the back-breaking work building the area was done by slaves whose labor made prosperity possible for some.

Growth of permanent settlements
Cattle were once driven across the river at a narrow place where a marker now stands at the foot of Liberty Street. From the south bank, an Indian trail led to St. Augustine. The Native Americans named the area Wacca Pilatka, which was translated to Cowford by English settlers. Before 1820, the larger settlement was on the south bank, where the guns of Spanish Fort St. Nicholas, erected in 1740, guarded the passing ships. A stone marker beside Atlantic Boulevard points to the fort's location.

Between 1763 and 1783, the area was a British colony known as British East Florida, but it was returned to Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris which ended the revolutionary disagreement between England and 13 of its North American colonies. In 1819, what became Jacksonville became part of the United States when Spain ceded the area to the United States in return for $5 million as part of the Adams-Onis treaty.

Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821 and was granted statehood in 1845.

The earliest use of the name "Jacksonville" was in an 1822 petition to the U.S. Secretary of State asking that the town be officially recognized as a port of entry. While Andrew Jackson never visited Northeast Florida, he was the first military-governor of Florida following Spain's ceding of Florida in 1819. Jacksonville's first charter, creating a town government, was approved by the Florida Legislative Council on Feb. 9, 1832. Jacksonville's first mayor was William Mills. At that time, the office was called Intendant, which was a holdover from Spanish times.

The Civil War
While Jacksonville did not witness the bloody battles which ravaged the country during the effort to prevent its division and, ultimately, to end slavery, it was important to both sides as a southern port. During the war, union forces occupied and then left the city on four separate occasions. No land battles were fought in Duval County, but one thunderous engagement occurred between Union ships on the river and Confederate forces on St. Johns Bluff.

1901 Fire
The Great Fire of May 3, 1901, scoured more than 146 city blocks and turned 2,368 buildings to cinders. The fire left nearly 9,000 people homeless. A glow could be seen from Savannah, Georgia, and smoke was reported in North Carolina. [The most thorough account of the fire is found in The Great Fire of 1901 by Bill Foley and Wayne Wood, published by the Jacksonville Historical Society.]

After the Fire
After the Great Fire of 1901 “there seemed to be nothing left save a fringe of houses around the municipal periphery, like hair on a friar’s head,” reported H.L. Mencken in the Baltimore Sun.

But Jacksonville got back on its feet quickly. Piers, docks, shipyards and terminals were quickly rebuilt. More than 13,000 buildings were constructed from 1901 to 1912. Architects flocked to the city, whose civic district was now virtually a blank slate. The most noted among them is Henry J. Klutho, who relocated to Jacksonville from New York in 1902. One of Klutho’s biggest claims to fame was the St. James Building, for nearly a century the home to Cohen Brothers Department Store, later May-Cohen’s and now City Hall.

The city still had its rail lines. Before the fire, Henry Flagler, a former Standard Oil partner of John D. Rockefeller’s, began buying small regional lines and in 1912 merged them into the Florida East Coast Railway. By the 1960s the city had become home to three major railroad lines: FEC, Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Coast Line.

After the fire, the city reinvigorated its maritime commerce. The city government took control of the ports in 1912 and began building its own terminals. In 1907 the river was dredged with help from the federal government to allow bigger ships into Jacksonville’s terminals. Jacksonville has one of the best natural seaports in the South, and after the turn of the 20th century shippers took advantage of distribution lines going north, south and west.

Geography and mild weather also helped Jacksonville become the Hollywood of the South. The “Metro” in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was a small studio that began alongside the St. Johns River where Metropolitan Park now sits. By 1916, Jacksonville boasted more than 30 movie studios, including Metro, Vim, Kalem Garrick, Eagle, Motograph, Gaumont and Norman Studios. Comedian Oliver Hardy, who started as a ticket taker, was probably the city’s most famous film star at the time.

During this era Jacksonville became a banking and insurance center. Barnett National was already a major powerhouse, and its success spurred Atlantic National (1903), Florida National (1905) and others. One of Jacksonville’s first insurance titans was the Afro-American Insurance Co., founded in 1919 by Abraham Lincoln Lewis. Later, when state law created a favorable environment for insurance companies, Jacksonville’s skyline became dominated by insurance-company logos: Prudential, Gulf Life, Independent Life and American Heritage Life.

The U.S. Navy had a minor presence protecting the ports but did not have an official installation in Jacksonville until 1940, shortly before WWII. With the addition of two other bases, the Navy became a major employer as well as an economic force in the area.

Jacksonville's Military Connections
French garrison at Ft. Caroline, 1563

Spanish garrison at Ft. Nicholas, ca 1740 near today's Bishop Kenny High School

One Revolutionary War battle. The Battle of Thomas Creek, May 17, 1777 (fought in the vicinity of the Nassau River Bridge over U.S. Highway 17)

No Civil War land battles in Duval County, but there was an engagement between Union ships on the river and Confederate forces on St. Johns Bluff.

Camp Cuba Libre was established as the Commissary Depot for the 7th Army Corp during the Spanish American War (1898) and housed nearly 30,000 volunteers from across the country. In addition, 8 inch breach loading rifles were laboriously hauled up St. John's Bluff in 1898, only to be removed in 1899.

What later became NAS Jacksonville was known as Camp Johnston during World War I. The complex had more than 600 buildings and the second largest rifle range in the country. After WWI, the Florida National Guard took over and renamed it Camp Foster. When abandoned by the National Guard, Camp Foster served as a residence for homeless men during the Great Depression.

In 1940, what had been Camp Foster became Naval Air Station Jacksonville, which boasted an assembly and repair shop covering 1,500,000 square feet with doors 160 feet wide and 45 feet tall.

Naval Station Mayport was commissioned in 1942 and has since grown to be the third largest fleet concentration area in the United States.

The history of Cecil Field dates to the early years of World War II when new military bases were built across the United States to fight a two-front war. The base was named for Commander Henry Barton Cecil who died in 1933. The Defense Department decommissioned Cecil Field in September 1999.

The United States Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) Jacksonville, Florida is America's first and only airborne law enforcement unit trained and authorized to employ Airborne Use of Force (AUF). HITRON is charged with conducting two missions; interdicting and stopping suspected drug-laden, high-speed vessels known as 'go-fasts,' and Maritime Homeland Security.

Business & Industry
Lumber was a major business in Jacksonville prior to the Civil War, though Jacksonville consisted of only about 350 residents in 1850. Tourism was big business in the 1880s as wealthy Northerns sought to escape winter in warmer climes. After the building of the jetties in the late 1890s, port business grew. Jacksonville was the first film center during the silent movie era. The development of military bases after World War II had a dramatic effect on the economy, as did the attraction of insurance and banking headquarters.

In 1986, the Mayo Clinic opened its Jacksonville facility, the first extension of the famed Mayo Clinic outside of Rochester, Minn.

In 1994, the National Football League awarded its 30th franchise to Jacksonville. The Jaguars began play in 1995 in Alltel Stadium, which also played host to Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005.

Click here for historical facts about the City's official logo and flag.

Jacksonville offers plenty of opportunities for education and enlightenment at its museums.

Museum of Science & History (www.themosh.org)
The Museum of Science & History is the most visited museum in Jacksonville. MOSH features interactive, award-winning exhibitions such as the Currents of Time, which explores 12,000 years of Northeast Florida history, and Atlantic Tails, an exhibit that features the mammals that inhabit First Coast waterways. The Museum’s latest additions include the state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar physical science exhibition, the Universe of Science, and the Florida Naturalist’s Center, which houses turtles, birds, owls, snakes, baby alligators, and other animals native to the region. MOSH offers daily public science and planetarium programs, camps, workshops, rental space, birthday party packages, and more:
1025 Museum Circle
Phone: 396-MOSH (6674)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday
Admission: adults, $8; seniors and military, $6.50; children 3-12, $6; children 2 and under, free; members, free.

Cummer Museum of Art (www.cummer.org)
The Cummer is the largest museum in Northeast Florida, with a permanent collection of more than 4,000 objects. The museum also features more than two acres of English and Italian gardens. The museum was founded in 1959, as a gift from Ninah Cummer, an art collector and civic leader. The formal gardens, along a picturesque stretch of the St. Johns River, are filled with beautiful sculptures and flowers. The collection of fine art and antiques are featured in 10 galleries throughout the museum. The collection includes American and European paintings and sculpture from ancient, medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, 19th century Impressionist and Modern Art. Pre-Columbian ceramics and Japanese inro, netsuke, and woodblock prints are also part of the permanent collection.
829 Riverside Ave.
Phone: 356-6857
Hours: Tues & Thurs 10am - 9pm; Mon, Wed & Sat 10am - 5pm; Sunday noon to 5pm.
Admission: adults, $6; seniors and military, $4; students, $3; children 5 and under, $1.

Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art ( www.jmoma.org )
The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art is located in the heart of downtown Jacksonville on Hemming Plaza, the city's main square. The newly renovated historic building houses five galleries, including a forty foot high atrium gallery, an auditorium for film and lectures, studio classrooms, and the ArtExplorium Loft family learning center. The Museum Shop features one of a kind contemporary art and craft along with a selection of unique books on art, architecture, and design. Café Nola offers innovative contemporary cuisine in a relaxed setting.
Hours:
    Monday Closed
    Tuesday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
    Wednesday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. 5-9 Free
    Thursday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
    Friday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
    Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
    Sunday 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Admission
    Adults $6; Students, Children, Military, Seniors $4

Jacksonville Maritime Museum ( www.jaxmarmus.com )
Sail back through time, viewing the history of Jacksonville and the First Coast through the eyes of merchant marines, Navy sailors and fishermen. Artworks and models include a 16-foot rendition of the historic aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. Soon to be unveiled is a five-foot model of the Gulf America tanker, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat off Ponte Vedra Beach early in World War II. A photographic history of merchant shipping is on display. The museum is also collecting videotaped recollections of sailors from various periods in maritime
history.
1015 Museum Circle
Phone: 398-9011
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Admission: free

Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum ( www.coj.net )
Opened in 1999, the LaVilla Museum displays a permanent collection of African-American history, with changing art exhibits in the gallery. The Ritz Theatre has regularly scheduled events, such as monthly amateur nights and spoken word nights, performances by the Ritz Voices Youth. Chorus and a wide variety of other performances, programs and community events.
829 N. Davis St.
Phone: 632-5555
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Admission: adults, $6; seniors and students, $3. Groups of 25 or larger should call for group rates.

Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum ( www.rain.org/~karpeles/ )
The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is one of seven in the United States that exists to display the manuscript collection of David and Marsha Karpeles. Displays of original historic manuscripts from all periods of history are rotated quarterly through the seven museums. Also on display on a rotating schedule are visual arts exhibits.
101 W. First St.
Phone: 356-2992
Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Admission: free

Sprinkles' When I Grow Up Museum
The Sprinkles' museum at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum offers interactive play for children up to age 7 in career-related theme areas, such as medical professions, performing arts and athletics. Groups should call for reservations. Also available for birthday parties.
101 W. First St.
Phone: (904) 632-2FUN (632-2386)
Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
Admission: $3