William Augustus Bowles

 William Augustus Bowles and a small army comprised of runaway slaves, Seminole Indians, and ex-patriot English and Spanish citizens attacked and seized the St. Marks Store on the Wakulla River, owned by the trading firm Panton, Leslie & Company, on this date in 1792. Bowles Read More …

34th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast

The City of Jacksonville invites you to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 34th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast presented by Florida Blue. The 34th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast presented by Florida Blue will feature Read More …

Story Tellers: Beaches Women Mayors

Join Beaches Museum for a discussion with the groundbreaking female mayors of the Beaches, past and present. The Mayors will discuss their service to the community and the stories behind their motivation to run for office. Learn what it takes to not only survive, but Read More …

Surviving Confederate Veterans hold reunion in Jacksonville May 1914

This marker is in the Confederate Park, which was earlier called the Dignan Park, in the Springfield Historical District, Jacksonville ,Florida, where the United Confederate Veterans celebrated their 24th reunion in 1914. The marker reads as : “On these grounds, May 6-9, 1914, the United Read More …

Zora Neale Hurston

Author, folklorist, and anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston, was born in Notasulga, Alabama, on this date in 1897. Best knwon for her novels and articles, Hurston grew up in Eatonville, one of the oldest incorporated African American municipalities in the U.S. Many of her literary works Read More …

Clay County, Florida

 Clay County, Florida’s thirty-seventh, was created on this date in 1858 by carving out part of Duval County in northeast Florida. Named after American statesman Henry Clay, the U.S. senator from Kentucky and secretary of state under President John Quincy Adams, its county seat is Read More …

Watch Night 2020

December 31, 1862 the people of the United States waited through the night to see if President Abraham Lincoln would issue the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in the states of rebellion.  Lincoln had first shared a draft of his  Emancipation Proclamation with his Cabinet early Read More …

Last visit to Skylab

“A Saturn IB rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral on this date in 1973 carrying the last three astronauts to visit the Spacelab space station. The Skylab 4 (SL-4) mission lasted eighty-four days and the three astronauts completed 1,214 orbits of the earth. The Skylab Read More …

Cemetery Tour: Women Who Shaped the Beaches

Join local history detective Johnny Woodhouse on a self-guided tour of the H. Warren Smith Cemetery as he discusses the well-known women interred in the cemetery. The event is sponsored by the Beaches Museum. This event is free to Museum members with a $5 suggested Read More …

Remembering Lee Harvey

Lee Harvey died six years ago today. AG Gancarski wrote a memorial piece, titled “Remembering Firebrand Painter Lee Harvey” published by Folio Weekly on November 19, 2014. Gancarski stated that Lee “…taught all of us to open our eyes, see the bullshit around us, and Read More …

Eartha Mary Magdalene White was born in Jacksonville on this date in 1876

“Eartha Mary Magdalene White was born in Jacksonville Nov 8,1876. Eartha M. M. White was a humanitarian and philanthropist who dedicated her life to the betterment of the poor and needy in Florida, specifically African American communities in Jacksonville. She graduated from the Stanton School Read More …

Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, first African American Secretary of State for Florida

“Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs became the first African American Secretary of State for Florida on this date in 1868. Gibbs was one of eighteen African American delegates to the 1868 Florida Constitutional Convention. Gibbs was originally from Philadelphia and was only the third black man to Read More …

Breaking Ground: Beyond Bathing Beauties

In a continued celebration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, Beaches Museum is proud to present their new history exhibit: Breaking Ground: Beyond Bathing Beauties which opens today. The popular image of beach women as bathing beauties only hints at the diverse Read More …

Canaveral Harbor

Canaveral Harbor, on the east coast of Florida in central Brevard County, was dedicated on this date in 1959. Canaveral Harbor, now known as Port Canaveral, is a cruise, cargo, and naval port which has also supported NASA operations since the 1960s, including the Mercury, Read More …

Kids Free November: The Ritz Theatre and Museum

The Ritz Theatre and Museum is the premier African American arts facility in the historical LaVilla area of downtown Jacksonville. The beautiful facility houses a 400-seat theatre and a museum and gallery which features a permanent collection and traveling exhibits from around the country. The Read More …