Jacksonville, Florida
In 1842 Florida was a U.S. territory. It would be another three years before it became a state and people were already saying #florida or #floridaman. Not really, but only because they didn’t have the internet. Florida passed a law that demanded the death penalty Read More …
By 1845 Almost half the state of Florida’s population were enslaved African-Americans working on large cotton and sugar plantations in the north-central part of the state. Slave labor accounted for 85% of the state’s cotton production. Black slaves used to be rounded up to work Read More …
Despite what you may have seen or heard from multiple media outlets, the Saturday afternoon protest in downtown Jacksonville did not “turn violent”. Then why the inaccurate headlines and commentary from some media outlets? They are cut from the same cloth as the media that Read More …
Ninety-nine years ago today, the first bombs ever dropped on American soil were dropped on the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Ok. Greenwood – the most preeminent Black community in the United States at the time – was home to 10,000 residents and contained scores of Read More …
TRAYVON MARTIN (Walking home with iced tea and Skittles. Shot by George Zinneman, who was found not guilty.) KEITH SCOTT (Sitting in car, reading. Shot by police officer, who was not charged.) ATATIANA JEFFERSON (Looking out her window, shot by police officer, who is still Read More …
The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress and signed by President Clinton: asks all Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day, to pause in an act of national unity for a duration of one minute. The time 3 p.m. Read More …
Mitch Hemann, Senior Archivist with the Jacksonville Historical Society would like you to join the Jacksonville Historical Society in preserving Jacksonville History during the Covid-19 Pandemic. A little more than a century ago, Jacksonville citizens faced loss in many ways from a series of events Read More …
Henry Morrison Flagler, founder of the Standard Oil Company and the Florida East Coast Railroad and Hotel Company, died at his home in West Palm Beach at the age of eighty-three on this date in 1913. Flagler facilitated and greatly accelerated the development of Florida Read More …
The bald eagle population is increasing in Florida, which continues to be one of the top spots in the U.S. for bald eagles to nest and raise their young. 2020 marks the first year that nests have exceeded 1500 in the state of Florida, since Read More …
In observance of National Historic Preservation Month, May 2020, the Jacksonville Historical Society has released its annual list of Jacksonville’s Most Endangered Buildings. Due to health and life safety concerns, the 2020 List of Endangered Historic Properties – as selected by the Society’s Historic Sites Committee – Read More …
The current Yellow House exhibition of Magic, Mirth, and Mortality: Musings on Black Motherhood, pierces the heart and stirs the soul. With the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and Mother’s Day as bookends, one of sorrow, one of joy, the exhibition becomes all the more significant. Read More …
The Florida Keys seceded from the Union and the Conch Republic was born on this date in 1982. On April 18, 1982, the United States Border Patrol set up a roadblock just south of Florida City, on U.S. Highway 1, to catch illegal immigrants traveling Read More …
“A Bold Ship for the Bold City!” The USS Orleck fired more rounds than any other ship during the Vietnam War to become the “Top Gun” during that time. Already previously operating as a museum ship in Louisiana, she will become the centerpiece of the Jacksonville Read More …
The first train of Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railroad arrived in Miami on this date in 1896. A year earlier, Henry Flagler and Julia Tuttle, Miami’s founder, had reached a deal which would eventually grant Flagler half of Mrs. Tuttle’s land north of the Read More …
The newly formed Florida Marlins professional baseball team won their first-ever regular season game on this date in 1993. The Marlins faced the Los Angeles Dodgers and won the game 6-3, with Charlie Hough as their starting pitcher. After a rough first few seasons, the Read More …
The British controlled Florida for 20 years (1763-1783)? Moving to Florida today seems like an easy decision – surf, sand, and whole lot more! However, when the British took over in the 18th century, Florida was a much more difficult “sell.” The average Britain knew Read More …
The St. Augustine City Council passed an ordinance on this date in 1832 authorizing the creation of tax-supported free schools in the city. This was one of the earliest such ordinances in the American South and in the nation. St. Augustine is the oldest continuously Read More …
Perry was commanding the U.S. schooner “Shark” and, having received his orders in February, proceeded to visit Key West and erect a flagpole flying the United States flag. The event was witnessed by local residents of the small community. Families had been moving to the Read More …