Jacksonville, Florida
Next Monday, May 30th, join COJ Military Affairs & Veterans Department as we honor Jacksonville’s fallen heroes in the annual Memorial Day Observance. Taking place in person at the Veterans Memorial Wall, performances from the Navy Band Southeast and the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus begin at Read More …
Old 16mm vacation films were recently discovered at a garage sale in San Jose, CA by Tim Peddy and converted to digital courtesy of The California Pioneers of Santa Clara County. It depicts a train ride from California to Florida via New York City, ultimately Read More …
JACKSONVILLE’S EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION RETURNS TO JAMES WELDON JOHNSON PARK Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman, James Weldon Johnson Park and the City of Jacksonville are excited to announce the return of Jacksonville Emancipation Celebration following last year’s successful event. The festival will take place on Saturday, May 21, Read More …
The popular storytelling performance series Untold Stories returns for its third iteration with a lineup of locals spinning transformative narratives on stage at the Florida Theatre. With a diverse range of voices, tonight’s lineup includes poet Yvette Angelique, artist and activist Hope McMath and entrepreneur Yhang Quintaro, Read More …
Today, 121 years ago, around noon, Jacksonville caught fire. In 1901, Jacksonville was a city which consisted mainly of wooden buildings with wood shingled roofs. The city itself had been suffering under a prolonged drought, leaving the building exteriors across the city dry and fire-prone. Read More …
Join The Jacksonville Historical Society on Saturday, May 7th, 2022 in downtown Jacksonville for the Jacksonville Bicentennial Great Fire Run 5km. This race follows the outline of the Great Fire boundary of May 3rd, 1901. The Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901 was the largest metropolitan Read More …
Jacksonville Beach’s volunteer lifeguards are suing the city for cutting longstanding ties with them this month. The Volunteer Life Saving Corps, which worked with the city for more than 110 years, says Jax Beach violated its agreement by taking over all lifeguarding operations at the beach and Read More …
Mayor Lenny Curry along with Dr. Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society, and Dave Chauncey, chair of the Jacksonville Historical Society Board, announced the bicentennial events set for June 11. “As we celebrate this milestone birthday, I encourage everyone to look around and Read More …
This weekend, Riverside Avondale Preservation’s annual Home Tour returns after a two-year hiatus. The 10 properties on the tour include Riverside’s oldest home, built in 1857, two churches and a renovated Spanish Mission-style bungalow. Tickets are $25 (get them here) and are good for both Read More …
Jacksonville officials are moving forward on a plan for a heritage trail in the historically African American community of LaVilla — a cultural hub once known as the Harlem of the South. The path would include historical markers at the Richmond Hotel, Old Stanton High School, Read More …
Viola Muse, a Jacksonville hair salon owner and writer with the Negro Writers’ Division of the Florida Federal Writers Project conducted interviews in the Jacksonville Black Community during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Her interviews detailed the lives of children, former slaves and everyday people in Read More …
Sallye B. Mathis was one of the first Black women to be elected and serve on our City Council in 1967. Locally, Ms. Mathis is honored by the local NAACP Jacksonville Branch by naming their annual community service award in her honor, as well as Read More …
Happy Birthday to Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve! It was 34 years ago today when President Ronald Reagan signed the bill that established this National Park Service preserve, named after the Timucua who inhabited the area for thousands of years. With more than 46,000 acres Read More …
“Life’s Most Persistent and Urgent Question Is: What Are You Doing for Others?” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and social activist who led the Civil Rights Movement(link is external) from the mid-1950s until his death by assassination in 1968. His skillful rhetoric, iconic Read More …
Ronald Wayne “Ronnie” Van Zant, lead singer of the famous rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, was born in Jacksonville on this date in 1948. Raised in Jacksonville, Van Zant formed the band in 1964 with fellow classmates from Robert E. Lee High School. The band released Read More …
African American landmarks and legacies can be found at a variety of locations in Jacksonville. While some of these sites can be visited, other listings are marked “private” and are not open to the public. 1960s Civil Rights Historic Site Marker James Weldon Johnson Park, Read More …
The City of Jacksonville invites the community to celebrate the life, legacy, and service of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 35th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast, presented by Florida Blue virtually on Friday, January 14, 2022. The virtual event will feature Mayor Lenny Read More …
FRIDAY 8 a.m. — Virtual presentation of 35th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Empowerment Breakfast, hosted by Jacksonville chapter of NAACP. Tickets are free; to register, go to events.blackbirdrsvp.com/35th-annual-mlk-jr-community-empowerment-virtual-breakfast-jacksonville-branch-naacp. 8:30 a.m. — Virtual presentation of 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, hosted by city of Jacksonville. Tickets Read More …