Jacksonville, Florida
In honor of Black History Month, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office shared a picture of the first black officers to protect the city of Jacksonville. On July 16, 1950, the first black officers were hired. They included Officer Henry Harley, Officer Edward Hickson, Officer Alvin James, Read More …
Manhattan Beach was Florida’s first beach community for African Americans during segregation. Manhattan Beach was established by Henry Flagler and his Florida East Coast Railroad company around 1900, for the African American workers they employed. The park flourished for many years. At its height the Read More …
The Great Fire of 1901 occurred in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 3, 1901. It was one of the worst disasters in Florida history and the third largest urban fire in the U.S., next to the Great Chicago Fire, and the 1906 San Francisco fire In Read More …
Congratulations to Jacksonville’s own Harold Carmichael on his selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2020. The William M. Raines High School graduate from the class of 1967 played 14 seasons in the NFL, 12 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was selected Read More …
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 …
Speedway Park, also known as Jacksonville Speedway, Opened in 1947. It was a 0.5-mile (0.80 km) dirt oval auto racing track, located at the intersection of Lenox Avenue and Plymouth Street on Jacksonville’s West-side. The track hosted NASCAR Grand National Series, now known as Monster Read More …
Ten years after the Great Fire Jacksonville’s population had nearly doubled to 57,699. 29,293 were black, 28,329 were white. Churches, schools, businesses, a new city hall, a new library, skyscrapers, and many other buildings had been built with more going up every day. The city’s Read More …
Join the Jacksonville Historical Society on Monday February 25 as Brittany Cohill of the Beaches Museum reveals the history of Manhattan Beach, the early twentieth century African American beach resort. Registration available at Eventbrite. JHS Members free. Non-members suggested donation $10.6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Old Read More …
Ray Charles Robinson, who had attended the Deaf and Blind School in St. Augustine, moved to LaVilla to stay with friends of his mother after she passed. He stayed for just over a year, earning $4 a night. He then moved to Seattle as he Read More …
Alfred L. Cralle was an African American inventor and businessman. While working as a porter in Markell Brothers drugstore and St. Charles Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa, he noticed that ice cream stuck to the spoons and ladles the servers used, and they usually had to Read More …
Brewster Hospital was founded by the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church. The hospital’s name came from Mrs. George A. Brewster, an early financial contributor to it. Brewster opened in 1901, becoming the first to serve African Americans on the First Coast and Read More …
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 …
Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park is the birth site of James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson. Money raised during the inaugural Lavilla Jazz and Heritage Festival will be dedicated to the development of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park. On this site, in Read More …
The Lavilla Jazz & Heritage Festival is a FREE jazz fest and celebration of the rich history of one of Jacksonville’s most culturally significant neighborhoods. Lavilla was a popular destination for America’s music royalty during Jazz’s golden era, dubbing the district, the Harlem of the Read More …
On the eastside of Jacksonville, at the corner of A. Philip Randolph Boulevard and Pippin Street, is the Man Cave Barbershop building. The building recently received a new paint job and it’s a work of art. The “Locals and Legends” mural was painted by artists Read More …