Jacksonville, Florida
Learn about the exciting life of Captain James W. Floyd (1861-1940) with speaker Jerry Urso, the Grand Historian of the Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge of Florida. Captain Floyd was a celebrated hero of the Spanish American War, a business owner, and a civil rights activist from Jacksonville, Florida. Program Read More …
The legend of the Roanoke colony is so enduring because it lies at the heart of the founding of America. Starting in 1584, 23 years before the establishment of the Jamestown colony in nearby Virginia, three English expeditions landed at Roanoke Island, nestled between the Read More …
The Alcazar Hotel was constructed in 1887-1889 Henjry Flakier as a part of a complex of three buildings of Moorish-Spanish Architecture, in his quest to create a “Riviera” on the eastern seaboard of the United States. The Alcazar Hotel, the name being Arabic(Al-kasr) for “royal Read More …
We’ve all heard the story of the “40 acres and a mule” promise to former slaves. It’s a staple of black history lessons, and it’s the name of Spike Lee’s film company. The promise was the first systematic attempt to provide a form of reparations Read More …
Yellow fever, also known as the “yellow plague” or the “yellow jack,” was one of the most dangerous and dreaded diseases prevalent in Florida during the 1800s. The disease is viral, spread primarily by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, but this knowledge was not widely known until the Read More …
If you have ever visited St. Augustine, you might have noticed a large concentration of Victorian era homes just southwest of recognizable landmarks like the Bridge of Lions and the Cathedral Basilica. This is Lincolnville, a historically black neighborhood in America’s oldest city. Formed by Read More …
Whether at home on the couch or among the crowds in Times Square, watching the New Year’s Eve ball drop symbolizes a fresh start. But as the ball descends to mark another year gone by, it also harkens back to an era when knowing the Read More …
Nearly a hundred years ago (1923) Ford Motor Company purchased the former Bentley Shipyards property from the city of Jacksonville for $50,000. They commissioned architect Albert Kahn to design a smaller version of the company’s River Rouge facility. The 115,200-square-foot, $2 million complex was completed Read More …
Saturday marks the 62nd anniversary of Ax Handle Saturday, a racially motivated attack that took place in Hemming Park in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 27, 1960. On that day, a group of white men attacked African Americans who were engaging in peaceful sit-in protests opposing Read More …
In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Ocala National Forest into existence as the third national forest east of the Mississippi (only the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota and El Yunque National Forest in Roosevelt’s beloved Puerto Rico are older). The Ocala was created to protect the world’s largest contiguous sand pine scrub. 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 …
The Florida Historical Society 2022 Public History Forum and the 33rd Annual Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Society Conference are being presented together May 19-21, at the Hilton Conference Center in Gainesville. Registration for the conference is now open at myfloridahistory.org where you will also find a Read More …
Today in 1948 – President Harry S. Truman attended the dedication ceremony of the Charles O. Andrews Causeway, bisecting Lake Estelle in Orlando.. Andrews represented Florida in the U.S. Senate from 1936 until his death in 1946. He was born in Ponce de Leon on Read More …
Jacksonville was named for General Andrew Jackson, the first military governor of Florida who, incidentally, never visited Jacksonville. Duval Street, like the county, was named for William Pope Duval, the first Territorial Governor of Florida. Isiah Hart, who founded Jacksonville, named two of the city’s Read More …
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 …
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 …
To commemorate their shared history, the Florida Pharmacy Association donated their beautiful centennial plaque to the Jacksonville Public Library in a ceremony earlier today. Both the Florida Pharmacy Association and Jacksonville Public Library once occupied the Board of Trade Building on the corner of Main Read More …
In 1562, French explorers landed on Florida’s northeast coast and traveled up the St. Johns River into present-day Jacksonville. Two years later, on June 29, 1564, French colonists led by Captain René Goulaine de Laudonnière (1529-74) constructed one of the first European forts in what Read More …