USA > Florida > Duval County > Jacksonville > History of early Jacksonville, Florida; being an authentic record of events from the earliest times to and including the civil war by Thomas Frederick Davis > Part 4
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HISTORY OF EARLY JACKSONVILLE
FIRST MILLS.
Seymour Pickett built a water mill for Charles F. Sibbald at Six-mile Creek, in 1819. Sibbald probably owned the first steam saw mill anywhere in this vicinity. It was at Panama, and was in operation as early as 1829. There was also a brick kiln at Panama at that time.
JUDGE F. BETHUNE'S DIARY.3
Judge Bethune's diary covers the period 1829- 1833, and contains daily entries, mostly in regard to the work on his "New Ross" plantation on the river four miles above Jacksonville. The pages are seared and yellowed from age, but the hand- writing is nearly as clear as it was 80 years ago-a testimonial in favor of the oak-ball ink used then.
The Judge makes frequent mention of going to the steam mill at Panama, for lumber and bricks. He was building a sugar mill at his plantation, and the difficulties he experienced show the vicissi- tudes attending building operations in those early days. He hauled the material from Panama in the brig "Venus," a vessel belonging to the port of Jacksonville. He sent to St. Augustine for a carpenter, and on September 7, 1829, put his slaves and hired men (he owned some slaves, but fre- quently hired outside help) to cutting and hewing timber. After many delays, the mill was com- pleted January 1, 1830, about three months after it was started. He hauled his cane to the mill and
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began grinding, but on the 28th of January he noted, "The mill broke; sent Nero for Carlisle, the carpenter." On the 19th of February following repairs to the mill were completed and he began to grind cane again. These works could not have been very extensive.
The crops grown at Judge Bethune's plantation were, sugar cane, rice (he had a good deal of trouble with his rice crops on account of the birds, and he had to keep a man in the field all day to scare them away), guinea corn, arrow root, sweet and Irish potatoes, rye, and a varied assortment of vegetables, but no cotton. There was also a peach orchard and an orange grove.
On August 11th and 12th, 1831, was the note, "The sun had the appearance of the full moon for half an hour after sunrise; it had a bluish cast, and the light was that of the full moon"; and on the 14th, "Saw two large, black spots on the sun, which still looks like the full moon at sunrise and nearly an hour afterward."
When his slaves were sick, the Judge sent to St. Augustine or Jacksonville for a physician. The Jacksonville physician was a Doctor Hall, perhaps the first physician here. The method fol- lowed then seems to have been mostly "bleeding"; "Andrew sick; Dr. Hall came and bled him" is a characteristic note. The kind-heartedness of the master is indicated in the simple entry, "Dick and George making Peggy's coffin; buried the old and faithful servant in the evening."
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FERRY ACROSS THE ST. JOHNS.
The public ferry across the St. Johns River at the Cow Ford in 1774, mentioned by Bartram, was no doubt operated from the south side. It has been persistently published by writers of news- paper articles, and there seems to be no reason to doubt it, that William Hendricks or Isaac Hend- ricks owned and operated a ferry from the south side as early as 1800. The ferryman could not have spent much time on the lookout for signals from the opposite shore and it would be interest- ing to know just how travelers on this side at- tracted the attention of the ferryman when they wished to cross the river. One writer has said that hours of gesticulating, riding up and down the bluff, and shooting off guns and pistols failed to attract his attention. When John Brady came in 1818, he was not long in coming to the conclusion that a ferry from the north side was absolutely necessary, and he therefore established one.
Soon after Florida came into the possession of the United States, the matter of a public ferry at Jacksonville was brought before the Legislative Council of the Territory and resulted in an act establishing the ferry, approved December 29, 18246.
Act 14, Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, approved February 2, 1838, provided that,
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An act entitled "an act establishing a ferry over the St. Johns river at Jacksonville", approved De- cember 29, 1824, be, and the same is hereby revived and continued in force until the year one thousand, eight hundred and forty-five.
Act 9, approved February 4, 1837, gave William Hendricks the monopoly of running a ferry from the south side of the river, as follows :
1. Be it enacted by the Governor and the Legis- lative Council of the Territory of Florida, That William Hendrick be and he is hereby authorized and vested with the right, and charged with the duty of keeping a ferry for the term of seven years across the St. Johns River on the south side, at the Cow Ford, opposite Jacksonville, in the County of Duval.
2. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the said William Hendrick to keep a sufficient number of boats and flats for the accommodation of passengers.
3. Be it further enacted, That it shall be unlaw- ful for any other person or persons to establish or keep a ferry within two miles, except it be for his, her, or their own use, and not for the purpose of gathering or receiving toll.
4. Be it further enacted, That the rates of ferriage at said ferry shall be established from time to time by the county court of said county.
John L. Doggett owned the ferry from the north side of the river for a great many years. He was the first licensed ferryman, on this side of the river.
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HISTORY OF EARLY JACKSONVILLE
THE MAIL.
The mail in the early days was carried on horse- back to St. Marys and back once a week, and to St. Augustine and back in the same length of time. It required ten days for the return trip to Talla- hassee. When steam navigation became more or less regular between Charleston and Savannah and Jacksonville, the mail from the North came here by vessel, and this method was continued until the railroads began to operate. The road to the St. Marys was often in very bad condition, and during wet weather it was impassable for long dis- tances. This caused great delays in the mails, so much so that the Territorial Legislature in 1839, sent a resolution to the delegate in Congress, ask- ing for an appropriation of $5,000, for the pur- pose of repairing the road from Jacksonville to the St. Marys.6
Albert G. Philips was the first mail carrier be- tween Jacksonville and Tallahassee. He studied the language of the Indians and could talk with them. He slept in the woods while en route and would often awake in the night and find Indian braves around his campfire. They would ask for coffee and tobacco, which would be given them; then Mr. Philips would go back to sleep, and when he woke up again they would be gone. They never molested him, and never took one thing from him; but, instead, frequently brought him dried venison and wild honey4. Another of the early mail carri-
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ers was Green Bush, famous as a coon and squirrel hunter, and generally considered one of the best shots in the county2.
The first post office was in a store. It was then moved to a room in the basement of the court house, where it remained for some time2. The post- master served practically without compensation, and it became necessary to move the post office to a store again, in order to get any one to serve as postmaster, the store keeper being willing to dis- tribute the mail in order to obtain the patronage of those that always collect at a town store when the keeper is also the postmaster. For years Wil- liam Grothe was postmaster, jeweler, and watch- maker in a little 12x12 building that stood at the northeast corner of Forsyth and Newnan Streets5.
THE INCORPORATION OF JACKSONVILLE.
People continued to come to this vicinity. Some settled in Jacksonville and others in the surround- ing territory. The sons and relatives of wealthy men in the North and other people of many kinds came during the winter months. A few of these stayed and entered into business2. At last the town reached the stage when incorporation was desirable.
Jacksonville was incorporated by Act 70, of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, Session of 1832. In many respects the charter was a remarkable instrument, and is worthy of careful reading. It follows:
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SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Governor and the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, That all the free white male inhabitants of the age of twenty one years and over, comprehended within a line commencing at a point on the South bank of the river St. Johns, opposite Hogan's creek, on the north side, running north half a mile up said creek, thence west one mile and a half to McCoy's creek, thence south to a point on the south side of the river St. Johns, opposite to McCoy's creek, thence east to the point of beginning; and their successors be, and are hereby declared to be a body politic and cor- porate, by the name and style of the Town of Jack- sonville, with all the rights, liberties, privileges, pow- ers, and authorities incident to and appertaining to a corporation, body politic, or a natural person ; and by the said name and style may sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, hold, possess, and enjoy real estate and personal property; and dispose of and transfer the same, and so dispose of and manage the funds of said city, as shall be most beneficial to the interests thereof.
SEC. 2. Be it further enacted that the govern- ment of said town, shall be vested in a person to be called a mayor, and four aldermen to compose a coun- cil for the management of the affairs of the town. The Mayor and aldermen shall be elected annually, on the first Monday of April, from among such of the qualified voters of said town hereby incorporated, as shall have resided within the limits thereof at least one month, and shall be housekeepers therein.
SEC. 3. Be it further enacted, That the said Council shall have the power and authority to pass
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all laws and ordinances, that may be necessary and expedient for the good government of said town, and the preservation of the public morals ; Provided, that they are not inconsistent with the constitution and laws of the United States, and the power hereby granted, Provided no law or ordinance in this respect, shall be inconsistent with any law of this Territory-They shall especially have power to regulate, improve, alter, and extend the streets, lanes, avenues, and public squares, and to open new streets, and to cause encroachments, obstructions, decayed buildings, and old ruins to be removed; making the parties injured by any improvement, a just compen- sation, and charging upon those benefited a reason- able assessment, to be ascertained in such manner, as shall be agreed upon by the parties, or by a jury of twelve men, to be organized in such manner, as, by ordinance, the said council may provide; They shall have power to prevent and abate nuisances, to order and compel the owners or occupants of lots, upon which pools of water are, or are likely to accumulate, to fill them up, to regulate and compel persons by ordinances or otherwise, to erect and keep in repair partition fences ; and may pass all laws and ordinan- ces that may be necessary to preserve the public health-They shall have authority to guard against the introduction of infectious or malignant diseases, and for this purpose, may prohibit or regulate the ingress, or approach of vessels into the waters within the limits of said corporation, and whenever neces- sary, may compel them under fixed and certain penal- ties to perform quarantine, and observe such other rules and regulations, as to the said Council may seem
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proper by ordinance to establish. They may con- struct wharves, keys, and docks, and regulate wharf- age, dockage, and mooring and anchoring vessels, erect bridges and ferries and establish the rates of ferriage and tolls; They may erect all necessary pub- lic buildings, and dispose of the same as the interests of the town may require; and make and sink wells, erect pumps, dry drains, and do and perform all such other act or acts, as shall seem necessary, and be best adapted to the improvement and general inter- ests of the town, and pass all necessary laws to guard against fires, and to ensure the sweeping of chimneys ; they may establish and regulate markets, and require all persons bringing fresh provisions into the town, to exhibit them for sale at proper market hours, establish and regulate the weight and assize of bread, the inspection of provisions and other produce, being the growth or manufacture of the Territory, that may be brought in said town for sale, or which may be sent from it; the gauging of liquors, the measuring or weighing of any articles of produce or merchandise, and the storing of gunpowder; and all naval and military stores, not the property of the United States. They shall have the power to tax auctioneers, and license and tax retailers of goods, and liquors, hawk- ers, pedlars, tavern and public boarding house keep- ers, hackney carriages, carts and drays; restrain lot- teries, tippling houses, gaming houses, houses of ill fame, and theatrical or other public exhibitions, sup- press riots and disorderly assemblies, and may pro- vide for the punishment of all persons guilty of breaches of the peace, within the limits of said town, by fine and imprisonment; Provided the fine shall in
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no case exceed five dollars and the imprisonment five days.
SEC. 4. Be it further enacted, That the said Town-council shall further have the power and au- thority to provide by tax, or otherwise, a fund for the support of the poor, the infirm, the diseased and in- sane; to establish public schools and provide for their maintenance, and to organize patrols, and provide for the punishment of negroes and persons of color.
SEC. 5. Be it further enacted, That the said Council shall have the power to assess, levy, and en- force the collection of all taxes, and other impositions, as may be necessary for the support of the govern- ment of said Town, and the improvements thereof- Provided, that no higher rate of tax shall be levied upon real estate than one half of one per cent on the assessed value thereof, to be determined by assessors chosen in such manner as said council may provide, and the said taxes to be collected by distress and sale, after default shall be made in the payment thereof, in the most convenient and least expensive way, as to the said mayor and aldermen shall be deemed expedi- ent-and the said council shall have power further to provide for the trial of all offenses that may arise under the ordinance of said town, and shall enforce the collection of all fines and penalties that may arise as aforesaid, in such manner as said council by ordi- nance may provide.
SEC. 6. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the mayor to see that the ordinances of the town are faithfully executed, recommend for ap- pointment all necessary town officers and report and cause their removal, whenever by negligence or mis-
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conduct the interests of the town may require it-he shall preside at all meetings of the board, and propose such measures as he shall think important to the pub- lic interest, but shall only be entitled to a casting vote, and shall have power to convene the board whenever it may be deemed necessary-he shall have, possess, exercise and enjoy all the powers, duties and privi- leges and receive the same compensation as a justice of the peace.
SEC. 7. Be it further enacted, That the mayor and two aldermen shall form a quorum for the trans- action of all business; they may compel the attend- ance of their absent members, under such pains and penalties as by the rules may be prescribed; judge of the qualification of members, and of the sufficiency, correctness, or regularity of election returns; settle their own rules of proceeding, and upon the recom- mendation of the mayor, appoint and remove all offi- cers, and fix their compensation, and establish such fees as may or ought to be allowed for such services, as may be required of them-their meetings shall be public, and they shall cause a journal of their pro- ceedings to be kept and regularly authenticated by the signatures of the mayor and clerk, which shall be kept open for the inspection of all who may be inter- ested in the proceedings of said council: The ayes and noes upon any question, shall be entered upon their journals upon a call of any two members-they shall make public all their ordinances and resolutions, before they shall have force and efficacy, by posting written copies thereof in two or more public places in said town.
SEC. 8. Be it further enacted, That all white male
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inhabitants of the age of twenty one years and over, who shall have resided within the said town, at least one month immediately preceding the day of election, shall be entitled to vote for mayor and aldermen, they being citizens of the United States-All votes shall be given by ballot.
SEC. 9. Be it further enacted, That the elections shall be conducted by three inspectors, to be appointed at least two weeks before the day of election, by the mayor; the said mayor shall also appoint the place of holding the said election, and give public notice thereof for the like period of time.
SEC. 10. Be it further enacted, That the said in- spectors shall be judges of the qualifications of vot- ers; and it shall be the duty of them, or any two of them, on the day appointed by law for holding the elections, to open the poll for the reception of votes, and to cause the names of voters to be recorded in a book to be kept for that purpose, which shall be de- posited at the close of election amongst the archives of the corporation ; the polls shall open at nine o'clock in the morning, and close at five o'clock in the after- noon, after which the inspectors shall proceed to count the votes, and declare the persons elected, as mayor and aldermen, and make out a written certificate thereof, at the foot of the poll list, and deliver a copy to the mayor elect, who, upon receipt thereof, shall signify his acceptance or refusal.
SEC. 11. Be it further enacted, That if the said mayor elect shall signify his acceptance of said office, the former mayor shall as soon as practicable, at any time within five days, assemble the board, and in their presence, administer to him the following oath :
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"I, A. B. do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will to the utmost of my power support, advance and defend the interests, peace and good order of the town of Jacksonville, and faithfully discharge the duties of mayor of said Town, during my continuance in office ; and I do further swear, that I will support the Con- stitution of the United States"; and the Mayor elect, upon being thus qualified, shall then administer the like oath to the aldermen elect, and thereupon the duties of the former board shall cease.
SEC. 12. Be it further enacted, That if the Mayor elect, or any of the Aldermen, shall decline to accept the office to which he or they may have been elected, or if accepting any or either of them, shall not qualify, by taking the prescribed oaths, within five days, that then the Mayor in office, or any person exercising the duties thereof, shall by proclamation, direct an elec- tion to be held for supplying such seats in the board as may be vacant, giving at least one week's notice there- of, designating at the same time, the persons ap- pointed to superintend and conduct said election.
SEC. 13. Be it further enacted, That if the office of Mayor, or any Alderman, shall at any time become vacant, by death, resignation, removal, or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the Mayor, or the person exer- cising the duties of mayor, agreeably to this act, in like manner as is provided in the preceding sec- tion, to order a new election to fill such vacancy or vacancies.
SEC. 14. Be it further enacted, That Isaiah D. Hart, John L. Doggett, and Henry H. Burritt, be and they, or any two of them, are hereby appointed inspectors to superintend the election for Mayor and
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Councilmen, on the first Monday in April, 1832: Provided, that nothing hereby enacted shall be con- strued to exclude the legislature of this Territory from the right to repeal, alter, or modify this act as it may deem proper.
Passed Feb. 9, 1832.
Approved Feb. 11, 1832.
An act of the legislature, approved February 10, 1835, made some unimportant changes in the charter; and Act 3, approved January 27, 1837, changed the boundaries of the town as follows :
The boundary line of the incorporation of the Town of Jacksonville shall be extended agreeably to the following lines: Beginning at the mouth of McCoy's Creek on the St. Johns River, running thence up said creek to a point where John W. Richard's fence joined said creek, thence in a north course to the first branch north of the King's road leading to St. Marys, thence down said branch to Hogan's Creek, thence down said creek to the mouth where it empties into the St. Johns River, thence across said river to the south side, thence up the south side of the said river to Hendrick's Point, thence across St. Johns River to the mouth of Mc- Coy's Creek aforesaid.
Act 44, approved March 2, 1840, repealed all acts and parts of acts then in force incorporating the town of Jacksonville, a new charter being granted subsequently.
Eight towns in Florida were incorporated prior
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to the incorporation of Jacksonville, namely, St. Augustine, Pensacola, Fernandina, Key West, Quincy, Magnolia, Apalachicola, and Ochesee®.
FIRST MAYOR.
The first election of town officials was held in accordance with Section 14, of the charter. Wil- liam J. Mills was elected mayor, and he was, there- fore, the first mayor of Jacksonville. Unfortu- nately, no record has been found from which a list of the early mayors could be obtained. These gentlemen served in that capacity before the civil war, but for what period is unknown: F. C. Bar- rett, Oliver Wood, Rodney Dorman, William Grothe. H. D. Holland was mayor 1852-53; Philip Fraser, 1855-56; F. I. Wheaton, 1856-57; H. H. Hoeg, 1861-62.
As a matter of interest, a complete list of the mayors of Jacksonville since the civil war is here given :
1865-66 H. H. Hoeg
1866-67 Holmes Steele
1867-68 John Clark
1868-69
Edward Hopkins
1869-70 Edward Hopkins
1870-71 Peter Jones
1871-72 Peter Jones
1872-73 Peter Jones
1873-74 J. C. Greeley
1874-75 Peter Jones
1875-76 Peter Jones
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HISTORY OF EARLY JACKSONVILLE
1876-77 Luther McConihe
1877-78
W. Stokes Boyd
1878-79 Luther McConihe
1879-80 Peter Jones
1880-81 J. Ramsey Dey
1881-82 M. A. Dzialynski
1882-83 M. A. Dzialynski
1883-84 W. McL. Dancy
1884-85
W. McL. Dancy
1885-86
M. C. Rice
1886-87
P. McQuaid
1887-88
J. Q. Burbridge
1888-89
C. B. Smith
1889-91* P. McQuaid
*
1891-93 H. Robinson **
1893-95
D. U. Fletcher
1895-97
Wm. M. Bostwick
1897-99 R. D. Knight
1899-01
J. E. T. Bowden
1901-03 D. U. Fletcher
1903-05
G. M. Nolan
1905-07
G. M. Nolan **:
1907-09
W. H. Sebring
1909-11
W. S. Jordan
1911-
W. S. Jordan
*Term changed to two years.
** Appointed by the City Council under the provisions of House Bill No. 4, which was designed to rid the city of negro office holders.
* Died in office; unexpired term filled by W. H. Baker.
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IMPORTANT MEASURES.
During the period between the incorporation of Jacksonville and the outbreak of the Seminole war in December, 1835, plans were laid for the estab- lishment of some important enterprises, chief among which was the organization of a company to build a railroad from Jacksonville to Talla- hassee, and later to extend it to some point on the Gulf coast. This was in 1834. The name of the railroad was to be the Florida Peninsular and Jacksonville Railroad, and the capital stock of the company was not to exceed $1,000,000. Among the directors were J. B. Lancaster, I. D. Hart, F. Bethune, W. G. Mills, and Stephen Eddy, of Jack- sonville. The Bank of Jacksonville was incor- porated February 14, 1835, with a capital of $75,- 0001. In 1835, the Jacksonville Courier sprang into existence. L. Currier & Co., of·Boston were the publishers and the paper was ably edited by a Mr. Williams. Williams died that year and the office changed hands, being carried on by Thomas D. Dexter, and for a time by O. M. Dorman with a gentleman named Gregory as editor®. The largest of the mercantile houses was that of S. L. Burritt & Co. This firm brought to Jacksonville from Cuba the first cargo of sugar ever brought here and greatly overstocked the market in all this part of the country. This they obtained in exchange for lumber, barrelled fish, and other things. They continued to ship and bring back coffee, rum,
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