Timeline of Jacksonville, Florida
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timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representi ...
of the
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
of the
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
of
Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
,
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, USA.


Prior to 20th century

* 1564 - French
Fort Caroline Fort Caroline was an attempted French colonial settlement in Florida, located on the banks of the St. Johns River in present-day Duval County. It was established under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière on 22 June, 1564, followin ...
established by
René Goulaine de Laudonnière Rene Goulaine de Laudonnière (c. 1529–1574) was a French Huguenot explorer and the founder of the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, a Huguenot, sent Jean Ribault and Laudonnière ...
. * 1565 - Spanish forces take Fort Caroline. * 1822 ** Settlement named "Jacksonville" to honor
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
. ** Town grid laid out. ** Jacksonville becomes seat of newly formed Duval County. * 1832 ** Town incorporated. ** William J. Mills becomes mayor. * 1838 - Bethel Baptist Church established. * 1845 - Florida becomes part of the United States. * 1846 - October 12: Gale. * 1857 -
City Park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
created. * 1858 - Florida, Atlantic & Gulf Central Railroad begins operating. * 1862 - Town occupied by Union forces. * 1869 - St. James Hotel built. * 1871 - Furchgott, Benedict & Co. dry goods store in business. * 1872 - Cookman Institute established. * 1873 - Florida Circulating Library active. * 1875 - Windsor Hotel built. * 1876 **
Duval High School DuVal High School (DHS) is a comprehensive science and technology public magnet high school in the Seabrook census-designated place in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, with a Lanham postal address.
established. ** Union Congregational Church built. * 1877 - Board of Health established. * 1878 - Library and Literary Association formed. * 1881 - ''Florida Daily Times'' begins publication. * 1882 ** Synagogue dedicated. ** Florida Baptist Academy established. * 1884 - Board of Trade organized. * 1885 - Park Opera House in business. * 1886 - Boylan Industrial Home and school established. * 1887 ** Yellow fever epidemic. ** ''The Metropolis'' newspaper begins publication. ** St. Andrew's Episcopal Church built. * 1888 - Subtropical Exposition held. * 1890 - Population: 17,201. * 1892 -
Edward Waters College Edward Waters University is a private Christian historically Black university in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) as a school to educate freedmen and their children. I ...
active. * 1893 - Streetcars began operating. * 1897 - Woman's Club founded. * 1900 - ** "
Lift Every Voice and Sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a pray ...
" song first performed. ** Population: 28,429.


20th century


1900s-1950s

* 1901 ** May 3:
Great Fire of 1901 The Great Fire of 1901 was a conflagration that 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 S ...
. **
Brewster Hospital The Brewster Hospital building is a historic U.S. hospital in the LaVilla neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. It was located at 915 West Monroe Street. On May 13, 1976, the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In ...
established. ** Continental Hotel opens. * 1903 ** Mason Park opens. ** Florida Automobile Association organized. * 1904 ** Lincoln Park opens. ** First Baptist Church built. * 1905 ** Jacksonville Free Public Library opens. ** Protestant Union Revival held. * 1907 ** Manhattan Beach opens. ** Dixieland Amusement Park opens in South Jacksonville. ** South Jacksonville chartered as a city. * 1908 - Filmmaker
Kalem Studios The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to V ...
active. * 1909 - YMCA building constructed. * 1910 ** Atlantic Boulevard laid out. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 57,699. * 1912 ** St. James Building constructed. ** City
Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...
formed. * 1914 - Jacksonville Zoological Park established. * 1917 **
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...
Jacksonville chapter established. **
John W. Martin John Wellborn Martin (June 21, 1884 – February 22, 1958) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Florida, 24th Governor of Florida, from 1925 to 1929. He also served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Mayor of Jacksonville, Flo ...
becomes mayor. * 1920 –
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 91,558. * 1921 - St. Johns River Bridge opens. * 1923 - John T. Alsop becomes mayor. * 1925 ** Negro Welfare League organized. ** WJAX
radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
begins broadcasting. * 1926 -
Carling Hotel The Carling, formerly known as the Carling Hotel and Hotel Roosevelt, is a historic building in Jacksonville, Florida, United States built in 1925. It is located at 31 West Adams Street in Downtown Jacksonville. As its former names indicates it wa ...
opens. * 1927 - Florida Theatre and 5 Points Theatre built. * 1928 -
Gator Bowl Stadium The Gator Bowl was an American football stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. Originally built in 1927, all but a small portion was razed in 1994 in preparation for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars' inaugural season; the reconstructed stadium became Jac ...
built. * 1929 -
Jacksonville Historical Society Jacksonville Historical Society (JHS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Jacksonville, Florida, begun by 231 charter members on May 3, 1929 at the Carling Hotel.Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 129,549. * 1934 ** Jacksonville Junior College established. ** WMBR radio begins broadcasting. * 1938 ** WJHP radio begins broadcasting. ** Theatre Jacksonville built. * 1940 ** U.S. military
Naval Air Station Jacksonville Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 Location NAS Jack ...
commissioned. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 173,065. * 1946 - Annual
Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
college football game begins. * 1947 ** Jacksonville
Urban League The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...
formed. **
Hanna Park Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park is a public beach and city park in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located at Mayport in the Jacksonville Beaches area. It consists of of mature coastal hammock, which is increasingly rare along Florida's heavily developed ...
created. * 1949 ** WJXT (
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
) begins broadcasting. ** W. Haydon Burns becomes mayor. * 1950 -
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 204,517. * 1953 -
Mathews Bridge The Mathews Bridge is a cantilever bridge in Jacksonville, Florida, which spans the St. Johns River. Constructed in 1953, the bridge brings traffic along the Arlington Expressway between downtown Jacksonville and the Arlington neighborhood. It w ...
opens. * 1955 -
Jacksonville Expressway Authority The Jacksonville Expressway Authority was an independent entity established by the Florida Legislature in 1955. They owned and maintained roads and bridges in Duval County, including several toll bridges, mostly across the St. Johns River. In 1971 ...
established. * 1957 - WFGA-TV (
television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
) begins broadcasting.


1960s-1990s

* 1960 ** August: "
Ax Handle Saturday Ax Handle Saturday, also known as the Jacksonville riot of 1960, was a racially motivated attack that took place in Hemming Park (now known as James Weldon Johnson Park or JWJ Park) in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 27, 1960. A group of white ...
" racial unrest. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 201,030. * 1962 - Civic Auditorium opens. * 1963 - December-
Hotel Roosevelt fire The Hotel Roosevelt fire, on December 29, 1963, was the worst fire that Jacksonville, Florida, had seen since the Great Fire of 1901, and it contributed to the worst one-day death toll in the city's history: 22 people died, mostly from carbon mon ...
* 1964 -
Hurricane Dora Hurricane Dora was the first tropical cyclone on record to make landfall over the Atlantic coast of North Florida at hurricane intensity. The sixth tropical storm and second hurricane of the 1964 season, Dora developed from a tropical wave nea ...
occurs. * 1967 **
Hart Bridge The Isaiah David Hart Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It carries U.S. Route 1 Alternate (US 1 Alt.) and State Road 228 (SR 228). It is named after Isaiah Hart, the founder o ...
opens. ** Mary Singleton and Sallye B. Mathis became the first female African Americans elected to the City Council. * 1968 ** Consolidation of city and Duval County governments. **
Hans Tanzler Hans Gearhart Tanzler, Jr. (March 11, 1927 – July 25, 2013) was an American politician and judge. He served as Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1967 to 1979. During his administration, the City of Jacksonville consolidated with Duval Coun ...
becomes mayor. * 1970 -
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 528,865. * 1973 - Florida Municipal
Home Rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
Powers Act ratified. * 1979 -
Jake Godbold Jake Maurice Godbold (March 14, 1933 – January 23, 2020) was an American politician who served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida from 1978 to 1987. Godbold was elected to the Jacksonville city council in 1967 and served until 1979; he was cit ...
becomes mayor. * 1980 **
Foreign trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cust ...
established. **
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 540,920. * 1984 -
Jacksonville Bulls The Jacksonville Bulls were a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They were members of the United States Football League (USFL) during its final two seasons, 1984 and 1985. They played their home games in the Gator ...
football team formed. * 1989 - The
Jacksonville Skyway The Jacksonville Skyway is an automated people mover in Jacksonville, Florida, United States, operated by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). Opening in 1989 with three stations in Downtown Jacksonville, the Skyway was extended in 19 ...
begins operating * 1990 -
Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
: 635,230. * 1993 -
Corrine Brown Corrine Brown (born November 11, 1946) is an American former politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida from 1993 to 2017 and a convicted felon. She is a member of the Democratic Party. After a court-order ...
becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for
Florida's 3rd congressional district Florida's 3rd congressional district is an electoral district of the United States House of Representatives located in Florida. It presently comprises a large section of northern Florida, including the entire counties of Alachua, Clay, Putnam, ...
. * 1995 **
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
football team formed. **
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium TIAA Bank Field is an American football stadium located in Jacksonville, Florida, that primarily serves as the home facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) and the headquarters of the professional wrestling prom ...
opens. ** John Delaney becomes mayor. * 1998 - City website online (approximate date). * 2000 ** "
Better Jacksonville Plan The Better Jacksonville Plan is a growth management plan implemented by the city of Jacksonville, Florida. It was the signature project of Mayor John Delaney. It was approved by Jacksonville voters on September 5, 2000. Lex Hester was a key advis ...
" for urban growth approved. ** Population: 735,617.


21st century

* 2001 -
Ander Crenshaw Alexander Mann "Ander" Crenshaw (born September 1, 1944) is an American banker, attorney, and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. Crenshaw retired from Congress when ...
becomes
U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
for
Florida's 4th congressional district Florida's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in northeastern Florida, encompassing Nassau and parts of Duval and St. Johns counties. The district is currently represented by Republican Aaron Bean. As part of the 2020 redi ...
. * 2003 - May 13: Jacksonville mayoral election, 2003 held; John Peyton wins. * 2010 - Population: 821,784. * 2011 - March 22:
Jacksonville mayoral election, 2011 The Jacksonville mayoral election of 2011 determined the Mayor of Jacksonville, Mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. A blanket primary with six candidates together on the same ballot took place March 22, 2011. As no candidate received a majority of ...
held;
Alvin Brown Alvin Brown is an American politician from Florida who served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, from 2011 to 2015. He was the first African American to be elected to that position. Brown succeeded John Peyton as mayor after winning the 2011 ma ...
wins. He was the city's
first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
elected African-American mayor. * 2013 - Corrine Brown becomes U.S. representative for Florida's 3rd congressional district again. * 2015 -
Lenny Curry Leonard Boyd Curry (born July 19, 1970) is an American politician, accountant, and businessman serving as the 8th mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. He assumed office on July 1, 2015, after defeating incumbent Alvin Brown in the city's 2015 mayoral ...
becomes mayor.


See also

*
History of Jacksonville, Florida The city of Jacksonville, Florida, began to grow in the late 18th century as Cow Ford, settled by British colonists. Its major development occurred in the late nineteenth century, when it became a winter vacation destination for tourists from the No ...
*
List of mayors of Jacksonville, Florida The Mayor of Jacksonville is the chief executive for the city of Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Jacksonville currently utilizes the strong mayor form of government, in which the mayor has significant powers compared to the Jacksonville C ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Duval County, Florida __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Duval County, Florida. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Duval County, Florida, ...
*
Timelines A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale representi ...
of other
cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in the
North Florida North Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regions. It includes Jacksonville and near ...
area of Florida: Gainesville,
Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...
,
Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...


Notes


References


Bibliography


Published in 19th century

* * * * * * * * * * *


Published in 20th century

* * *
1918 ed.
* *
1918 ed.
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1921 ed.
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Map
* * (fulltext) * * * * * * * * * * *


Published in 21st century

* * *


External links

* * Digital Public Library of America
Items related to Jacksonville, Florida
various dates


Images

File:Bay Street, west, Jacksonville, Fla, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views detail.jpg, Bay Street, Jacksonville, late 19th c. File:1886 Park Opera House advert Jacksonville Florida.png, 1886 advertisement for Park Opera House (est. 1885) {{City of Jacksonville
jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
Jacksonville, Florida-related lists