Indeed it was not but I could visualize just the same.

I felt as if I might have found a remnant of the old Isaiah David Hart Plantation which was called “Paradise” and located West of Bulls Bay in West Jacksonville, Florida in the 1800s. Of course, Hart himself would have more than likely been riding on a wooden buckboard, buggy or carriage. Hart established the town of Jacksonville, Florida along the River St. Johns in 1822.  He is counted by many as the actual 7th resident in the city and his brother, Daniel being the 8th but Hart is most known for being responsible for platting the city and having the streets laid out for an actual town which was called Cowford .(There are some who say the 2nd resident but…). Cowford, as it was called, was at a narrow place in the river. Its renaming was later suggested by John Warren to be named after Andrew Jackson the first provisional governor.  Hart grew the area and later had a thriving Plantation West of Jacksonville in near-now called Marietta. 

Today, I witnessed tall and I mean huge pine trees, willowing moss hanging from the massive Oak trees, dirt roads and several tributaries seemingly flowing from the Cedar River. Birds of every kind, especially blue jays, were talking among themselves and flying all around.   All of those were marked items describing Hart’s former, some 2,000 acre plantation. There was no obvious log cabin or out-buildings built in the mids 1800’s  that were present in today’s visit to the Bulls Bay area, but there was a buggy that I could definitely envision Hart or maybe his son, Ossian, who also lived on this land and was the 10th Governor of Florida riding in. (I am quite sure that was not his either but I still could envision it). 

Over the years, this rural area has been used for sand excavating, sewage disposal, solid waste, borrow pits, drainage, reservoirs, waste land, marsh, swamps, animal out-growth, and of late, a slew of trucking and auto businesses tucked often on dead-end streets along Bulls Bay, Commonwealth Avenue and Prichard Road. The majority of the land though is pristine and unbothered.  There are acres and acres of tall timber and agricultural promise.

In 1999, the City of Jacksonville purchased 1,222 acres which is now called Bulls Bay Preserve.  There are a lot of wetlands, and tributaries from the Trout River, Ortega River and Cedar Creek waterways. 

The Baldwin- Rail Trail is on the edge of this area with opportunities to hike and ride mountain bikes in flat Florida.  There is even a “small waterfall” which is highlighted on the JaxParks page.

You are encouraged to visit the area where Jacksonville ’s founder once lived.

See you tomorrow,

Sources:

JaxParks, Visit Jacksonville, Jacksonvilleblogger.com, Wagon- Guy Lachepelle

Go visit:  8017 Old Plank Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32220