This past month, I took a trip to Marietta which is in West Duval County to see the area where Jacksonville founder Isaiah David Hart, sometime after 1822, had a large plantation. I found the hugely wooded area and imagined all kinds of scenarios of how and where Hart may have lived but I had no idea I’d find a jet fuel tank out there with other yard art.

While driving up and down the densely populated trees, I found huge ones of every kind including tall pines, large oaks and even Florida palms.  The interesting find that day was that of a jet fuel tank set up in the yard of long time Westside resident Guy Lachapelle.  That, was some serious history!  How in the world did it get there and from where?

There is really a simple answer.  Lachapelle is, as listed on his linked page, an “expert total” in  “selective dismantling and demolition since 1979”.  Fuel tank removal would be one of the things he might do.

While being inquisitive, I saw Guy in his yard and was able to ask him a few questions and get permission to photograph in the area.  Wearing blue jeans, an open collar shirt, and in country fashion, he told me how he was in the business of demolition.  He explained that one of his jobs was on Normandy Blvd. some years ago and part of the job was to remove a jet fuel tank.  Thinking it was unique, he used his large equipment, brought it home and leaned it artistically in his front yard.  Boom!  Yard art!

On Normandy Blvd there was the home of Cecil Field Naval Air base which operated from 1941-1999. It is now called Cecil Commerce.   Lacapelle did not say he got the tank from the base but it made sense that it certainly could have come from there with the base once serving as “one of four naval air stations to be designated as Master Jet Bases specifically used for the operation of carrier-based jet aircraft”.  

His wife came out about the time I was leaving and when I mentioned the yard art, she said looking around with a smile, “Sometimes there is just too much yard art”.

Other items in their yard were dated old rusty trucks and a Seaboard Coastline train car sitting on actual tracks.   HA! I wonder what Isaiah Hart would say?

See you tomorrow,

Nan

Sources:  Wikipedia, Google Search, Lachapelle, Ramey