For some time now I’ve been noticing a train logo flag with the name “Rail Yard District”. I rode the neighborhood and turns out it’s west of downtown in the Beaver Street, near the train depot and convention centre area. It includes such addresses as:
The old Farmers Market 1810 West Beaver Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32209
Eco Relics, a salvage store living in a former rail depot.-106 Stockton Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32204
Shot gun houses east of the viaduct on the North side of Beaver Street.
The actual “rail yard”.
The old viaduct and rail yard with trains n’ all, east of the Farmers Market on west Beaver Street.
There are some 75-100 businesses in this area and although much of the area has been neglected since the 1970’s, its making a come back with new business and opportunity.
Visiting 1810 Beaver Street was a treat while growing up. Our small family lived on Lowell Avenue only a couple of miles from the market. We spent many a day there, picking up fruit, tasting the samples provided and walking away with greens and corn for a Sunday dinner.
Farmers Market photo
The Farmers Market is one of the oldest markets in Florida. It began in 1938. From dawn to dusk you can find vendors of all kinds selling produce, including honey, corn, onions, greens, watermelons, oranges, apples, berries, squash, a variety of beans, sugar cane, and more. On Apple Maps, it indicates the hours to be 7am-5pm. This is a big man’s delight and a dieters haven. In 2019, the Jacksonville Farmers Market won the “Jax Best” seal so congrats and with that it touts having over a million visitors each year.
1938-ish. Fl Memory
It’s located in the Rail Yard District on West Beaver Street. Back-in-the-day, one of my best friend’s family, the Napoli’s had a bay. We spent a lot of time helping set up things, shine the produce and sit and wait for customers. Well, mostly we played. Ha! Fun times though, for sure.
After selling the property in Nanville in 2022, which was part of the old Seymour and Maria Pickett land grant of 1812, I took a few pics of the items left inside of the small 3 br, 1 ba block house. Most items were household things including pots and pans, furniture, personal times including a bed, stove, and refrigerator.
But leaving behind a Weber Piano? Wow! There was no date on this item but in looking up the new versions, they cost upwards, $14,000. I could not get in close enough to look for a series number but I’m sure it had one.
The Weber Piano Company was one that manufactured pianos in New York City beginning in the 19th century. The company went out of business in 1985 and it was sold to Young Chang of South Korea and later sold again to Samsung Group.
The piano now sitting on the famous land grant property of the Pickett’s(now in a Nanville home) was a “Weber”, the lower end of the piano brand. The other photo provided shows an upper brand called the “Albert Weber.”
Albert Weber was born in Bavaria in 1929. At the age of 16 he emigrated to the United States holding his first job as an apprentice of Charles J. Holder, a piano builder.
Weber went on build his own piano company selling pianos in Manhattan, NY. Weber died in June of 1879. His piano brand lives on and yes, in Nanville.
I don’t know what will happen to the piano. I wonder if the builders will demolish the house with it inside? I’ll try to keep you posted.
Beginning in 1984, I began purchasing at least 7 pieces of the Seymour and Maria Pickett land grant dating back to 1808. In a matter of time, I had my own “Ville”; “Nanville”. At this time, it is still in existence with population, 29.
Mr. Pickett was at the right place at the right time. Land was being given alway in the 1800’s. According to Jean Mizell, writer of “The Pickett Family”, Seymour had a way of “petitioning” to the government and being awarded land grants. He had already received a grant in 1803 after his former wife had been lost in a shipwreck. Then he purchased land in Fernandina somewhere around 1804 and was living in East Florida . By the time Jacksonville became a town in 1821 he was again petitioning the government again, as the Indians were pillaging and burning down the countryside and he had been affected.
Specialty Tree on Pickettville- Nanville property-Ramey land(Sibbald Land Grant)
Somewhere around 1812, due to this loss at the hands of Indians he received 640 acres on Sibbald’s Tract in Duval County, Florida. He and his family settled there and it became what we know as Picketville. That brings us to Nanville, which is located near the crossroads of Old Kings Road and Lane Avenue.
In 1984, I decided to purchase an almost 3 acre piece of this beautiful, majestic land. It was full of oak trees, flora and fauna and was located south of Lane Avenue on Jacks Road. It was the beginning of Nanville which would grow to at least 9 parcels by 2022.
While Nanville is a small area, it is significant and part of the Sibbald Tract as well, with 7 small purchases bounded by Lane Avenue, McDuff, Interstate 10 and Old Kings Road. My neighbor on the Jacks Road property was Cecil Overton Pickett, also known as “Gator”. On his tomb stone it is written of him: “The last of a rare breed. A man of integrity whose word was his bond. He was loved and will forever be remembered”. He was born in June of 1926 and died November 9, 2005 at the age of 79. You can see his old Pickett house in the background.
In 2022, a portion of the property was sold to a land developer who is currently clearning the area, cutting the majestic trees and making way for a full neighbourhood of homes. The Picketville and Nanville area is certain to change as Jacks Road and Old Kings are making way to the loss of the old way of life which included barns, cows, livestock, farms and wagons, to the hustle and bustle of this new century with automobiles including the new electric ones, cell phones and security cameras. I do hope those people plant trees, flora and fauna and keep their dogs and cats. We need something of the old way of life. Oh, and I hope they trust God too. He will be needed going forward.
I still own parcels of the Sibbald land grant but none as beautiful as the land Gator Pickett and I managed on Jacks Road. Notice the tree tags which will bring a pretty penny to the buyer. The tag says, “Specialty”. Indeed.
