This Christmas tree is one of the biggest I’ve photographed this year. It’s located in the center area of the first phase of the Town Center right in front of Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant. The faux fir tree is a whopping 32 foot Christmas tree and decorated for the season.
While there today, I noticed couple after couple getting their photo taken in front of the huge tree or taking photos of the huge tree. The 16th annual tree lighting was held Saturday, November 12, 2022 beginning at 2:PM for family highlights and the actual lighting at 8PM along with a fireworks finale.
Jacksonville’s “Town Center “ website boasts of over 175 stores including restaurants, Jewellers and luxury destinations. It’s located off of Southside Blvd and you can get there by way of I-95, I-295 and J. Turner Butler Blvd or Beach Blvd if coming from the beaches. It would take more than a day to visit all of the stores at the Town Center but you might try it all a day at a time. Be sure to include setting up a schedule to eat and shop. Both can be done.
From Target, the Apple store to Tiffany & Co. the Town Center is a great place to shop.
See you tomorrow,
Sources: Maggiano’s, Ramey, Google, [Idea about a tree a day came from the editor of the Daily Record, Karen Mathis].
Christmas has been a tradition at First Baptist Church Jacksonville for many years. The First Baptist Church of Jacksonville began in 1838, with a handful of people, both Black and White, seeking to serve God. From 1838 until the 1861-Civil War, the church developed and grew having several locations over the years in which to worship. During Civil War times and the Indian Seminole war there were months on end that the church was not even functioning in a group setting so it is unknown if the church decorated their facility in any way. We now have some understanding of this type of situation having gone through the Pandemic beginning in 2020 and not meeting for months and months. Though the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic from March 8 and into the 2021 Christmas season, the First Baptist Church did not meet in person. There were some decorations however because a lot was done online and the podium area was prepared for online worship. Decorations were limited by those who went to the church to perform online services. We are still seeking information and history on the traditions of the Baptist Church in Jacksonville. We hope to have more information over time.
FBC- 2022
From the 1960’s until the present it seems the church had a Christmas Tree in the building at some location. Over the years, the dining hall has definitely been a place of great decoration, color and beauty. For years and years Sunday School classes would have their Christmas parties at the church in one of the divided areas and there would be great fanfare and decoration. Throughout the building for years, beautiful Nativity scenes and the like would be in departments throughout the church. Classrooms were decorated by the members of each class and there was no end to the beautiful and creativity of people who loved the Lord.
Season upon season the church facility was decorated by Virginia Ennis, a faithful member and owner of Gladwell’s Florist. Wreaths, streaming greenery, Christmas trees, ornaments, Nativity scenes depicting the Christ-Child and lighting were seen throughout. For many years this was the way First Baptist decorated the church.
There have been many seasonal traditions through the years including the decoration and lighting of the tree, giving to missions in a wooden manger and the “Chest of Joash”, the traditional pledge card/giving day.
Decorating the church has been important concerning seasonal celebrations at First Baptist Jacksonville. In recent years, staff, leadership and lay members have been decorating and this year was no different. “Serve Day” was used as a way to allow members to take part and many Christmas decorations were set up. It is unclear when the first tree was decorated at the church but for sure, the birth of Christ has been front and center.
This year’s tree is at least 20 feet tall with the songs of the seasons framed and hanging . Go see it. It will not disappoint.
See you tomorrow,
Sources: Personal interviews, Personal experience, Buddy Wall, church historian, [Idea about a tree a day came from the editor of the Daily Record, Karen Mathis].
Visit-First Baptist Church- 125 West Ashley Street , Jacksonville, Florida 32202
Based on the former Congressman, Charles E. Bennett, the first actual Thanksgiving in America was when Rene Goulaine De Laudonniere, the French explorer set foot on Florida soil in 1564. Bennett, the author of many books on Florida including “Twelve on the River St. Johns”, “Fort Caroline and Its Leader”, “Florida’s “French” Revolution” and more makes note of the fact that over 50 years before the Pilgrims came to America, the French were here in 1562. Laudonniere, leading a second voyage, established Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, Florida thanking God and claiming Florida. There is a marker on the grounds of Fort Caroline of a marker designating as the land where the first Protestant proclaimed God.
On September 21, 1950 Charles Bennett sponsored a bill to establish Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, Florida a National Monument to commemorate the establishment of their search for religious freedom. His quote on that day was…
“The 425th anniversary of the beginning settlements by Europeans…renamed from Fort Caroline to San Mateo, to San Nicolas, to Cowford and finally to Jacksonville in 1822… “
According to History.com, the First “Thanksgiving” was September 8, 1865 when there were “Blaring trumpets and thundering artillery” serenading Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles arrival and claim of Florida thanking “God and his country” in St. Augustine so there are those who claim that.
Of course, we all know the story of the Pilgrims landing in 1620 having a meal with the Indians and a story of the First Thanksgiving.
Fort Caroline was founded by French Protestant Christians who were called Huguenots. They were seeking religious freedom.
Rene Laudonniere, French Protestant
Quotes from days gone by….
“What pleasure it would give us to find any indication of Charles’s Fort on the Carolina coast, where a French Protestant colony attempted a settlement, a full century before the English; or the stone pillar with the arms of France , erected, on that occasion, on the river of May.” Abiel Homes, 1814
“…The Fort Caroline settlement set a new pattern for religious freedom in America – a pattern which was to be imitated until religious liberty and personal freedom become the great trademark for the United States.” Charles E. Bennett, Laudonniere and Fort Caroline
“On June 30, 1564, construction of a triangular-shaped fort…was begun with the help of a local tribe of Timucuan Indians… Home for this hardy group of Huguenots…their strong religious…motivations inspired them.”
According to Bennett, The French Christian Huguenots in Florida set a day of Thanksgiving and offered the first Protestant prayer in North America on JUNE 30, 1564: “We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, beseeching Him that it would please Him to continue His accustomed goodness towards us.”
Most importantly is being thankful to God for his bounty at whatever point you came.
See you tomorrow,
Sources: History. com, NPS. gov, nationalparks. org, ribaultsong .com
When we were young, our parents took us to the jetties where we walked on the big rocks out to the Atlantic Ocean and would fish from seemingly the top of the world. The jetties were located Northeast of town about 30-40 minutes away. It was always fun but walking on those huge rocks could be worrisome. We would each have a handful of something to carry and then we’d bend, weave, crawl and scrap our way to a comfortable rock area, all while the water might be splashing and getting us wet. It was some event for a youngster and we loved it.
Mama would pack us a lunch and Daddy would pack the fishing gear and off we would drive , “a day and another” until we’d come to huge rocks by the ocean. We’d park the car, unload the stuff and head to the rocks. There we would be until the sun would set, fishing until our hearts content. Daddy seemed to spend most of his time getting Mama’s hook replenished or unhooked from the snags. The huge waves would take the fishing line into the cracks and crevices and he’d hold, pull, jerk and navigate until the line was free. Mama was happy. She would be fishing with his pole until he got her’s untangled. She’d fish non-stop and he seemed to be getting the lines untangled non-stop. That’s sort of how it went every fishing event. Both seemed to enjoy themselves.
Those were always long, fun days. We left early and came home late. There was the usual stop by the bait shop out Heckscher Drive and then the long drive to the beaches. Living on the Westside, it took a good 45 minutes or so just to get there.
So many times we came home with a “mess of fish” and had a fish fry. There were even times that Daddy skinned the fish, froze them and we’d have a Sunday school fish fry. There was then a lot of bragging going on about how big that fish really was.
The address- 510 Fairground Pl. Jacksonville, Fl 32203
Since 1955, Jacksonville has had an annual fair brining thousands of people to one location to ride rides, exhibit art, show off animals and win prizes of various kinds. It deems itself as a private 501(c)3 non profit corporation and highlights itself as being a “quality family fair”.
For years and years, the Jacksonville Fair was held on the grounds of the Gator Bowl, a well-known sports venue with one of the biggest rivalry games, the Florida-Georgia game. Sometimes, that game would fall about the same time as the fair and the two would collaborate the fun. Today, that field is called EverBank Field. According to the Greater Jacksonville Fair history story, in 1989 the Fair Association “broke ground” on its own property nearby the football stadium and a new fairground facility was born entertaining some 700,000 people.
The Jacksonville Fair is a huge event for the Jacksonville area bringing in millions of dollars to the area in the way of businesses, food vendors, game attendants, parking revenue and more. In 2002, the fair celebrated 65 years of fun and frolic. Yesterday was its last day for this year.
On the wall in the Brandenburg Hall of Oak Lawn Cemetery off of San Jose Blvd, there is a massive and beautiful map of Jacksonville, Florida dated 1876. If ever you can, you should drop by and take a look. It will cause you to want to take a photo. The same arial view of Jacksonville can be found in the Library of Congress.
This map has the seal and number so I assume it is one of the authentic copies of the city, like the one donated to the Library of Congress by Alvord, Kellogg and Campbell dated 1840. This seal indicates 1876.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” Matthew 5:14
Today, I left my church, the FBC of Jacksonville, a little early and headed to the St. Vincent’s Hospital to visit a 96 year old friend. As I rode past the Riverside Baptist Church I noticed the front doors open wide. Pulling over, I decided to drop in to see where my parents were married in 1945.
Riverside Baptist. Ramey Collection
It’s actually jaw-dropping to walk into that beautiful sanctuary. The 11:00 am service was at a close so I sat on the back pew and just marvelled at the beauty of that space. In looking it up, it is on the United States National Register of Historic Places since 1972 and won a spot on the Florida Arcitechture: 100 Year. 100 Places.
Riverside Baptist Church. Ramey Collection
The architect was Addison Mizner of The Winter White House fame.( President John F. Kennedy’s place). He had also designed work in Boca Raton and the Everglades.
This church was completed in 1926. My parents were married in 1945 just after WWII. The best man was Tommy Thompson and the Maid of Honor was my Mother’s twin sister, Geneer. It is interesting to note that Tommy Thompson and my Mother’s twin, Geneer, married in this same church in January of 1946 with my parents being their support system.
Geneva and Alec in front of the Aberdeen home in Riverside
Jacksonville is in Northeast Florida. Just about the time you pass the FLORIDA sign, you are in the Jacksonville range. Also considered Northeast Florida is Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach, Green Cove Springs, Mayport, Fort George Island, The Beaches, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach and Palatka.
Florida -(Ramey Collection)
Jacksonville’s claim to fame is the fact that the “earliest civilized history dates to the 1562 landing of French explorer Jean Ribault on a point high on a bluff above the St. Johns River. Ribault was greeted by Timucuan Indians, who thrived on the area’s plentiful game and fish and shared their stores and knowledge with these visitors. Jacksonville was named in 1822 for Andrew Jackson, Florida’s first territorial governor and later U.S. President.” It is also known for an extensive park system, one of the largest, if not the largest in the nation.
Jacksonville is a beautiful city with a pretty skyline that emphasises blue skies, for the most part and of late is filled with new condos and corporate life. There are multiple bridges in Jacksonville that span across the rivers and water areas of the town.
It has a most massive oak trees, called the “Treaty Oak” that is quite aged and kept with care in a park near the Southbank of the downtown area.
Northeast Florida is a great place to visit and Jacksonville is a hallmark place to come if you’re far or near. It’s worth the drive.
I love this city. Do you love it as I do? There is so much to love. Jacksonville has so many attributes. It has huge open spaces, a lot of greenery, the oceans and beaches, sand hills and sand spurs. You can raise animals, cattle, horses , cats or dogs, or even birds and iguanas…. Take your choice.
8-11-22
Jacksonville has more than 20 miles of beautiful beaches! It has one of, if not the largest park systems in the nation. Jacksonville offers incredible fishing including the great King Fish Tournament! Oh, it has the St. Johns River, for goodness sake and it runs right through the downtown area. Beautiful.
It is the place where one of the first Bibles was brought to the shores of America and where the first Protestants sought to bring the Gospel of Christ. (Fort Caroline).
Located in Northeast, Florida, the weather is fine; sometimes too hot but rarely too cool. It’s perfect for the sports enthusiast.
On both sides of Jacksonville there are really historic places like Fernandina, an early land grant provider and to the south, the oldest city, St. Augustine. Not to mention Amelia Island and Daytona Beach, not too far in either direction.
