Originally called East Jacksonville Grammar School the school was built in 1910. It is located at 515 Victoria Street at the west end of the Matthews Bridge. The architects, Mark and Sheftall took on this school as their first project l and would build as many as 50 schools in Florida.
Fairfield Elementary School # 9 ( Ramey Collection)
The school closed in 1971 and reopened as Fairfield Correctional Institute. At some point it was used by the Urban League where a Head Start program was enacted. School number 9 was purchased by a private owner in 2015.
In 2018 it was used for parking cars.In 2020 there was a post on the Fairfield School Facebook page offeringFl-Ga parking: “Plenty of room. Perfect for RVs. Private lot”. Tailgating welcome?”
IF you visit today, it appears closed and has Sheriff’s signs in the windows.
See you tomorrow,
Nan
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On the 15th day of April, 2004, the South Jacksonville Grammar School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Architects, Victor Earl Mark and Leroy Sheftall designed the school and it was built in 1916. The school closed in 1971. It was used by the Duval County School board for administrative offices for a time. The building was sold in 2001 to a San Marco=based company owned by Barbara Cesery and her brother Bill Cesery, developers in Jacksonville, Florida. The school was developed into 38 loft units for family living.
Southside Grammar School. (Photo: Wikipedia)
With new growth in the San Marco area and it being just south of Jacksonville , the historic former Southside Grammar has outlived many other former schools in the county.
See you tomorrow,
Nan
Sources: The Lofts San Marco, Wikipedia.
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Duncan U. Fletcher High School was founded 1937. It sits on 20.5 acres and located at the beaches.
Beaches Museum Photo
The school was named in honor of Duncan U. Fletcher. Fletcher was born in Georgia, graduated from Vanderbilt University and after 1880 moved to Jacksonville, Fl working as a lawyer. He became mayor of Jacksonville from 1893-1895. After the Great fire of jacksonville, Fletcher was instrumental in getting the city back on a positive path. Fletcher served as a member of the Florida Senate for some 30 years. By his pen, the Everglades National Park was introduced and signed into law in 1934 by President FDR.
Duncan U. Fletcher. Photo- Public Domain
He was chairman of the Board of Public Instruction from 1900-1907 and for many years was a trustee of John B. Stetson University and the St. Luke’s Hospital . (Wikipedia).
Fletcher died in Washington D. C in 1936. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Jacksonville, Florida.
Memorial Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville- Photo-Find a Grave.
See you tomorrow
Nan
Sources: Wikipedia, Stetson University, Duval County, Personal visit to Evergreen and the school.
This information including Ramey photos may be used with credit to Ramey Collection. Photos may be 3rd party for which may be secured by copyrighted owner.
If you believe you are a copyright owner or can help with information regarding this article, including to clarify rights or information issues, please contact me. We are willing to remove any item from public view if there is any concern regarding ownership.
Demolished- Formerly located at Ashley and Van Buren Streets
East Jacksonville Public School # 3. (Photo: U of Fl Digital Collections)
East Jacksonville Elementary School, Photo: (U of Fl Digital)
At this writing, school children and their families park at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds where Public School # 3 once housed children for education. The Fair has been in operation since 1955 as written in its history online. The school was built in 1917, long before the Fair was on those grounds.
The school was demolished in 1981. At one time, it was a large, fine and stately building existing for over sixty years. It was one of Henry K. Klutho’s designs and opened in 1917.
See you tomorrow,
Nan
Sources: Florida Memory, Fairfield School # 9 Facebook page, Historic Preservation @ UF,Photo: U of Fl Digital Collections
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Symbolism… ” The idea that things represent other things”. In Israel, the twelve stones represented the remembrance of “God’s faithfulness, providence and love every time they would look at the stones”. There were twelve tribes of Israel so each stone represented each tribe.
The scripture says, “Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.” Joshua 4:9. That event occurred when Israel passed over the Jordan river to enter the Promised Land. Each stone was for each Tribe of Israel, such as one stone was for the Tribe of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Our family has been so blessed and so this Easter time, twelve stones were placed at the entrance of our chapel area at Vaughan’s Homestead in remembrance of God’s faithfulness and providence.
These stones; bricks were those that were put on this property when our home was being built in 1960. Our stones are named: Alec, Geneva, Ronnie, Nan, Daniel, Katie, Ramey, Vaughan, Sargent, Derrick, Kristie and one for the extended family as a whole.
May we all be found faithful and when we look upon the stones, realize that God is our fortress and strength.
Wayne Wood is the current premier historian of Jacksonville, Florida at this time. It is said that he has large terra cotta stones displayed in his yard from a public school that was demolished some years ago. It makes me wonder what D. Frederick Davis had in his Jacksonville yard? Hummmm? Davis wrote the book Jacksonville and Vicinity in 1925.
I feel that way about history too. Somehow stones, blocks metal cans, hubcaps and the like find their way either in my yard or on my Parent’s property. For example, in my own yard, there are the actual steel bars from the E. Bay Street Duval County Jail that was built in 1956 and demolished in 2012.
While the bars are not displayed but rather have grass and ferns growing around them, they are truly authentic, large and heavy. Those bars could be the actual ones that held the likes of the Revered, Dr. Martin Luther King when he spent time in lock-up in 1964. His stay in Duval County was historic and noted in the history books.
When the jail was being demolished, I stopped by and asked a crane operator if I could have one of the bars hanging from the building. He told me they were extremely heavy being solid steel but if I’d go get a trailer, he would load it. And I did… Within a short time, I had gone home, connected my trailer and returned to East Bay Street where he slowly and carefully lowered the heavy bars onto the axils. The old trailer tires thinned out on the riverfront pavement. The trailer and bars made it home. The load was so heavy a rope was tied to the bars and the truck driven off leaving the jail bar beside a tree where it remains today.In 2012, it actually needed up leaning by a tree but the tree is long gone.
The Monson Motel of St. Augustine, Florida was demolished in 2003. Somewhere in my photographs, there is an image of the Motor Lodge and pool where Dr. King was arrested on June 11, 1964. He and a group tried to eat at the newly established bay-front motel just down from the fort. The manager refused their entry. King was arrested and taken to the St. John’s county jail. He was later moved to the Duval County jail and locked behind bars because there were safety concerns.
If those bars could talk we would have yet another premier historian….
School number 10 is listed on the “List of Schools and Year Built” sheet as being there in 1890. The Seaboard coastline train business had rails that ran along Mcduff Avenue in the 1890’s. This rail brought many south and west from up north .
The term Lackawanna was often used up north with rail yards dating to the mid 1800’s. Names such as “Lackawanna Railroad”, “Lackawanna West and Bloomberg Railroad” and the “Delaware, Lackawanna Railroad” of 1853 were a few of the Lackawanna names. It is not known exactly where the name Lackawanna came from in terms of naming the school, however it is quite possible from the rail business being brought down from the north that the area of Lackawanna was named in keeping with its important use of trains, rails and the like.
In the 1940’s the Lackawanna area began to grow with not only train travel but also bus lines and new home construction. Additions were made to the building and a new school was constructed in 1911. Lackawanna was a school for White children.
In 1962, Judge Bryan Simpson ruled that segregation was outlawed and ordered that the county provide a plan for system-wide integration of schools. Lackawanna was part of that plan and in 1963 Lackawanna integrated with Donal Godfrey being the first student at Lackawanna along with 12 other Black students to attend the school.
In 2010 it served as the Lackawanna Alternative Education Center for about 103 students grades 9-12. The school is currently closed and used as storage.
It is important to note that the 1911 school was designed by the Black architect of Jacksonville, R. L. Brown.
R. L. Brown, architect
See you tomorrow,
Sources: Jaxpychogeo . Com, UNF digitalcommons, Florida Memory, Denver Public library, Personal visit.
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The Seth Thomas “October 11th, 1875” model clock “Fashion No. 1; Shelf Type” sat on my Father ’s mantel in Jacksonville, Florida for over 40 years, from the time he got it from the ole’ farm house in South Carolina in 1972, when Papa, Alec P Vaughan, Sr. died, until he, Alec P. Vaughan, Jr. died in 2015 at the age of 94. Then my brother took the clock home in Jacksonville, Florida and it sat on his mantle until his death in 2017. I love tradition, don’t you?
Henry Holbrook Vaughan
My Father’s brother Brook, who had no children, gave the clock to his brother, my Dad’s Dad, Alec P. Vaughan, Sr. and told him to pass it down in the family to the oldest boy. The succession began. My father, Alec P. Vaughan Jr. was the first boy born to Alec P. and Agnes thus he was the rightful heir. From there it was passed down and we all knew who would receive the clock as time went on.
Alec P. Vaughan, Sr.
There is just something so important about family traditions, keepsakes and legacy. I love this ole’ clock. When I see it or think about it, it takes me back me to my young days in South Carolina when it sat on the old mantle in my Grandfather’s bedroom. When we visited South Carolina it would tick as we talked by the old pot belly stove beneath it. Being from Florida, we brought oranges to share and so often we dropped the orange peelings into the round stove holes on the top. The clock would tick, the warmth from the fire warmed and the smell of the oranges wafted as memories were made. Looking at that clock, I’m brought back to a time of my youth. When I look at it, it causes me to so appreciate the strong bonds of our family.
Alec P. Vaughan, Jr.
The Seth Thomas clock was made by none other than, Seth Thomas corporation of Connecticut. His clock company was organized as a stock corporation in May of 1853, although he had manufactured clocks since 1813. It is unknown how our Uncle Brook came upon the clock but tradition followed.
Alec Patrick Vaughan
This clock was never mine to own but in a turn of events, I was able to own it for a very short shelf-life. It sat on my own mantle in Mandarin, Florida for a bit before going to the next in line and I will be forever grateful for those ticking moments.
There is more to this story but time does not permit on this day but as I see the future, this succession of the clock will be such as the royal family experienced. When Queen Elizabeth became Queen of England, the role was supposed to go to a male. After she became Queen, she exercised her authority to reset the clock of that day and signed off on an edict that the throne could go to the next “in line” which could be a female. Sometimes a family may have only males or only females and she saw the importance of this ruling as time would go forward.
That could happen to our clock over time. As the years progress there could be no male in “that” particular family and It could actually go to a female as time ticks along.
I say… “Long Live tradition and may we all adjust to life as it comes to us.” “ Tick…Tick… Tick…”
Josef de Ortega, the Judge Advocate for East Florida when John Houston McIntosh purchased Don Juan McQueen’s plantation would be proud. His namesake celebrated, with great fanfare, a huge 100 year birthday in 2023.
Ortega Elementary School, located on Baltic Street, began as a simple white frame building along the northwest corner of Longfellow and Arapahoe Streets in the fall of 1923. That building, with area street names such as Harvard, Baltic, Princeton and various Indian names like Mohegan, Appalachee, Pawnee and more, would serve the school for many years. The Works Progress Administration offered assistance for schools and in 1935 a new auditorium was built.
The junior high school grew rapidly and in 1950, two wings were added with classrooms and bathrooms. In the fall of 1987 portable classrooms expanded the campus. It was used for elementary school children. In 1995, the enrolment was at 350 K-5. Enrollment remains steady for the K-5 school is at and is called a “Museum Magnet”.
Dale Chambliss, 1964-1970 student talks with Martha King, class of 1942.
Kathy Dagenais Hanberry (2nd left) spent spent 14 years working at Ortega School . Cindy Thompson, (center-blue top) former principal 1995-2005. Jennifer Brawn (3rd left-tan dress), former principal at the school.
Former students of Ortega…
Former students of Ortega…
Melody Brunson, Debbie Atlee, Sharon Caruso share time together as their children attended the school.
See you tomorrow,
Nan
Sources: Duval Public Schools, Florida Memory, Personal visit to school.
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The 1901 fire of Jacksonville brought about tremendous change in this North East Florida city. After the devastating loss of at least 2,368 buildings, the city grew outward with new hope. Brentwood, Florida was soon to be a hustling, bustling growing area while pockets of the area would remain rural for many years.
The area was named Brentwood and Public School # 15 was built to meet the needs of that new community. At this time, the community was a White area as reported by The Jaxonmag. Today, the area is predominately Black.
Neighborhood homes across the street from the school 2023(Ramey Collection).
Brentwood school is located across from the Brentwood Park and would have the latest fashionable street cars in north Jacksonville. Brentwood School, also called the Performing Arts Academy closed in 2021. It had served over 330 students, grades K-5. The students were sent to North Shore Elementary School.
When built, the school was located on 3.6 acres of land. The auditorium was built on the 2nd floor with no cafeteria or library. In 1944, additions and renovations were made with cafeteria being added added in 1952 and in 1976 a classroom was used to create a faculty lounge and workroom.The auditorium was remodelled into a library. In 1969, overcrowding from the nearby Kirby-Smith and Brentwood served as School #25A annex.
Brentwood wins Paint and Clean Up award from Jax Jr. Jaycees- c1952-Probably FTU article.
To comply with desegregation court order in 1970 Brentwood became a sixth grade center and two more kindergarten classes added as it returned to Brentwood Elementary School # 15. In 992, Brentwood became a magnet school to continue efforts to desegregate school with a focus on visual and performing arts. Portable classrooms and an art lab were added to relieve overcrowding.
Principals of Brentwood have been Mrs. Iva T. Sprinkle, who later became Superintendent of Schools. Mrs. Jacqueline Jones(2021) and more. We continue to update our information as it comes available.
See you tomorrow,
Nan
If you believe you are a copyright owner or can help with information regarding this article, including to clarify rights or information issues, please contact me. We are willing to remove any item from public view if there is any concern regarding ownership.
Sources: Jacksonville Junior Jaycees, Florida Times Union, Jaxsonmag, Duval Public Schools, personal visit to the school.
