Document text
r
WILLIAM P. /EMU
June 240 1940
hit* History
William N. Rowley
Arliugtm
Duval OeuntyoNiorita.
rerVOLla Interview
AOse Shepherd, Writer.
was born in New Orleans, loluisiana, and my early
life was spent in the °Oresoeut Oity. When I was about
16 years of age, i went to Orand Island, Nebraska, where
I spout a year with relatives, then located in ohioago. I
thieght I would liks to take up offios work and, with that in
view, learned the Munson system of shorthand.
"In January, 1880 I took: my first job with the eel*
manufacturing uo., on lake-st., Chicago. Alter nearly a year
with this firm', I became associated with Dr. Nathan Kew*,
editor and publisher of the Amerioanitield, one of the firat
magazines to the united otates devoted entirely to sports.
In January, 1881 I Went with 4r. R• on a trip to high Xoiat,
North Oarolina where the amerioan field trials were held that
year.
"While with the Uolt people, I stayed at the .1. M. O. A.
in Ohicago, and when they started a °lass in gen Pittman
shorthuud, 4. enrolled as a student, working in the office in
the daytime it or 10 hours a day and studying in the
evening.
"I beoame very proficient, so when Ur. Rowe went on
his eaaeudet trip in the interests of the then known spar*
26030
E.
chief of Ishioh was marksmanship, I was proud to aocampany
him ae seoretary. Pram High Point we went all throgghtthe
south, and that winter my ol4 oaligraph typewriter received
a good afoul of attention.
"My health broke down a few years lator, and I bat "become
enamoured of the southeast in my trip with Dr. Rowe, and Mo-
ulded to 00O6 as far south as I oould get. In Ohioago when
j atOod for a ticket to Jacksonville, the railroad ticket
agent said he would sell me a ticket only as far as glesuP,
an4 i could then buy attitional transportation an
the Wayorose Lim to my destination.
"On the 3i of Januaty, 1886 I alvivold at the old station
of the 1. Z. W. on Aridge-st. and say, and. 4 must say
that asaksonville was then anything but a promising town, with
no indications of the city it is today.
"On the south side of layist., were retaining walls the st. Johns Hivor cams within half a block of the street and beak of bay an the north sits were scattering strings of
negro shacks. There was nothin,, on the south side. Hogansii
creek was the eastern limit. Baying that was 'airfield., the
oiler section and a town n itself. The fairgrounds were
located in gairfield, and this was one terminus of the street-
car line; mule-opqrated. Notate the streetcars, when they
had fairs, stoamboats nand to carry the people from the foot
of Amman -at. out to what is now commodores Point. The
rair Association was composed of prominent men of ouval 0ohnti,
4.
riot go see mr. Alexander Wits -Waller, who has a clothing
store up here on May-st., and 1Hitsy, will fix you up, I bet.'
"Sure enough, after 4 explained my sitiation to
mr• Hits -Waller, he auid 'You look li4e an honest young
man, I'll trust you,' --and outfitted my from the okin out.
"The change to town life was good for me, as in the
oamp we had a negro cook, awl his biscuits wore what was
called 101one-third and two-thirds, one third lard and two-
thirds flour and it took a oast -ion stemaoh to digest
them. The boss and A got to buying Chipfs fare of hard-teek
at ulark's. This we carried in our poekets wheu out in the
woods .,utting timber, and whenever we got hungry we just
dined then and there.
"When i located. in Jacksonville in 18811, all business
was dope on oredit usually sixty to ninety days but
lots of old-timers settled their bills only once a oar.
"Tilis was the oia of the yellow fever epidemic. I shall
uovor forgot that. The first ease developed in the Mayflower
Motel, where the 2alsoe Theatre MAN stands. A man by the
name of Saunders ran a restaurant thire, and one of hie custom-
ers who had JOMO ix from Ouba developed yellow fever. He
was taAeu to the sand. hills, out North hore wag, where a
kind of quarantine 'sac established, and guards were played
around the hotel. Other eases developed and the houses
wore placarded with big yellow signs with the worts n4ellsw
/ever," but when it became epidemic, the signs were die-
eontinued, the few people who were out and attending to the
necessities of life and business, walked in the middle of the
street to avoid. oontaminations
"I had been tak14ng my dinners at the Mayflower, and
it was not long before I developed the fever. I thought my
time had come, but while i was quite ill, the fever did not
last long. I was not given much medicine, but dosed with
orange -leaf tea and hot mustard tea the idea seemed to
be 'sweat it out' they Lid not use the word 'perspira-
tion' but just plain old sweat.' All patients were kept
olosely oevered, I often thought in self-defence, beoause the
odor from a yellow fever patient is something awful.
"Well, I got over the fever, and was given the following
card which enabled, me to pass freely through the guard lines
or from pleas to plebes in the oounty:
MIAOW YSITHR IMMUNITY CARD
This oertifies that 1111.. P. ROW
A native of LOMIASA
A resident of fLORS9NVILLII, /WU
Bxporienes& an attack of YellOw /WM' at
JAuR:sO!vu4L 1IORIDAX me.
Attending Physician )8( A. T. MM.
)8( 4083Pg T. PRIM,
JO. TN State Health Offioer.
Another eard in use at the time
PASS
11111.0.1
PASS SHOTGUN PATROL.
November 18$8.
11153,3V1 OUNNBR
sesiding at JAONSONYILLS
OIL110.4 Al) ItiiTURN
to
=1. P
ertar_
"There were two thousand oases of yellow fever in
Jacksonville during the epidemic of 1888, and an estimated.
10 percent or about two hundred deaths.
"'here was a general exodus when the fever was Immolated
epidemic, and those who were able, refugee& to northern
states, espeoially the mountains, as it was considered
higher altitude hod something to do with immunity. loners
abounded, and many ideas were prevalent. One lady, an
eminent authoress, Mrs. talon k. Ingram, supported the
theory that yelloover was caused by miorobes. She went
further, sdvosating the extermination of mierobes by somas-
Aosordingly, city officials had four eannon brought
u from the fort at bt. Augustine, and there was one in
Jacksonville belonging to the Wilson tattiteir. These were
set off at intervals in the downtown section after nightfall,
the combined osneussions saucing a lot of damage in the break-
age of window glass and store fronts, but the fever raged on.
"Another remedy was disinfeoting the atmosphere
burning tar in barrels on the streOtee Thie probably did
more good than anything else, as the smoke exterminated the
mosquitoes by suffocating them, although the real reason was,
of course, not disoovared until a decade later.
"Homes or locations where the fever prevailed were die
inflated by the authorities using sprays of copperas, sulphas',
and lime mixture.
"The Mayflower House *here the first case originated was
condemned and ordered burned to the ground, which order was
carried out by the fire department. The location was vesant
for many years, or until the Pala** Theatre was built.
"bay otreet at that time was paved with cypress blocks.
Long, heavy boards were laid on the sandy street and the cypress
blocks maws of uniform else about a foot in miasureaeut
were la d on the boards. 60M* people put forth the sugges-
tion that a cypress swamp was a very unhealthful plow', so
maybe the cypress blocks caused the yellow fever. immediate
3.7 the authorities sprayed them, the whole length of buy-st.,
with the disinfootant in general use.
"These paving blocks, by the wows caused the city fathers
untold worry, as they would not stay put.' svery big rain
would witness the blocks traveling towards the at. Johns Aver
in a wave of flood water, many of them actually washing into
the river, and lots of than piling up on the levee at the
foot of itegon-ot.„ which was a low place at the foot of a
slight hill. Yinally,they were done :may with altogether,
and brick substituted.
"Early during the epidemic it was rumored that the
government was going to run trains in to remove the colored
people to higher regions, it being tionsidered that they
were net able to take care of themselves. /he rumor spread,
and novae's cams in to Jacksonville from the outlying amities.
until'Jacxsonville's 4olored population was greatly augmented.
Nowover, the government evidently thou ht better of the idea,
if there was any truth in the rumor, as the transportation
failed to materialise, and strange to relate, there were few
cases of yellow 5.:ever among the nave's, they seemet in some
way immune.
0.
*It is said that people liho have an abundance of
sulphur chemise"s in their system, *Loh impregnates the
skin, are not subject to molestation by mosquito**. whether
this idea might s000unt for the immunity of the mottoes to
the soourge of yellow fever, i do not know, but it is some-
thing to think about. many people nowadays take pellets
Gomposed of sulphur and Galatia which tha proclaim protects
them from mosquitoes when they as obliged to work or live
in mosquito -infested motions.
"The government, however, did arrange transportation
for those who wished or were able to leave the Gity, and
trains were run Me the station of the O. 1. Ity. at the
foot of hoon-.t. They were packed to the limit, even the
roofs of the oars crowded with terrified citisens who °could.
not be acoommodated inside. Some people in their haste loft
their homes with fires burning, food in preparation for the
noonday meal, and doers wide open. Only a limited mount of
baggage could be carried, and after the trains pulled out,
it was amazing the things that one crould pick up along the
railroad tracks, articles that had to be disoariod, and thrown
overboard.
"Bo many whits people departed that in oeptember of
1888 it was estimated the population of Jacksonville was in the
ratio or three colored to one white citizen.
"One idea was promulgated that Ghardaia& was a preventive.
purchased a half dozen bottlea, and told a friend about it.
he said he did not mind beoomingsveekinated.' SO he went with
me to my room, placed some toe in a large goblet and helped
9.
himself. I le net now remember whether he contracted the
fever, but A know he had a largo headache the next Lay!
RI bearded out in the Dpringfield section at the tins,
then known as Vampbell's Addition, and as it was sl,eng walk
from my work, I brought my lunch along in a blast tin tax.
One morning as J was coning along, swinging my lunoh bucket,
a woman near the old Oity Oemetery calling exaltedly
111111,0
'Oh. Doctor, come quiok! We have a farm' patient!' I was
so surprised i started arguing with her, but she would not to
convinced that the black box was not 'a phyoician'e kit, until
opened it and showed her my lunch of cold biscuits with a
slice of bacon, a pieee of oaks and a bottle of milk*
"Another amusing incident was that of an old aolored
huckster who lived in tho urtega section. Re had a fine
garden and did a good business in selling fresh vegetables
to the housewives of Jacksonville. When the quarantine was
established, old aam started driving his cart and white bore*
right into the city on his accustomed route, when the guard
stopped him. Ban argued and threatened, but it was no use.
The next morning he again appeared., whipped a long -bladed
reser out of his boot, flourished it through the air a few
times. shouting 'Tho Xankees never stopped me, and you -all
eaint stop me neither!' Strum) to say, the guard. although
armed with a businesslike shotgun, allowed old $mm to proceed,
and he came and, went regularly thereafter without molestation
or argument.
10.
"In December* after there had been a good hart frost,
the residents returned from their summer's sojourn, and com-
munity lift in Jacksonville went an an usual.
"Speaking of Campbell's Addition, there were many large
trees out in that section, and there was a lake with quite a
swamp and depression where Uonfederate park now is along
Hogan's Creek. But my best girl lived out there and I made
regular trips an Wednesday and Sunday evenings, which were
considered sufficient 'beau' nights in those days. One
Wednesday night it rem cloudy, and dark as pitch, but 1 was
trudging bravely along a path in a heavily wooded section
near the old City Cemetery* when 1 heard steps behind ms.
If 'I walked fast* the steps behind me quickened; if I clewed
up, they almost stopped. Finally A could stand it no longer*
and I faced about and yelled,"/f you are following me, what
do ;wouviantts"A deep base voice bellowed back, doesn't
want nothins, boss. I Joe/ wants comt:Anys' I
come on, then," yes, he was going to see his girl, toe%, so
the two cowards a young white boy and a big negro
walked oheerfully along the spooky road together. I was
living than downtown, bud u room in the .kbel block* the other
cede of prow's. had left Ularkie, an was working for a
nursery man.
"There were any large groves in and near Jaoksonville
in lhes late 1880,s. One of these was mulberry grove in the
Yukon emotion, where the new Uvy A.ir Base is now being es-
tablished, belonging to A. X. Beet, who Mt been a Jacksonville
U.
banker before the War between the States. In 1.862 he
with his family to the plantation whioh he developed into
quite a show pleas. It was about 1,400 acres in extent.
Mr. Avid was very progressive, he ht4d plenty of money, and
he took a delight in ceasing rare shrubs and trees into growth.
"I remember one visit to malberry Grove with a nursorpmmis
budding tress. Nos pat in the buds and 1 tied them up. We worked
all day, and it was necessary for us to stay the following day,
so mr. Reed asked us to spend the night with them. They were
a very hospitable family. The house was big e•rambling, with
earriage home, stable', lodges for the boys, and guest houses
for an overflew of visitors. There were all kinds of shops
to take care of the farm mashinsry, a harness shop, a serpent*r
shop, a blacksmith shop, and everything was in beautiful order.
It was enooessfully operated by Mr. Reed and his sons and sons
in -laws for many years, and was quite a show place. Steamboats
111414 to run esoursions out there for sightseers.
"But anyway, we spent the night, and the next morning after
breakfast, Mrs. Reed, who was a St. Augustine girlp gathered
everybody in the diningroom including all the servants/for
family prayers. he read from the Spisoopal prayer, book, oat
everybody took part. This was a daily ritual with her. Her
relatives lived in St. Augustine, and 1 have heard her say
that after she married mr. Heed und moved to Jacksonville she
used to go batik and forth visiting her family there, and if
Indians were reported in the nofthern part of the county, she
took the southern route home, and if they were in the south,
she went as far north as possible to avoid them. Xou never
12.
could trust those boogers, so people avoided them by leaving
them striotly in their own territory when possible.
"Another show place on the south side of the St, johns,
now an ixolusire residential sootion, was Villa Aloxandria,
the home of Mrs. Alexander mitcholl. Re was probably Ploridals
first millionaire a finanoier of Ohioage and Milwaukee, a
railroad organiser and President of the Catalog°, Milwaukee, and
St. Paul itailroad.
"Tho home was not se proposessing from the outside, it was
a frame structure, largo and oommodious, and built for ontor-
taining. It was elaboratoly furniehod and finished, with
articles parohasod in her tripe abroad.. She was a nice looking
woman, very kindly and charitable, and was one of the organisers
of St, Luke's Hospital in Jacksonville, making possible tile
first building on oast Duval-st. She gave liberally of her time
and money towards its upkeep. The pride of her life was her
young grandson, David Mitchell, whom she adopted on the sewstion of her son and his first wife. Re Was about ten years of
ago at that time. I often look at him now as he roams the
streets of Jacksonville, a virtual pauper, once a millionaire,
but defrauded of his fortune in one way or another, and i fool
very sorry for him.
"I remember going to the Mooch it was culled Pablo
Beach an tho fourth of July, 1086. We had to take the ferry
to South Jacksonville the ferry operated on a half hour
schedule and catch the train, a narrow -gauged road to
itayport. There were several coaches and thres long flat cars
13.
for the accommodation of the exeursionists. The latter were
fitted out with board bosnohes running croaewise the our, and
the top was a tarpaulin stretched to keep off the sun or sudden
showers. As the train loft mouth Jacksonville there Gas quite
a grade to pull up towards at. Nicholas; the :ireman started
shoveling in the Goal, the cinders flow out, streaked bomb in
a steady stream and set fire to tho tarpaulin roofs, dropping
through and burning holastu the white dresses ON the ludiee.
1 remember it (muset quite a oommotion, but nobody was serloUely
burned, the only damage being the small holes burned in the
flimsy dresses.
"hen L first came to Wiacksouvillo in 1886, there was a
big pond bounded by ulay.und bri&to (Broad) street, and from
Monroe to rorsyth culled baldwin's roui, named after
Dr. A. S. Baldwin who had a beautiful home whore the mlbss
Ulub stands at the oorner of Laura and Adams. There were
benches around under the trees, with lilies blooming in the
water, and it was quite attractive. By the way. 1 taught
Pittmaa aho:thand in a night sohool in 1890 and 1891, am&
or. Baldwin's daughter, who later beeame Mrs. George Yrootor,
was one of my pupils.
"Bay street was at that time the prinolpal kuainess
street. The Drew store ken Item rorsyth to bay-st., in its
present looatiom, but in later years they have concentrated
on the May-st. place. the south side of bay -et., next to
the Drew building was uohon's first store, andon the other
side of Drew's was the balotwin property. purehgottss was
lb.
promptly, and the neoessary signature secured, so that mr.huati
could return to Vuba t.ithout restrictions.
"In 1886, the U. Post Office was located at the itierth
east corner of Hay and market -ate. this was a very lively
corner, as Jacksonville citizens had to call for their mail,
and it was another uentur :or swapping news, homely gossip,
and items of looal interest.
"The building 'known as the 'Olt l'oet office' was
(mooted an a lot, or rather two lots on Hogun-et., running from
(lIMS)
Forsyth to Adams-st., about fifty years ago. The property
was purchased from *eltair Stookton vo., at a price of 00,000,
marking a decided increase in real estate values for that
period, but today the looation is worth approximately thro40.-
quarters of a million 4ollare.
"light across the street at bay and market was a Pretty
littlo park ortending down to the rivor, and occupied, buisfoness
neat lard. tho company built baste on orders, also had all ,kinds
of boats for hire.
"Adjoining this, t?do slorida lauht oluVizad their olub-
house built on pilings oxton,ling out into the et. Johns. On,
the north side of Ipay-st* hers, one had to ascend stops to get
up to the eidowalk.
"There were many lovely honas hors, too; the s. b. Hubbard's,
Oromwoll vibbone, and the Putnam's.
"Streetcars, mule -operated,, run out Vommeroial-st.,
(Xiverwido-ave.) and stopped in a swamp. A branch ran out
through 14tfilla from the aoruar of aridgs anti isy.ats. WAY -et.
16.
was the dividing lino between jaelsonyille and Latina, which
had a 'operate village government, with its GIFU mayor. The
waterworks were outeide the city limits.
"I had several different positions, in the meantime.
in 1887 I worked for a wholesUe grocery house whieh w.,s agent
for the Durant's, o.nd we had a magazine for the storing of
powder and dynamite an khelps-et., whioh ,04JA also outside the
city limits.
"about this time the phosphate industry was in its first
stages of devolopment, and there was quite a demand for dynamite
for use in the phosphate mines, also for blasting out of stumps
in timber out -over lands of the saw mill industry.
"Theee was a streetoar line whisk ran out rine-st. from the
river to what is now Aighth-et. Up to aogan's °reek it was
called eine, and from there on, sroad-ave.
"The Hubbard. developed 3pringfield, which reoitived its
name from a large' flowing spring near tha present.location of
Oontederuta kark.
"Riverside was not developed at that time, and Avondale
was part of a large plantation.
"There was a fine orange grove at the corner of buy auk
Adame-st., where 4 used to get splendld oranges, and many
reeidents had orange trees in their yards.
:Mier• were some beautiful homes Out Alive:side way overlook-
ing the nt. :ohne. J. C. Greeley, the banker, owned one of these
'ousted on a block of ground where the faith *mole building
now stands. The property was enclosed by an ornamental iron
fence. Prom the portioo you could see miles up the river.
17.
"DI 1886, Jacksonville had ten polioemen, two of thou
negro**. The boys used to torment the latter without meroy,
and when MO would chase a youngster playing some prank he
would ran towards ulay-et., and from the middle of the street
an the J4aVilla side, he was beyond the polioeman's juriedie-
tion.
"There was a big monument of briok, like a chimney,
with mausoleums in the neighborhood of tate and hain-sts.,
whore the mart family were buried. This was all destroyed
in the fire of 1901.
"St. Japes Park was in front oi the nt. James hotel, now
the ohen htore, the park now known as Remising Park, mated for
one of the surly settlers in a deal with the aity council for
erecting the Uonfederate nonument therein. Where the monu-
ment stunde was a bountiful flowing fountain. Around the
rA was a bordering shade of sour (wild) orange trees. They
made an interesting attrts.,tion for the tourists, but, of
course, the oranges wer4 not fit to eat.
"George W. Peek, told man Peek's /lad Soy) was sta;ving at
the ut. James hotel ono winter, arld gazing out at the display
of orange trees, he wus (mod to wonder why the 'Boyd did not
steal the oranges' ani on1i )4 sample conVineed him thy they
were left severely alone.
"There was liLtle travel to the beach until the creation
of the magnifiaent nurray hall hotel by John G. Christopher.
It was luxuriantly furnished, und for,eev,ral years it was quite
the thing to be a guest at this establishment. It was destroyed
by fire after two or three years' operation, and there was not
a cent of insurance.
le.
"General Spinner, who wae U. n. Treasurer during ,the War
between t.* :Autos, lived in a tent on the bluff overlooking
the oeaan, au& w4a oll,Likiiiiorod vitt+ tk distinguished tourist
resident.
"It took halt a day to drive to the beaeh over the sandy
(*country road. Boat e ueed to make the trip in a (soup'e of
heuroWand this was a favorite mode of transportation.
"Arlington missdto have had a spur railroad from MayPort,
with two truine eaoh way a day. Alexander Wallace was the
developer this seetion and lived at eilmere. He built the
road for oush, and had planned to extend the line to South'
JauLsonville, but aied before the plans eould be materialised.
After his death the property was involved in muoh litigation,
aLd in the end, the service was discontinued, and the iron
rails ripped up, and after the epanish-Ameriean war ahippei to
Cuba.
"The first ulyde Line steamer cuvas into Jaeasenville in
1886 and berthed at the foot of uogan-st. It was a small
freight -passenger vessel, but the cooaeion was eonsidered a
mighty step forward iu tater transportation, which indeed it
turuel out to be, and there was a great jubilee ant reception
to the offioials of the oompany. The railroads then in operar-
tion gave passes to nearly every bueinessman on the line, and
there was a big orowd in town. The leading hotels then were
the st. James, the i*indsor, the uarleton and the sverett.
There wkle a little park aerove from the Averett Hotel an Buy -at.,
which was quite attraotive and very popular. It had a baadstaai
Where ()cueing were rendered on 000$11/0M6 The land here wee
19
a matter of legal dispute for a number of years. The railroad
wanted it, and during the yellow feveer epidemics of 1888 laid
a tenporary track across the parkway, and held possession that
way. After considerable litigation, they finally obtained a
deed from the Sverett estate.
"After 1 married miss Amy Ousuer of (Albers, i worked
ten years for the Jacksonville and Key West sailroad uo.,
now a part of the Atlantic Uoast nine, as secretary to the
superintendent, Ar. 0. D. Aokerly. I used to go home on
Wednesday and uaturday evenings. I got myself over to
,Mast Jacksonville, mostly by walking, arid a negro rowed as
over to the Arlington for fifty cents, and from there
walked the four miles to Oilmore.
"Compare this with the recent failure of the Arlington
Yeery, because people vire too impatient to wait five minutes
for ferry service to Arlington."
(TO be continued)