Document text
maroh £7, 1939.
et. illme4t.
Panzer Jaokeenville
rarkvommissioner,
133 4dat nay :Areet
Jacksonville, olorida.
nose ehephord, writer.
et. 'WV W. AuO$TA
Hr. Aeosta was neon at his vtore, 14,3 haat nay etreet-,
oorner 4ewnan and IA, treets, a little late for his 2'p. m.
appointment. His mull white delivcry truok, embellished with
sloguns in bright rody advertising tho vetriove Wrande of .romis
he sells to the hotel and restaurant trade of Jaokuonville and
environs, hue beeome a familiar figure to looal oitixens us he
o'reonally delivers orders and as soon ae he had parked the
truck- ha began giving rardd directions to his One assistant re-
gard/hp gurgles for speoial deliveries, he an to rake at the noaCh
later in tha afternoon.
The wfsistant had just oomplatet swooping oui the store and
Plauing newly delivered cartons of evods in their proper nluoes
on thl ehelves, and wam oureully watering a low plants in the sunny
show window a pepper plant, a soul' sago palm, arid an avocado
tree about throo feet tall. raised thorn all from seeds," he
said, as ho ,:aro;:tlly mixed a black powdered substance with the soil
in the three pots. ."This stuff is over a million ,J,iltati old. clot
it rrom thq plumber next door )(1 uses it in filtars to purify the
water counteracts the has and makes it soft as rain water. He
gate it somewhere up ih the keunsylvania Ooal fields. sr. Chic
(Mr. .,,00sta's niekname) always likes to haven. lowers and plants
arouad.
Pr. A.00eta coming in now, apologised for being lute stating
he had had a busy saturday morning and that his orders were increaa
ing from week to week.
25984
Ohio Acosta ma
nr. Aoosta is a heavy -set man about fivo feet nine inehes
in height, with olive skin, graying hair and small piercing brown
eyes that look straight at on.. ne steaks rapidly, *ith his chin
elevated aLd his head thrown back, and as he seated himself on the
ledge of the show window, he saids
"Well, if *to are izoing to make this a life history, we better
go back to the beginning, or maybe a little before. i am a direct
desoendant of kedro nenendes, the early spanish governor, and my
relationship comes desn through the Alvarez family. Py meeat-
Vandfather, Antonio Alvaro*, was also a sranish governor, in
charge of the rewards and administration of affairs through au-
thority from the epanish orown. The Alvares family gave the bells
to the uld uathedral of st. Animating, whieh are still a prised
relic on the property, and have boon frequently written about in
articles on the ancient history of florida. These were my mothers
ancestors.
"It, great-grandfather, oeorge m. Acosta, owned the 'oldest
house' in at. Augustine, whisbeas sold to the at. Augustine nis-
torical boeiety after the de..1th of my tran*-mother.
"Ant recently I turned over to the Jacksonville Palle
nibrary for the 'Lerida- seam, a lettce written by 1overnor Alvarez
during a siege of st. Augustine by the snglish in the early 44,•.
"My father was **ergo P. Aeosta, and my mother VOA Alla ufnara
A004$416 A was born in Jacksonville on January 12, 187b. The fam-
ily home was cm the corner of Adams and marLet streets, ny mother
died wh. i was two years of age, and my father when I was seven-
teen.
"I started to sell papers the plorida Times -union and the
aseks6nville Motromplis the latter ansewbeing paper, When 1 was
chic ,.00sta 6.
six n&re old, and ontinuod selling nowspanors in my sparo
time WALL A t• as tv onty -one. io, i did not multi) much, not that
I didn't try, but ye waro not !bid as f2luch as the Lowsboys 'rot
nov
''vhon A was a all child, I attondod tho Convent .-chool
oonductod by tho uitholio A.sters at the oornor of Vali and monroe
trots. Later i went through tho cantraa orammar LAshool, and
for a year or so to chriatian nrothors collage, a catholic school
for boys, at momphie, tonnessee.
"bon I
was about fifteen 4. ears old I took a Job as offloo
boy r.ith tho central gailroad of eo‘!rgia. in Ja.;ksonville„ and
aftor a period of fifteen years' service, rose to Us position
of aseistant freight agent. non tho agent died. in tho adjust
Ifi*thts following, I thought I was entitlod to promotion to his po-
sition, Out oth)r arrangoments ere rvado, so I quit. 1 imadiate-
ly ongagod in tho brokoratgre bueinoes, hicsh i ontinuod for ton
yours, then got stung by tho 'political boo,'" he chuckled.
"I was olootici to lb() city counoil firvt in 1910, (MA ra-eleoted
in 1914.
"In 1913 1 reprosentad this dintriot in tho :Jtato .aegislature
for poriod of two oars.
"In 1919 1 was elootod a mombor of tho city co.mission, serving
sixteen years.
-whon a boy, was altaye intor:isted in gardons and flavors.
studied flc, ors, thair likes and dislikes, awl vhon j was ()looted
to tho city commission, it was a treat joy to be undo corrimissionor
of rarks. 1. always wore a rose in the lapel buttonholo of my coat
Uhio acosta 4.
and it was not a gesture of affeotation, but a genuino love for
flov,ors that prompted "he said docidedly.
"ono of tho first things i did when oloctod to tbo uity
uounoil in 1910 wae to try to got an ordinanco thr:ligh to pur-
chase tho stoma Toloehone uompany. it was a dial system and could
have Loon purohasod at that time for 4106,000. If Om ordinance
had mono through, this wouid have ioen quit() an asset to tho city,
and nowYj Itoui.d be ablo to havo this home -owned sorvico at a vary
nominal rate. The systom vas lator purchasod and bacame a nart
of tho cell 'l hone uomnany.
"Whilo a somber of the state negislaturo in 1913, i advoeated
azgreat deal of aontruotive logialation. cno, a bill, wum intro-.
du:od in tho hosso, but fuilod to pass the sonata, required °very
oouaty to plant 3,000 oak trees each your. If this law had boon
mussed, the highways of rlorida would noir be shaded vith double
roved of beautiful oaks.
"I sueceedod in having passod, a law that the counties ohould
eavo and .aintain a road through the main street of towns of loss
than 1,000 inhabitants.
"nothar law I atvoaatod was that Jae subdivisions within five
miles of a city shoald have their stroot paving in iina with such
city stroate, saving counties thousands of dollars in having to
change their paving, or build branch oonnoations to adjacont sub-
divisions. the law, in modifiod form, was passed by a suooeeding
legislature.
":tt my own oxpense i brought down two well-known city manors
from Northern seotions to study our municipal forms of govornment.
ar an advocate of the °ivy manager form ef administration as a
satisfactory and oconomioal measure for the poople, which, in a
groat past eliminates graft.
Ohio ,00sta
b.
"I presented a bill to th) logialature to ;..ivo to the city
eaAolf illo title to all ielands in the t.ohne laver
drudged up by goy Jrnment oporal Jona to widen lard doopend tho
between here and mayport. These co ld have been forrued
iato b)aut,I. 87)oteffor picnics grotusie alid outings, zzid in c.,se 01
apiderniva dome ould hvu nin used or isolation purpot,os.
"i triod for yours to Tet the island, only a few foet unier
wat)r off 1,emorial kark, built up and made into a soanke driveway
from nivorside to tho wrtega seation.
"I start hi agitation for the it liohne Aivor bridge on
tember 4, 1904, and L panned Holum bill bo. 1 in tho Legisla-
ture en 1913 grating authority for the building of that bridge.
I dug the first spadeful of earth whcse oonstruction van actually
started beptembor 2b, 1919, and there's the spade," ho said,
pointing to a rusty spade suspended in the show window. "The
bridge was dediee.ted and opened for traffic July 1, 1921. I
worked seventeen ears for that bridge cod opent •b,000 of CV
own money in efforts to r•flt its established.
"The beach, or Pablo ,as it was called in early daya, was
not popular ae a Tattoo of recreation because it was so hard to get
to. It was a hard drive ov r 1 h long sandy road. Late:- there
was a shell road built through the Hogan caution, waled the
Hogan ttoad, which was conducive to more traffic. But after the
completion of the fine bridge across the t. Johns, a double
concrete driveway to Jaci,eonville boaoh was promoted by the
citizens of Duval County, at a Jost of Tb0,000, with an addi-
tional #400,00 for bridges across the several streams on the
route. I gavo deed No• 1 for the widening of bhp gaol road to
the double -track paved road.
"I advocated tho planting of holly, oak, and magnolia trees
Ohio hoosta 6
as a momorial to tho soldiers of the 'florid War. That did not
Garry, but my plan of city lighting for the beach road was put
in operation.
"I advocatod for yours the building of a canal from the
St. Joluso xivor through Julington creek and on down, and was one
of the prim() movers in the first plans for a cross -state canal.
"I holped plan and vas via* president of the assooiation
formed for the contruotion of the short out from Valdosta into
Jeokeonville. This road is now being built.
"An association vas formed for the intruooastal ounal through
Luke Harney in the lieosburg section, in hitai A was also inter
°toted, anct nada several trips to Washif4'on to got satisfactory
figures on the cost. TUI 110W have the canal in satisfautory oper-
ation with an average depth of two and ot:e-half to three feet, to
asoossoodate shallot draft boats.
"s.t one time the site of Fort Caroline was offered for fb,000,
and I tried to TOt lauval eounty to -purehase it and lebintain it as
prk for its hi:#toriozil value. ''ho y had the money and I was in-
strumental in haviLiz the law nasnod in the legislature to buy it,
also want to Washington at my own exponso in an endeavor to get
the government to assist in the nrojeot. It vas finally sold for
;f70,000, and ouval County's golannopportunity was gone forever.
advooatid filling in the swamps bottom Jauksonville
and the betiah along the Atlantic boulovard, about ten or twelve
of them, riakitz, a series of islands and lakes on (tall side of
the highway. Mrs. Jennings finally earriod out the idea in
four or five of these swamps, but nothing has boon done towards
the!.r beautification.
(Asio 4-oosta
V•
"Surly in my term as Park Commissioner, I establishod tho
city nursery tho only ono in tho- united 13tatos, by tho Ikay
where the city ruieos its own trues,. flowers, vines end shrubs
for beautifying of the oity Parks and streets, as ell as furn-
ishing them free to the eitisons who wish to embiollieh thoir awn
premise*. I have taken out flowers by the truck load to the
parks, distributing them -ratis to tho oitiseue, both whito and
oolored.
1Thera are also other firsts' in y administration. I built
tho offloo building 'in nontelerate Park for closer and more con-
venient oontsotvith Jacksonville eitikens. I built the first
bridge a concrete structure across Hogan* crook in confederate
Park, also built tho first 4oMfort stations in tho city parks;
made poseiblo the first true band ooncorts, and fought for a muni-
cipal band, v,hich finuliy materialised in tho Jacksonville Police
band
put in tho firtrt owl ming tools and, public drinkin44 teuntalam.
"Years ago, at my own oxpense, I erected fifty coiL.Ireto
benches for peo9le to sit on %,hile itin for strootours along
the route.
",tt9 a waterfront park location, 1 L-4voc-ted that tiw it
purchuse all the land betweon gurkot and hogun 6treste along tho
t. Johns, and eaautify it as u city park. Vie do not use our
wonderful waterfront as we bhould.
"One of the most outstanding-systom of iurkways 1 advooated
was u driveway two miles wide through Duval County, eturting at
the ocean at Yort Uoorge, with a bridge aoroeu thu river, then
along" the canal and buck around by fUlton into ,41antio boulivart.
My idea was to sell 411 but a half. mile on ouch side of the road
dividing it into ten-aore homesites, whioh would have paid fcr the
Uhl* Acosta
8.
the original cost of the right-of-wey and maintonanood would have
had it planted for one -eighth of a mile with yellow jaemine, the
next eighth with wisteria, mnfi next eighth with another color, all
native llorida flowers, and so on, alternating stretches each side
of the roadway. It would have teen a thin T of beauty and ntility,
and different tram any other driveway anywhere in the world. Thus
a man could have driven out main Areet, turwe into, say, bemm
Turner load, then into a grand carol° swing throgh the roads and
connecting parkwaye to the ooeun and back into JacksonTii10.
"1 re-71ember, too, when people laughed at my ilea for individ-
uals to have their names on pine on their (mats, au a gesture of
friendliness, enabling people to .orec, easily et aoquainted. Now,
the officers in banks have elates on their desks with their mimes
in plain view, the floor men have their full Jaime on -pins on their
coats, the barbere have their chairs murxed with their lames, und
ladiee wear pins with their initials on their dresses and hanAbags.
vh, veil, hot times change!
Alen was a city commiesioner, L advoeuted bulling an audi-
torium on the property owned by the city on market 'iAreet and Hogan.'
urlok, and at Om last bond eleation, it wum gratifying that of
several sites presented, the people overwhelmingly voted for the
market ;An -EA locution.
"I was also the eri-A, mover in efforta to obtain the eity-owned
airport, golf course, and radio broadeasting station; also started
the initial movement for -the munieipal Doaks, and later their en-
largement to their 'resent capitol:V.
"Another thing i advocated was taking the sewerage out of thm
t. Johns aiver and puttincr in u reduction plant; also extending
the present sewer away from urtoga along the et. Johns nlvor and down
the length of uomoriel Mark, doing uwe,-.; witi, the pollution of the
Ohio .,00sta 9.
water in that section. In my opinion, the eity will manor or
later havo to put in a reduction plant.
"Another progressive moasure i. fathered was the conetriution
of a span from Mcgans ureo4rnneoted with the ot. Johns nivor bridge,
shieh, if it oculd hve beau awomplishod, would have relieved the
oongestion of traffic at broad and bay streets, which is such an
inoonvenienoe at the orosent time.
"As another moans of rolieviig trafac across the river, I
firmly bel,leve in the re-establishment of the ferry service.
ur. Gibs still ban the franchise and is perfectly wiaing to op
orate hio formor ferry servioo from the ilagler street docks to
this side.
"?ormor nayor, John Alsop, and myeelf were the first to ad-
vooate the aiverside Viaduct uni the Davis street viaduct, and i
started things moving whioh later rosulted in the establishment
of the boavor otroet Viaduct, also the ouval troot Viaduct to the
JauLsewille section, although Johnny uallahan actually complet-
ed the latter.
"I took over the city coo when it oonsisted of a bear or two,
a fox, a few birds and an alligator, moved it to its present main-
streot location and made it into one of tha bast somvin the couLtry.
spout two years oollecting three thousand dollars by public sub-
soription and donations from school children to buy 'Mies uhio -
tha elephant which has afforded so much ploasure to the younger
element.
"During saw administration I enlarged the city park system to
a ,and. total of about 300 stores. I had all the land donated to the
oity for the widenin-, of main :7.troot and ?alio:rand Avenue., and
urged the buying of boons kark, 32 stores, kooker rark, 3 acres,
and several other little narke where they were needed.
0110 ;Loosta 10.
',-it ono time, I spent three or four months walking the
streets of Jaeksonville, making memoranda of defeotive eide.•
v,alkegi &would start out at five o'clock in the Lorning, so
ts to over a rilloh territer;' as 'losable without interruption.
r011 Sea, a great -,fi.r4 het 014 tint() triAowulkft were of large
fiat tile, whieh Ii-ould sink during heavy ruins, leaving, holea.
v-oldstumble ;.ind fall over thorn, then sue the city for
broken bones and other injurioe they eustained. These got to
ts quit,) an 0,x9r)Aro itern. Dirt r,ith my notations ae to loots.-
tions, the defects v'ere remedied, ooncrete walks rear:toed the
old-faehioned tile, azii the injuries and de-Plage suite stopped.
"1 had veetibules placed in the streetcars, so ad to pro-
tect the motormen fro rT the public; also instigated placing of
a.ebeetos Jurtaine in rill theatres, so as to in,elro safety to the
public inease of baok-etage fires, and fraured the law preventing
adreiweion of publie to any theatre unless a seat was available.
requiring
"Another city law I had pueeed wasitho publishing' of names
LI: people ehen they changed aedreeffos. :'ersone had the habit of
moving, •ithout giving" Vlelr now a1drese, riaking it Ipossible
for eeople they owed to lo3ate them. also °aunt ng inconvenience"
in mail delivery. sow a record is publiehed daily by all transfer
atm movilkk' oenaarzie, rivInFr names and 4 idrasSan of -‘,)reons whose
g7oods thoy. have handled, There moved from and 0.1ere to.
"As another feature of beautification, v hen 1 first entered
the city OOUT131.1, i had paseed an ordinanOo requiring telephone
poles 4711 trees along th, sidewalks to be in line. This prevents
pole
the setting of a tree or telephone/so fie to Jut out in irregular
Ohio Aoosta 11.
"ASa roliof to houvy traffic, I advoouted the building of
a roadway diem?, the Otlahtic Woust Line nailvay from nohhio troot
to urtoga, ao4 I am plouood that the stroot is now being opened up
alono this route.
"I triod yours ago to get the city to buy Uommodoresooino,
ulna the oiled Pournon tract, whioh mousuro lost by on vote. It
would havo boon a orout ant now as the navy air base. I oven
oturtod to raise the ourohase nrioe myself of o16,000, bg obtainino subsorintions from indivlioole to 1)1 naid at tho rat o of 0.00
nor year, bat it waif too muzlb of ah undortuking for mo uud lot
it drop.
"ohoo hu4 oonoy i used to oubsoribo to ovvythino that come
along. I donated 1,000 to tho ot. Vincent Hospital building fund,
mad 2b.00 for tho rurehuse of uump eootor a oommiosary.
'.1aokoonoillo at oo first revaluation was a town of about
5,000. lohon my fomily novol to a noo homo at eirot aod Mn troots,
i had groat fun raiding tha 000rby orowoo grovos. Ooomed like I
boys
could novor oet,enough oranges. Thonooiaood to oat in a boat and
row doonto rivor to a large ostate bolos- 'Yoyotonol tho opi000pal
boys' Homo ohoro thoro wan a fin o cruogo grove. One aoy the cure-
tukor was a littlo too quick for us, unit as we ontorod tho boat,
our pockots oruomod oith fruit, he shot several times, not at us.
but in the air, no an to frighton us away. I yollnd book at him
"Novor mind, oomo day I'll own that olaco myself. 1-:.() years wont
by, and it was a happy momont for no ohno t000ty-eight yooro ago
I put the deed for that toenti-flvo aoro estate in my pookot. I
suopose you r y call that ono of my amhitions, for it Tr.nm oovor out
of my LAW aotar I otortod to on a substuntia salary.
"ry family of throo aono and throo daughtoro has toor. .raared
on that place, prootioolly. ot irot V4 only uood it for o aummer
ohia Aoosta 12.
horn, thou altar the bridgo was completod, it was :nor() olobvenient
to livo thorI tho your round.
"1 now have about tv,00ty aoros, in bearing orungo, eatuuma,
anti grapofruit, also pour and plum trona. Thu other five acres
taiwa in tho homosita and eomo nativo tin't tropical plantings
along the river. I havo kopt as many of thn ago -old liveoaka and
magnolias aa vseible. Also havo a numbor of native holly and tho
boautitUl 6hristmas-borry troo, Tho old house is just as it hue
Loon for fifty yaleria, with some noodod ropairs, tut I did build a
now porch around the east 4nd sonthl it has atout 180 aquaro yards
of floor space, which mrs. Acosta thought its going to b* a lot of
troublo to koop stout off, but .4 vAido tho floor of red tile that
Jan bo ougi1y ashod -rith a hose. V,o h;J,c) our own artesian well,
with rtuinin$t wator and hydralAs all over the place.
"Ily oldest daughtor ie at homo, and my youngost son, ohio, Jr.,
is going to sohool at the Univorsity of Aoridu at vainosville. The
other ohildron aro marriod, and all living in Jaoksonvillo.
"Ohio, 4r., often stands in front of mo, boats his chest and
says: "Aook at me, Aiud; your son, anti i newor stole an orange in
my life! But 4 !rq't right buck at him with -Well you did not
need to I rais)d oranges for you in abundanoe.'
Ann 4rbor,
"Ho is away right now inimichigan, where yesterdhy he entered
swimmin4 :xintest. He h a lioen champion in oainssvillo and in the
city moots, but altar t‘s.o days. on the train, at vith no oppor-
tunity to oraAico, he came in 0000nd yesterday. But this record
will -give him th) nrivilogo of competing in other college events,"
ho said proudly.
"I forgot to say i was u passenger on the first mule -drawn
streetcar, Z4,1 A kept the other kids out by snatching their hats
and throwing them as far as 1 could dcmn the street, so they
uhie oosts
would have to stop and pick up their hats. by that tiny) tho street'P
oar would be too fur away for them to catoh up. I also rod() in
the) first electrio street oar. The first line went dombn pmin
utreet and over puval to market etreet, mean, ths mule -drawn
ears, and the end of the line was sighth ritreets
"I used to ride a bicycle, the old style with tha high wheal,
and a. won ma.47 moo at the boaoh.
"I also had a lot of fun playing baseball, and we hays playal
4111,M30 now they call it golf.
•*We wore living at ilielps and wain btroet when the soldiers
were en0ampet nearby daring the oranish American war period. I
would bavo liked to join, but had had no training, and thoy would
not take volunteers. Wish they had, as now i oculd be drawing a
pension," he ohucklod at this.
44
Yes, I've had is busy and interesting life. Pint a owsboy,
than in the railroad office, my own business as a broker, the
two p)rie4Mlos Oity t;ounailman, a session with the rlorida ;Agile beg.'
islatur, sixtesn yours as Oity Oommissioner, and now in thn
sale groolry business.
"It's 4 o'clook, now you'll have to oxouse mom ho said, apolo-
,getleally,"as I have some fruit orders to take to the hotels at
&he beach, and, I'll have to be hurrying along.
"If L think of anything else that should go in this history,
I'll jot it Urn, and if :jou dono by next naturday, I'll huve it
for you.
"One incident forgot. 6 little.slapanese got diff a ulyde
..61.ao boat on day, and rushed out to my office in oontederate 'ark,
asking 'Are you investor Oheok Aoostar I told aim I was, and
Ohio Aeostiii
14
he said: 'I come to you to ?earn of ze noride trees ond flowers.'
I told him he had arrived at the right place, and. put him in my oar,
taking him out to the nursery where I explained everything as test
I oould, then rode him all over town shoving him Jacksonvilbis
homes with their beautiful lawns, trees and shrubs. That night
when he left, he said* 'good-bye, neester uheek. When I get
home, A send you an eak tree like this (indicating a height of
about eight inehest 'four thousand years' old.'
"That was ten ,ears ago, and I am still waiting for the 4,000
year -old oak. Maybe it got swallowed up in an earthquake, they
have had two or three since then; or maybe it was destrigred in the
itusslaw.Japaneee War; or maybe the little feller himself we letst
in the confliet. nut at any rate, A would like to have seen a
4,000 year old tree only eight imams high, wouldn't yetty"
As ho walked towart the open door, ho glanced out and saw a
Jacksonville pollee ear with two officers &riving rapidly- west on
bay atreet,_ and he said: "I nearly forgot to say that when j was
a uity Oosimised.onar I initiated the movement to put patrolmen in
more
automobiles, to enable them to get over their beat/quickly. This
has turned out to be a great thing, as now thee* oars are equippe1
with radio, making it possible to apprehend criminals more easily
anti in a shorter time, resulting in greater 'police effloionoy.
"The biggest thing in my lit a? Making possible the great
it. Johns giver bridge for the people of snivel uounty.
"And the greatest thing in my personal life is ora• beautiful
home on the nt. Johns giver. This was originally known as the old
Armstrong plaoe,d, oftending to his nephew, ueoar von Valkenburg,
later sold it to mr• notteery, and i purchased it lrom him tv enty-
eight years ago.''