Document text
Aymil 10, 1966.
Ws. J. 2. (Violet T.)6Meed
6611 Ogrea Street,
Jasksonwille,
lierida.
Rose 6hephsri,Writer.
SADDLIWS POINT °ETNA.
ire. Snead, with her husband, two sense and a Laughter,
settle4 in the Lackawanna section of Jacksonville when the Atlantis
Coast Line Railway shops were established in that locality when
the men of the family seoured work. Mr. Snead has retired, but
the two sons are still employed in the shops, living on nearby
CU I Oil Avtanao` with their families in homes of their met while
the daughter, also married, lived two dears away at 670 Ogram
Street. There are no sidewalks, so that. it was neoessary to
walk down the shell paved street from !Saigon Avenue to the num-
ber b62.
Mrs. snead is a well preserved woman of 70, and answered
the knock at the dopr, the boll being out of order. She is
rather stout, with blue eyes and reddish brown hair, and was
dressed in,a wine-oolored print dress. She invited me in and
slanged with .vide around the living room of the small green
bungalow home where touches of her handwork were in evidenee in
the orecheted lace on the edges of the curtains at the windows and
the numerous cushions on the couch in the corner and the easy
26085
A large pasteboard card by the outer door bore the penciled
notiJe "Fresh Agge, 26W."
"Yes, we keep a few ohiekena," Nis. Snead said. "Ny husband
is bothered quite a bit with asthma, an4 it is gold for me to be out
in the open as *soh as possible. The his yard with the flowers
Mrs. Snead S.
with the flowers and Okiokens keep him occupied. Re Was rather
disappointed that eggs were so plentifel this Master time he could
not obtain a higher price.
"In reference to Saddler's Point," she said, "the original
Saddler Plantation comprised 4,000 wires in that section settled
by the Saddler family, but when we went there in WM during the
month of Ootober, it belonged to Dr. Sanderson„ of Jeokeonville.
A portion had been sold to a development oompany as a recreation
and hunting preserve, operating under the imposing title of the
Ortega Rod, Gun and Golf Company. In this way the none was
changed to 'Ortega,' but just why they chose that name or what
it moans I am unable to say.
"The company was intmested in building a bridge across the
t3t. Johns arm at the point, and sold bon4 and took quite a
number of subsoriptions from the property owners there and *lee
there. My husband helped in mapping out and working on the ap-
proaohes, but that it as far as the project get. The bridge it-
self nevar materialised, and all the stockholder* lost their in-
vestment.
"When we located there, the old Saddler home of hand-hewn
lumber and built with haul -wrought nails was still standing. The
company did some work in trying to repair and restore the old home
to ba used an a clubhouse. That project, too, fell through, ani
now the old house is all gone.
It was claimed the old plea* was
haunted, and several staid in the building over -night trying to
substantiate the fact, but hat, too, fell through," mho said
with a laugh.
Mrs. $nead 3.
"Bone of the slaves who worked on the old plantation ars
still living among the magma in the Yukon settlement.
"United States Senator Richard L. Call was one of the
company int.trested in building the bridge; a Mr. Davis was the
government engineer who had the contraot to build 1,;Captain
MoVeigh, Denny Hennesay were among those who were also beat out
of their money.
"The Old Baddler honestertd was on the rivorfrent, and not
very far awuty were the two oemeteries; one for white people and
th) other or colored. The last I saw of the two cemeteries
they were almost overgrown with shrubs, briar** and weeds, and
I doubt vory much if any trews could be found of either of then
today.
Ne were only out there one year, going out west to Colorado
where we staid for ten years. Then when we returned to Ylorida
we settled hose in Lackawanna*
"1 should think that Dr. Sanderson who owned the property
could give the most reliable information in regard to it."