Blog
The rebirth of The Ambassador Hotel in downtown Jacksonville
First, as upscale apartments in downtown Jacksonville, the Ambassador Hotel opened in 1924 on 310 West Church Street. By 1943, it was converted into a hotel by a personal friend of Ed Ball, the executor of the DuPont Estate, Charles Griner. Wanting nothing to do with...
Fort Clinch an exciting and interesting historical attraction on Amelia Island
A 19th-century masonry coastal fortification, Fort Clinch was built as part of the Third System of seacoast defense by the United States. The fort is located on a peninsula near the northernmost point of Amelia Island in Nassau County, Florida. It lies to the...
S. H. Kress building in Tampa now on the Historical Register
H. Kress & Co. better known as a “five and dime” retail department store was established by Samuel Henry Kress in 1896. Until 1981, the were hundreds of stores on “Main Street” in cities and towns across the United States, with their ornament architecture. Opening...
Once forgotten and abandoned; now restored to its original beauty
With his wife, a Coca Cola heiress, Anne Bates Leach, businessman Willaford Leach in 1936 purchased Mt. Elizabeth and the surrounding property in Martin County. After he built the Mediterranean Revival home, he named it Tuckahoe, a Native American term for Welcome....
Used during the Cold War; the Yellow Water Nuclear Weapons Storage Area
During the Cold War and just before the United States entered into World War II, the United States government purchased a 2,600-acre tract of land from Duval County Florida. Immediately construction began on what was to become the U. S. Naval Auxiliary Air Station,...
The Robert Hungerford Vocational High School; abandoned since 2010
Founded by Professor and Mrs. Russell C. Calhoun in 1897 in Eatonville, Florida was the Robert Hungerford Preparatory High School. Eatonville was one of the first African American towns that incorporated in the United States. Both of the Calhoun’s attend Tuskegee...
Baghdad of Dade County; Opa-Locka Company Administration Building
Glenn Curtiss during the Florida land boom of the 1920s found the Opa-Locka project on 4.2 acres in Miami-Dade County. “Opa-tisha-wocka-locka” was the name of the development, which meant “a big island covered with many trees and swamps.” Soon, he shorted the name to...
On the National Register of Historic Places; the Lockett Estate
Steeped in Old Florida history, the Edna Pearce Lockett Estate consisting of 16.77 acres on U. S. 98 and County Road 721 was auctioned off by the South Florida Water Management District in February 2017 for $265,000. Purchased by Paul “Butch” Thompson with his desire...
Moulton & Kyle Funeral Home; Jacksonville’s first funeral parlor
Back in 1851, Calvin Oak after being diagnosed with tuberculosis was told he had six months to live and decided to move his family from Vermont to Jacksonville, Florida. At the time Florida was known as a sunny, exotic and healthy destination. Apparently, that...
Once the home of James R. Mellon, now abandoned with only the Vose & Sons square grand piano
Born on January 14, 1846, into wealth and influence, James R. Mellon was the second son of Judge Thomas and Sarah Mellon. He graduated from Jefferson College (since 1865 known as William & Jefferson College) in 1863 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. After he...
First Carlstrom Field and the G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital now abandoned
As the United States entered into World War I, the Army in 1917 announced its intention of establishing a series of camps to train prospective pilots. They sent a survey crew to Southwest Florida looking for suitable sites to build airfields. About six...
Bone Valley Florida’s mountains; mountains of phosphate waste
What encompasses portions of Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, and Polk counties? Bone Valley; the largest known deposits of phosphate and with some of the largest plants in the United States. Most of the plants in the area are owned by one company, Mosaic. Further,...