A Story of Forgotten Jacksonville Coming Soon

After receiving requests from our readers and being approached by a national publisher, we've decided to develop our first book about the city we call home. However, this won't be your average story about Florida's oldest major city. We've decided to team up with professional freelance photographer Nomeus to share the stories behind 15 historically-significant and forgotten landmarks in Jacksonville.

We'll cover each landmark from the day it opened to the day it closed, and ponder each's future going forward in the 21st century. For example, we'll go as far as exposing Jacksonville's connection with St. Louis' notorious "Dutch Act", explore the history behind a 100-year-old ice cream factory in downtown's forgotten red light district, and detail the lifeline of a major steel foundry that will prove some city records may not be as accurate as currently imagined.



Our hope is that we'll be able to share a hidden, overlooked side of Jacksonville's story to a market that may not be as familiar with the website as our most dedicated readers.  Our goal is that a little extra exposure could lead to the preservation, restoration and repurposing of a couple of these landmarks before they become Jacksonville's next surface parking lots.  Our tentative plan is to release the final product in Spring 2012.




Like the website, we want our readers to be a part of it's production by helping develop a name that effectively covers the general subject matter characterized above.  We've tossed around terms such as Abandoned Jacksonville, Lost Jacksonville, Ruins of Jacksonville, and others.  However, before we make a final decision, we'd like to hear from you.  

Article by Ennis Davis.