Jacksonville's Namesakes
In this short article we'll learn about some of the people we named our infrastructure after.
Duval County: William Pope DuVal
Literally, Duval is french for "of the valley".
First territorial governor of Florida
April 17, 1822 to April 24, 1834
DuVal is described by Frank Snyder as a gregarious storyteller that exaggerated his tales to the point of fiction. He writes "His tales were crafted and fabricated with so much skill that his listeners believed every word as the absolute truth. DuVal never hesitated to shade the truth or to embellish his stories so that they became fictionalized account bordering on the fringes of reality."
The former Congressman was appointed by Monroe as the first non-military governor of the territory when Florida officially became a state in 1822. During his twelve year tenure he designated Tallahassee as the capital and established the local court system (DuVal was an attorney by trade).
Another county in Texas is also known as Duval and it's named after his son, Burr Harrison Duval.
Lem Turner Blvd: Lemuel "Lem" Turner
Lem Turner Road served as the community's commercial heart and industries such as boat building were encouraged to located there. The road now known as Lem Turner Road was known as "Turner Ferry Road" at the turn of the century. Prior to the Civil War, there had been a bridge over the Trout River. It was burned by the Union Army, so Lemuel "Lem" Turner (1831-1912) started a ferry service.
More on Jacksonville's Riverview and Lem Turner Road
Haydon Burns Library: Haydon Burns:
Haydon Burns was elected Mayor of Jacksonville in 1949 and reelected three additional times. In 1964, he became Governor of Florida but only served for two years, a result of a change in timing of elections to keep the gubernatorial election from coinciding with presidential elections. He's credited with bringing the insurance industry to Jacksonville and actively promoting the city throughout the country. Apparently, we were once called the "insurance capital of the south."
He insisted on an integrated police force and was mayor during Jacksonville's infamous Axe Handle Saturday.
Haydon Burns Library Photo Essay
Downtown Frankenstein: Robert Moses and Haydon Burns
During his short tenure as Governer Disney announced that they would be creating their east coast park in Florida. See video below. Press Conference starts at 1:40.
Hart Bridge : Isaiah Hart
Founder of Jacksonville, Florida.
Isaiah David Hart (November 6, 1792 – 1861) was an American plantation owner and the founder of Jacksonville, Florida. Originally from Georgia, he began setting out the plans for the town in 1822 after moving to the area named Cowford. Hart was a wealthy planter who took arms against Spain in the 1812 Patriot Rebellion and nine years later founded Jacksonville. He had served as postmaster, court clerk, commissioner of pilotage, judge of elections, militia major during the Seminole War and Florida Territorial Whig senator. Described as "an eccentric character," Hart owned downtown real estate, a two-story boarding house, a plantation and forty-eight slaves.[1] The Isaiah D. Hart Bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville is named after him.
Source
The Bridges of Downtown Jacksonville
Hemming Plaza: Charles C. Hemming
Hemming is actually the third name of the park/plaza. Originally founded by Isaiah Hart it was called City Park. Then it was changed to “St. James Park” after the grand St. James Hotel was constructed across the street in 1869. In 1899 it was named after Charles C. Hemming, a civil war veteran who had erected a large confederate monument in 1898 in the middle of the park.
Deliberate Hemming Park Neglect