>>JENNIFER WAUGH: ON THIS DAY 121 YEARS AGO, MOST OF DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE BURNED
TO THE GROUND AS WE PREPARE TO
MARK JACKSONVILLE’S 2 100TH
ANNIVERSARY NEXT MONTH. THIS
MORNING, WE LOOK BACK AT THAT
AFTERNOON OF TERROR IS IT’S
BEEN REFERRED TO MORE THAN A
CENTURY AGO ON MAY. 3RD, 19.
0, ONE. THE TROUBLE STARTED
DURING LUNCH TIME HERE AT THE
CLEVELAND FIBER COMPANY
LOCATED NEAR THE CORNER OF
UNION THE STREETS AS A LOCAL
HISTORIAN EXPLAINS WORKERS
THERE HAD JUST SPREAD OUT HUGE
AMOUNTS OF SPANISH MOSS. SO
THAT COULD DRY TO BE USED TO
MAKE CUSHIONS IN MATTRESSES.
CLEVELAND FIBER FACTORY.
>> IN THE VILLA WAS A BUILDING
BECAUSE IT HAD THIS HUGE
PLATFORM 2 BLOCKS LONG, ONE
BLOCK WIDE AND THAT’S WHERE
THEY SPREAD THE MOSS OUT TO
DRY. THERE WAS ALSO A 3 STORY
WAREHOUSE WOODEN WAREHOUSE
NEXT TO IT PACKED WITH MOSS
HORSE HAIR FEATHERS.
>> PALM FRONDS, THE FACTORY
OWNER KNEW THOSE MATERIALS
WERE VERY FLAMMABLE. HISTORIAN
DOCTOR WOULD SET A WATCHMAN
WAS HIRED TO PUT OUT ANY FIRES
SPARKED BY NEARBY CINDERS.
>> BUT HE WAS ASLEEP FOR THE
REST OF THE GUYS. BECAUSE ON
THIS DAY THERE WAS NO WIND. SO
THEY THOUGHT, WELL, PARENTS
SEND OR FROM A LITTLE COOK
STOVE HAVING TO LAND ON THE
MOHS AT LUNCHTIME AND THE FIRE
CAUGHT UP BEFORE THEY COULD DO
ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
>> IT WAS ROARING ACROSS THIS
BIG DRYING PLATFORM AND THEY
THREW WATER ON AND DID THE
BEST THEY COULD. BUT IT COST
THEM WAREHOUSE ON FIRE, WHICH
ERUPTED INTO A HUGE EXPLOSION
THAT CAST A LITTLE BIT. SOME
MOSS AND HORSE HAIR AND
FEATHERS AND THIS OF CENTERS
ALL OVER THE SKY JUST AS THE
WIND WHIPPED UP TO 15 MILES AN
HOUR BLOWING TOWARD THE CITY
OF JACKSONVILLE WITHIN JUST 2
HOURS, THE GRAND HOTELS AROUND
HEMMING PARK.
>> WERE REDUCED TO ASH AND
RUBBLE.
>> BY 5 O’CLOCK THAT
AFTERNOON, MOST OF THE HOMES
AND BUSINESSES ON THE NORTH
SIDE OF DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE.
WE’RE GONE.
>> THEN THE WIND DID A CRAZY
THING IN SHIFTED TO THE SOUTH.
SO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAD
GATHERED ALONG THE RIVER TO
TRY TO ESCAPE THE FIRE.
>> THEY WERE NOW ENDANGERED 40
PEOPLE ON A DOCK AT MARKET
STREET BECAME TRAPPED IN THE
DOT CAUGHT ON FIRE. AND SO
THEY LEAPT INTO THE WATER FOR
SAFETY JUST AS MISTER COMER
CAME ALONG AND HIS YACHT AND
PULLED HIM TO SAFETY. FLAMES
COULD BE SEEN GOING IN THE
SKY. AND SAVANNAH SMOKE WAS
SEEN IN THE SKY FROM THE
JACKSONVILLE FIRE AND RALEIGH,
NORTH CAROLINA. THERE WAS AN
ENGINEER ON A SHIP IN MIAMI
THAT LOOKED AT AND SOUGHT TO
SUNSETS. ONE WAS IN THE WEST
AND ONE WAS IN THE NORTH. THE
ONE IN THE NORTH WAS
JACKSONVILLE BURNING BY 8
O’CLOCK THAT NIGHT. THE FIRE
HAD CONSUMED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: 2,368
BUILDINGS ALONG 146 CITY
BLOCKS. IT WAS STOPPED BY
HOGANS CREEK ON THE NORTH AND
EAST AND THE SAINT JOHNS RIVER
TO THE SOUTH. THERE WAS SIMPLY
NOTHING LEFT TO BURN. 7 PEOPLE
DIED. 10,000 WERE HOMELESS.
THE GOVERNOR WILLIAM JENNINGS
DECLARED MARTIAL LAW AND SENT
IN THE STATE MILITIA
JACKSONVILLE, A TOURIST MECCA
FOR ALL THOSE WHO LIVED ALONG
THE NORTHEASTERN SEABOARD WAS
DESTROYED. IT’S JUST
UNBELIEVABLE. THE IMAGES AND
FOR MORE PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS
A MAP SHOWING ALL OF THE CITY
BLOCKS THAT BURNED THAT DAY.
MAY 3RD 19. 0 ONE. SO IT
STARTED HERE. YOU CAN SEE
WHERE I TOLD AT THE UNION AND
DAVIS STREETS HERE IN ALL OF
THIS MARKED IN BROWN. THESE
ARE ALL THE CITY BLOCKS THAT
WERE DESTROYED THAT DAY. BUT
IN A TRUE TESTAMENT TO THE
TENACITY OF OUR CITY, THE VERY
NEXT DAY, THE PEOPLE OF
JACKSONVILLE FORM 7 COMMITTEES
AND STARTED WORK IMMEDIATELY
TO REBUILD OUR CITY. AND
WITHIN 2 YEARS OF THE FIRE,
MORE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN
BUILT. BRUCE IN DOWNTOWN
JACKSONVILLE BEEN HAD EXISTED
BEFORE THE FIRE HAD EVEN
HAPPENED. OKAY. SO THE
BUILDING WHERE THE RECORDS
WERE HOUSED HAD BEEN
DESTROYED. SO HOW DID THEY
KNOW WHO LONG? WHAT I YOU
KNOW, IT DOES HAVE SUCH A
FASCINATING PART OF THIS STORY
AND IT’S SO INTERESTING. SO
WANT TO JUST
>> THAT. GOT SOME BEFORE AND
AFTER PICTURES ALSO BECAUSE
YOU’RE RIGHT, THE REALITY IS,
IS THAT THE DUVAL COUNTY
COURTHOUSE, WHICH HOUSED ALL
OF THESE THIS PAPERWORK, YOU
CAN SEE THE WILL WILL SHOW YOU
JUST A SECOND THE BEFORE AND
AFTER WHILE IT WAS CONSTRUCTED
WITH THICK, THICK WALLS, WHICH
YOU CAN SEE ON THE LEFT HERE,
ALL OF THE PAPERWORK INSIDE
WAS STILL DESTROYED BY THE
FIRE ON THE RIGHT. SO IT LOOKS
LIKE IT’S STILL, YOU KNOW,
IT’S FINE. BUT THE REALITY IS,
IF YOU CAN LOOK THROUGH THOSE
THOSE WINDOWS, IT’S CALLING ON
THE INSIDE. SO IT JUST HAD
TURNED OUT THAT A MAN WHO
OWNED A TITLE COMPANY HAD JUST
HANDWRITTEN COPIES OF ALL OF
THE COUNTY’S DEEDS AND TITLES.
AND WHEN HE SAW THE FIRE PUT
ALL THOSE COPIES IN A BOAT AND
ROWED IT LITERALLY ACROSS THE
SAINT JOHNS RIVER TO SAVE
THEM. AND THAT IS THE BASIS OF
ALL DEEDS AND TITLES IN THE