COMPLAINED OF FEELING ILL THE NIGHT BEFORE POLICE DO NOT SUSPECT FOUL PLAY. CELEBRATE
IN JACKSONVILLE’S HISTORY,
TUNNELS MORE THAN 100 YEARS
OLD ONCE CONNECTED DOWNTOWN
JACKSONVILLE. AND YOU CAN
STILL SEE SOME OF THOSE
TUNNELS YOURSELF TODAY NEWS 4
JAX REPORTER ANNE MAXWELL
TAKES US UNDERGROUND TO
EXPLAIN THE INTERESTING
REASONS AS TO WHY THEY WERE
CONSTRUCTED.
>> SO WE’RE DOWNTOWN ON HOGAN
STREET. I’M HERE WITH GARY
SASSE. HE DOES A WALKING TOUR
HERE. GARY, WHAT ARE YOU
WEARING TODAY?
>> I AM DRESSED THE SAME AS
GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON BACK
FROM THE WAR OF 18 12 WHO ARE
CITIES NAMED AFTER.
>> THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF
FLORIDA, YOU SAID FIRST
GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA. THAT’S
CORRECT. ALL RIGHT. LET’S GET
STARTED ON THE TUNNEL TO OR
WERE SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS.
ALL RIGHT, HEADING INTO THE
TRUST BUILDING NOW DOUBT THAT.
THAT’S CORRECT. ALL RIGHT,
PAULA, NEW GENERAL JACKSON
TELL ME THIS WAY. HE’S
UNDERGROUND TUNNELS NOW LOOK
LIKE YOUR TYPICAL CORPORATE
BUILDING HALLWAYS. BUT WHEN
THEY WERE BUILT ABOUT A
CENTURY AGO, THEY HELD HIDDEN
BANK VAULTS WERE ACTUALLY
WALKING THROUGH A SERIES OF
TUNNELS.
>> THAT WAS AT ONE TIME ALL
CONNECTED TO THE ATLANTIC
NATIONAL BANK. THE BANKS
DECIDED TO SETTLE ON THIS HILL
HERE WHERE THEY COULD DIG DOWN
ON A HILL, NOT HAVE WATER AND
THEN PUT THE MONEY
UNDERGROUND, PUT THEIR
THOUGHTS ON THE GROUND. NO ONE
WOULD SUSPECT THAT ANYTHING
WAS UNDER GROUND. SO YOU WOULD
NEVER BE ROBBED. WE GO NORTH
AND THEN HEAD BACK EAST UNDER
HOGAN STREET. IS THERE GOLD
BRICK FROM THE WALL SOMEWHERE
NOW? THAT IS A COMMON QUESTION
THAT PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW, IS
THERE ANY MONEY STILL DOWN
HERE?
>> VERY SHOW YOU SOME OF THESE
OLD SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES THAT
HAVE YET TO BE OPENED INTEROP
TUNNEL UNDER THE OLD ATLANTIC
BANK BUILDING BUILT IN 19 ’09.
NOT ONLY WAS IT THE TALLEST IN
JACKSONVILLE BACK IN THE DAY.
IT WAS THE TALLEST IN ALL OF
FLORIDA. SO WHERE WE ARE IS
BEHIND THESE BUILDINGS HERE.
THIS IS THE FLORIDA NATIONAL
BANK BUILDING. THIS WAS THE
BARNETT BANK BUILDING.
>> AND THIS IS THE ATLANTIC
NATIONAL BANK BUILDING SASS
SAYS AT THE TIME THEY WERE THE
3 LARGEST BANKS IN FLORIDA.
>> AND THEY ALL SECURED THEIR
MONEY IN UNDERGROUND FALLS.
AND AS THE BUILDING’S GREW, SO
DID THEIR SUBTERRANEAN
HIDEAWAYS, A NETWORK OF
TUNNELS THAT LAID THE
GROUNDWORK FOR JACKSONVILLE’S
FUTURE. AND WE STILL MAINTAIN
BEING A FINANCIAL CENTER WITH
LOTS OF INSURANCE COMPANIES AS
WELL. COULD ALL BE BECAUSE
THEY’LL HAVE THESE
UNDERGROUND.
>> WELL, THAT’S HOW IT
STARTED. THIS IS THE OLDEST
TUNNEL BUILT IN 19. 0, 9, YOU
CAN SMELL RIGHT. KIND OF
MUSTY. THE ORIGINAL VAULT IS
STILL HERE, I THINK IS NOT THE
WAY A TON. BUT SAS KNOWS THE
TRICK TO CLOSING IN JUST A
LITTLE PRESSURE IS ALL IT
TAKES.
>> TAKING THEM ALL DAY TO OPEN
AND BY DESIGN. HAHA.
>> THIS WAY, IF ANYBODY DID
COME DOWN, YOU KNOW, YOU’D
CATCH THE ROBBERS. THIS HUGE
VAULT GUARDED THE TREASURE OF
SOME OF JACKSONVILLE’S
WEALTHIEST CITIZENS AND SOME
OF THEIR SAFE DEPOSIT BOXES
REMAIN LOCKED TO THIS DAY.
NOBODY KNOWS THE COMBINATION.
BELIEVES THIS FALL WAS IN USE
UNTIL 1955. WHEN HE FOUND THE
LAST INSPECTION RECORDS, HE
SAYS THEN TREASURE GAVE WAY TO
TRASH UNTIL HE STARTED
CLEANING IT OUT. THAT’S WHEN
HE DISCOVERED THIS MOUNTAIN OF
EMERGENCY DRINKING WATER. THE
DATE ON THEM 1962. SO DURING
OUR COLD WAR, THEY TOOK THIS
OLD VAULT AND THEN SIDE OF THE
TURN IT INTO THE BOMB SHELTER
FROM THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY
BANKING HUB TO COLD WAR
BUNKER. WE EMERGE ON THE
PRESENT-DAY WEST FORSYTH
STREET. THAT’S THE MARBLE BANK
BUILDING LIVE UP TO BIG
UNDERGROUND VAULTS. THERE.
>> YEAH. THE 1920’S BARNETT
BUILDING, THEY HAVE 2 BIG
UNDERGROUND VAULTS UNDER AT
100 YEARS LATER. THE BANKS
HAVE CHANGED HANDS IN THE
TUNNELS ARE SEPARATED BY
DIFFERENT OWNERS. ONE OF THE
OLD BANKS IS NOW SET TO BECOME
A RESTAURANT ANOTHER’S 1990.
BUILDING IS NOW OWNED BY BANK
OF AMERICA, SAYS HIS DREAM IS
TO RECONNECT THE OLD TUNNEL
SYSTEM. THE BEDROCK OF
COMMERCE ON WHICH JACKSONVILLE
GREW.
>> AND TAKE A CRACK AT SOME OF
THE CODES ON THESE LOCK BOXES.
BUT FOR NOW, THANKS SO MUCH
FOR COMING ON THIS TOUR OF
JACKSONVILLE UNDERGROUND FROM
DOWNTOWN UNDERGROUND. I’M AN
KNOXVILLE CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL
STATION.
>> AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO
READ MORE ON OUR BICENTENNIAL
COVERAGE, YOU CAN VISIT THIS
PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE NEWS 4 JAX
DOT COM FOR STORIES ON