The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1914-04-10
JACKSONVILLE
AND the REUNION
Veterans Will Find a Modern,
Progressive City
Many Points Of Historic interest To
Be Visited BY Survivors OF Gray
Army During Week.


Army During Week.
Jacksonville, Fla.-When the Con.
federate veterans and their friends as
semble here for their Path annual re-
union, they will be introduced to a city
and community, proud of the present
and loyal to the ideals Of the old South.
Making Jacksonville the hub Of a
wheel twenty-five miles in diameter,
= territory Is covered rich in historic
associations and interest and at the
same time a fit exponent OF all that
Ia progressive in the Southern States.
Jacksonville is a city of $4,000 popu-
lation, with handsome business blocks,
modern skyscrapers, commodious no.
tells and residence sections that com.
pare favorably with the best in the
country. The city's business has
grown into large proportions, embrac-
Ing every line known to a modern
city. Jacksonville OF to-day is in all
respects a thriving center of trade
and commerce., much Of its commerce
going across the seas into foreign
countries on ocean steamships. Its
transportation facilities are superb.
both by rail and water. Railroads
feeding the great Florida Peninsula
center here. Thousands OF tourists
and %uncounted tons Of freight pass
through the city and port every year.
the one hunting health and pleasure,
the other scattering out over the civil
lied world to do its part in supplying
the demands OF the of the
earth.
And while the visitors are enjoying
this view and prospect of modern
business and community thrift, they
will be given an opportunity to look
down the past three hundred and fifty
years. All of this territory was in dis
pute three and a half centuries ago
between the French and Spanish. with
the wild Indian holding the balance of
power between the combatants. The
Frenchman and the Spaniard both laid
claim to the Florida territory. Which
was first to discover 1t Is a matter
over which historians differ, but 1t Is
we'll authenticated that the first white
to set foot upon the soil now Gov
cred by Jacksonville were FrenChmen
under Rene Landowners.
The first white man to enter the
mouth Of the st. Johns river was
Jean Ribault, in command of a COM
pany OF Huguenots, who had left
France because of religious persecu-
tons. He made his landing on May
/, 1862, fifty years after the landing
Of Ponce de Leon at a point to the
south Of Jacksonville. Some histori-
ans are Of the opinion that Ponce de
Leon sailed as far north as the mouth
Of the st. Johns. but the weight OF
evidence is against this opinion. II
! , were here he left no trace. The
evidence Is that he did not travel in
a direction from his original landing
would have brought him to the
vicinity OF Jacksonville. 1t is thor
established that Ribault en-
the mouth of the st. Johns river
May /, 1862, and sailed up the river
some miles to a bluff, where he erect
cd a stone column on which was in
the arms of France. But Ri
bault did not ascend the river as high
% Jacksonville. He went from the
mouth Of the river to Port Royal. 8. G.
In 1854. one year after the depar,
OF Ribault, Rene Landowners,
who had been with Ribault on the
expedition. came to the mouth OF
the ST. Johns with another colony OF
and assembled the river as
far. as the present site Of Jacksonville,
camping probably on the south side OF
the river on territory now covered
by South Jacksonville. These were
the first white men to penetrate the
country above the mouth of the river.
In honor OF the day Of discovery, May
|, Haii1tsrsnlt gave the river the name OF
(ay, and this stood until the Span
ards whipped out the Fisfnch, some
ears later. The Spaniards called y
he River San Mateo at first, but later
Its name to San Juan. From
his It finally became the st. Johns.
I'D Fort Caroline was situated at st.
lohn's blur some miles below the
.ity OF Jacksonville. No sign Of this
fort remains, not even a slab
0 commemorate its mournful story.
During the reunion, steamboat ex.
~ursions will be run to all these points
4 historic interest on the st. Johns
liver. It Is but tw~enty-seven miles
rom Jacksonville to the mouth OF the
II. Johns, where the government has
constructed, with the aid of Jackson.
lille. and the State Of Florida, a sys-
en- Of ~jetties, deepened the water on
he bar and otherwise protected nayi-
In passing between Jackson
lille and the ~jetties. the visitor will
no trouble locating the sites OF
Id forts that we're erected nearly four
Iundred years ago by the French and
The trip is one Of the most
elightful In the Southern States.
While jacksonville has not adyer-
ised itself as a large manufacturing
ity. Of recent years many large indus
- - ~ r. I