The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-05-06
JACKSONVILLE
AND THE REUNION
Veterans Will Find a Modern,
Progressive City
Many Points of Historic Interest Tc
Be Visited BY Survivors Of Gray
Army During Week.

| SemOle mere Tor tlelr Z4tl annual 1t
union, they will be introduced to cit
and community, proud Of the presen
and loyal to the ideals of the old South
Making Jacksonville the hub Of
wheel twenty-five miles in diameter
a territory is covered rich IN histori
associations and interest and at tn
same time fit exponent Of all tha
is progressive in the Southern States
Jacksonville is a city Of $4,000 popu
lation, with handsome business blocks
modern skyscrapers, commodlous no
tells and residence sections that com
pare favorably with the best IN tn
country. The city's business ha!
grown into large proportions, embrac
ing every line known to a moder1
city. Jacksonville Of to-day IS IN al
respects a thriving center Of trade
and commerce, much Of its commerce
going across the seas into foreign
countries on ocean steamships. 1T
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
ized world to do its part in supplying
the demands Of the consumers 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 it Is matter
over which historians differ, but 1t is
well authenticated that the first white
men to set foot upon the soil now Gov
cred by Jacksonville were Frenchmen
under Rene Laudolnere.
The first white man to enter the
mouth Of the st. Johns river was
Jean Ribault, in command Of q COM
pany of Huguencts, who had left
France because Of religious persecu'
tions. He made his landing on May
l, 1862, fifty years after the landing
Of Ponce de Leon at point to the
south of Jacksonville. Some histort-
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. Il
he were here he left no trace. The
evidence is that he did not travel in
a direction from his original landing
that would have brought him to the
vicinity of Jacksonville. 1t is thor.
oughly established that Ribault en-
tered the mouth Of the st. Johns river
May /, 1862, and sailed up the river
some miles to bluff, where he erect
ed a stone column On which was in
scribed the arms of France. But Ri
bault did not ascend the river as high
as Jacksonville. He went from the
mouth Of the river to Port Royal, s. C.
In 1864, one year after the depar-
ture of Ribault, Rene Laudonrere,
who had-been with Ribault on the
first expedition, came to the mouth Of
the St. Johns with another colony Of
Huguenots, and ascended 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
1, Ribault gave the river the name Of
May, and this stood until the Span.
iards whipped out the French, some
years later. The Spaniards called It
the River San Mateo at first, but later
changed its name to San Juan. From
this it finally became the st. Johns.
Old Fort Caroline was situated at St..
Johns bluff some miles below the
city of Jacksonville. No sign Of this
historic fort remains, not even a slab
TO commemorate its mournful story.
During the reunion, steamboat ex.
cursions will be run to all these points
Of historic interest on the st. Johns
river. 1t is but twenty-seven miles
from Jacksonville to the mouth of the
st. Johns, where the government has
constructed, with the aid of Jackson
Vile, and the State Of Florida, a sys-
tenn Of jetties, deepened the water on
the bar and otherwise protected navi-
cation. In passing between Jackson
vile and the jetties, the visitor will
have no trouble locating the sites Of
old forts that were erected nearly four
hundred years ago by the French and
Spanish. The trip is one Of the most
delightful in the Southern States.