The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-06-25
TAKE ME- BACK TO
OLD PALATKA"
A Bit of Official History Does
the Trick-Many Recol-
lect.

lcCl.
George W. Lansing has been en-
ployed by the council committee on
ordinances to codify the ordinances of
the city-to get them in shape SO
that reference can easily be made at
any time, and the status of any or
dinance can be determined. Mr.
Lansing is at work in vacant room
in the Law Exchange building. The
other day he ran across an order pro-
claiming the city under marshal law.
This order was issued by Col. John
7. Sprague, Commander of the Dis
trict of Florida, with headquarters at
st. Augustine. 1t will be found in
the Records of the Town Council of
Palatka, May 8th, 1867, page 10, and
reads as follows:
Headquarters District of Florida,
St. Augustine, Florida, April 20,
1867"
especial Orders:
No. 81.
"The election for Mayor and Com
mon Council of the city of Palatka,
Fla, declared by law to take place on
the third Monday in April 1867, is
hereby postponed until further orders.
The present Council will continue to
act in their official positions until
further instructed.
"By command of Col. John T.
Sprague,
E. c. Woodruff, Brvt., Major U. S.
A. and A. A. A. G."
At the time of this order Calvin
ellis was mayor, and the councilmen
were James Burt, Nath. Moragne, Pc
ter Petermann and Hubbard L. Hart.
The latter also acted as clerk.
What bothers Mr.. Lansing is the
fact that he can find no record coun-
demanding the marshal law order in
the proceedings of the council through
the balance of that year, through
1868, and up to Feb. %, 1869, when
the following record looking to
change in the municipal government,
is recorded as part of the council
proceedings:
Meeting of Council
"Palatka, Fla, February %, 1869
"Present:
calvin ellis, Mayor.
"James Burt.
"Nath. Moragne.
"Peter Peterman, Councilmen.
"Hubbard L. Hart.
minutes of last meeting read and
approved.
"Resolved-T the Town of Pa
latka do re-organize its municipal
government under the provisions of
an act amendatory to an act to pro-
vide for the creation of corporations
and to prescribe their general powers
and liabilities, and that the said Town
does hereby voluntarily surrender its
cation under said law, and that the
Mayor of PaIatka order an election
on Monday the 29th of March next, |
for the following officers viz: one
Mayor, six Alde'men, one Marshal |
one Clerk any Treasurer combined
and that said Mayor appoint three
Inspectors ST said election. The cleo
ticn to b9|held at the Court House in
the tOyS of Palatka, between the
hour.So eight A. NJ, on the twenty
ninI dav of March, A. D. 1869 ard
sufset of the same day.
Signed
: calvin ellis, Mayor.
81. Burt,
'H L. Hart,
an. H. MOragne,
"Peter Peterman, Council.
al. L. Hart, Clerk"
Then follows the record for the es-
tablishment of the name of the town,
its corporate limits and seal, and the
election of town officers The follow
ing is the record:
"Be 1t Remembered, that on or
about the first day of July, A. D.
1869, the community of persons, to-
wit: The male inhabitants of the town
of Palatka, in the county of Putnam, +
and State of Florida, not being less +
than fifty in number, but less than 5
three hundred desiring to form mu- +
nicipal corporation, under the provis-
ions of an Act to provide for the in
of Cities and Towns. and p
to establish uniform system of mu- h
nicipal government in this State. zap f
proved February 4th. 1869" did for a Y
period of not less than thirty days, Y
viz: from the 7th day of July 1869, n
to the It'll day of August 1862 both
lays inclusive, caused to be published +
n the newspaper denominated and 8
i