Jacksonville Historical Society Inc

THE MISSION OF THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE THE GREATER JACKSONVILLE COMMUNITY TO VALUE ITS HISTORY BY FOSTERING UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE REGION'S PAST SHAPES OUR PRESENT.

THE MISSION OF THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, FOUNDED IN 1929, IS TO STRENGTHEN CITIZENSHIP BY ENGAGING AND EDUCATING JACKSONVILLE'S PEOPLE ABOUT THEIR HISTORY, THROUGH PRESERVING AND SHARING THE EVIDENCE OF THE CITY'S PAST, AND BY ADVOCATING THE VALUE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION. AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE PEOPLE AND EVENTS OF THE PAST LEADS PEOPLE TO BECOME MORE INVESTED IN THE PLACES WHERE THEY LIVE AND WORK. THAT SENSE OF STEWARDSHIP IS THE RESULT OF CONNECTING CITIZENS WITH THEIR HISTORY, AND IT IS WHY THERE IS A JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING EMPHASIZES THE HISTORY OF JACKSONVILLE, WHICH WE STRIVE TO PRESENT IN THE BROAD CONTEXT OF U.S. HISTORY. FOR EXAMPLE, OUR MONTHLY SPEAKER SERIES PROGRAMS FEATURE EXPERTS WHO SHARE THEIR RESEARCH. IN ITS 201 YEARS OF EXISTENCE, JACKSONVILLE HAS EXPERIENCED MAJOR EVENTS RELATING TO CIVIL RIGHTS, THE LAW, MEDICINE, POLITICS, WOMEN, IMMIGRATION, BUSINESS, ATHLETICS, MARITIME AFFAIRS, MILITARY HISTORY (ESPECIALLY THE NAVY, JACKSONVILLE BEING A MAJOR SEAPORT AND NAVY TOWN), AVIATION, ECONOMICS, EDUCATION, ARCHITECTURE, PRESERVATION, AND MUCH MORE. THAT IS WHY OUR ORGANIZATIONAL TAGLINE IS "ONE CITY, MANY STORIES." OFTEN THE SOCIETY PARTNERS WITH LOCAL INDUSTRY, PROFESSIONAL OR CIVIC GROUPS TO HIGHLIGHT SPECIALIZED ASPECTS OF LOCAL HISTORY. PROGRAMS USUALLY TAKE PLACE AT OUR EVENT FACILITY, THE 1888 OLD ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH (317 A. PHILIP RANDOLPH BLVD.), HOWEVER WE PRESENT TOPICS AT RELEVANT LOCATIONS THAT STRENGTHEN THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE, AS WELL AS MAKING THE PROGRAMMING EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO DIVERSE AUDIENCES. AS AN EXAMPLE, IN 2022 THE SOCIETY HOSTED ITS ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROGRAM AT THE HISTORIC RITZ THEATER, WHICH FOR MUCH OF THE 20TH CENTURY WAS AT THE CENTER OF JACKSONVILLE'S AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL LIFE. DURING 2022 THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (JHS) REACHED AUDIENCES TOTALING APPROXIMATELY 5 MILLION INDIVIDUALS THROUGH PUBLIC EVENTS COMMEMORATING JACKSONVILLE'S 200TH ANNIVERSARY, MONTHLY PUBLIC SPEAKER PROGRAMS, OUR ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER "JACKSONVILLE HISTORY MATTERS," SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS, MEDIA INTERVIEWS AND OPINION COLUMNS, RADIO AUDIENCES, WEBSITE VISITS, PHYSICAL TOURS, AND ON-SITE RESEARCH IN THE ARCHIVES. CONSISTENT WITH OUR ADVOCACY MISSION, THE JHS MANAGES FOUR HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE, TWO OF WHICH THE JHS OWNS OUTRIGHT. ADJACENT TO THE OLD ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH VENUE MENTIONED ABOVE IS THE HISTORIC JAMES MERRILL HOUSE MUSEUM, THE 19TH CENTURY HOME OF A LEADING JACKSONVILLE INDUSTRIALIST. THERE THE JHS HOSTS NARRATED HISTORY TOURS FOR ADULTS AND CHILDREN, INTERPRETING THROUGH PHYSICAL ARTIFACTS THE LIFE OF A JACKSONVILLE FAMILY CA. 1903, JUST AFTER THIS CITY'S GREAT FIRE. THE CHURCH AND THE MERRILL HOUSE ARE OWNED BY THE CITY OF JACKSONVILLE AND MANAGED BY THE JHS. THE ARCHIVES OF THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARE HOUSED IN THE 1878 OLD ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL, AT 314 PALMETTO STREET, WHICH ALSO SERVES AS THE SOCIETY'S OFFICES. NEXT DOOR STANDS THE CA. 1920 FLORIDA CASKET COMPANY BUILDING, A THREE-STORY FACTORY WHICH THE SOCIETY IS RENOVATING INTO ARCHIVES AND RESEARCH SPACE, EXHIBITION SPACES AND A PERFORMANCE / EVENT VENUE. TOGETHER THOSE FOUR HISTORIC STRUCTURES CONSTITUTE THE PHYSICAL PLANT OF THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. IN 2019, THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ACCEPTED THE DONATION OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION NEWSPAPER, JACKSONVILLE'S MAJOR DAILY NEWSPAPER SINCE THE LATE NINETEENTH CENTURY. THIS UNIQUE, JACKSONVILLE-CENTRIC COLLECTION ADDS TO THE JHS'S ALREADY SIGNIFICANT HOLDINGS OF THOUSANDS OF HISTORIC PHOTOS DATING TO BEFORE THE GREAT FIRE OF 1901. PHOTOS AND OTHER HISTORIC DOCUMENTS ARE BEING CONTINUOUSLY CATALOGUED IN A DIGITAL ARCHIVING SOFTWARE PRODUCT. THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY PERIODICALLY CONVENES AND COLLABORATES WITH MORE THAN 40 OTHER GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS CONCERNED WITH ASPECTS OF LOCAL HISTORY AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION. THIS ORGANIZATION, THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORY CONSORTIUM, STRENGTHENS THE CAPACITY OF EVERY CONSTITUENT BY PROMOTING AWARENESS OF EACH OTHER'S RESOURCES, AND WIDER ACCESS TO SMALLER LOCAL COLLECTIONS ACROSS THE HISTORICAL COMMUNITY. WORKING WITH THE LOCAL TOURISM DEVELOPMENT AGENCY, THE SOCIETY AND THE CONSORTIUM HELP TO ADVANCE HERITAGE TOURISM IN JACKSONVILLE, CONTRIBUTING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ANNUAL SUPPORT FOR THE JACKSONVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY EACH YEAR SINCE 2016. APPROXIMATELY 10% OF REVENUE COMES FROM THE CULTURAL COUNCIL OF GREATER JACKSONVILLE, A LOCAL PUBLIC GRANTING AGENCY THAT DISTRIBUTES LOCAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS TO 27 CULTURAL SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE CITY. THE JHS'S SUPPORT ALSO COMES FROM CORPORATE PARTNERS, PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS. MEMBERSHIP DUES CONSTITUTE APPROXIMATELY 5% OF TOTAL ANNUAL REVENUE. A MAJOR ANNUAL FUNDRAISING EVENT, THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE EXTRAVAGANZA, HAS BECOME A BELOVED LOCAL TRADITION NOW IN ITS 21ST YEAR. THE JHS ALSO EARNS REVENUE FROM SPACE RENTALS FOR PRIVATE SPECIAL EVENTS, AND FROM THE SALE OF BOOKS AND MERCHANDISE.