You may be surprised at who has walked along the shore in Jacksonville Beach. The Timucuan Indians were among the first to hunt deer, fish and gather shellfish along the beaches and the marshes of the San Pablo River, which separates the island from the mainland.
Jacksonville was the site of the first European settlement in Florida, but it was never a Spanish stronghold. In 1562, Jean Ribault and a group of settlers, mostly Huguenots who wanted to escape religious persecution, came ashore and claimed the land for France. They later established Fort Caroline at the mouth of the St. Johns River. Citing a previous claim to Florida made during the 1513 voyage of discovery by Ponce de Leon, Spain quickly dispatched soldiers to rid the land of the French interlopers.
But the Spanish had little interest in developing the Jacksonville area, because their base of operations was centered in Saint Augustine. During the two and a half centuries of Spanish colonial rule, Jacksonville was farmland and fields. By 1816, settlers had built a community. It was called Cow Ford, because it was the spot where cattle farmers took their livestock across the river to market in Saint Augustine.
Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821 and more settlers arrived, stimulating the town's growth. River pilots and fishermen settled the area north of Jacksonville Beach as early as 1831 when Mayport, then known as Hazard, was established. By 1835 the Seminole War had put a damper on homesteading. Development was modest through the Civil War period. During the Reconstruction Era, a vigorous and rapid growth spurt began and continued uninterrupted for a long time. By 1882, residents of Jacksonville were coming to the beaches by steamboat down the St. Johns River to enjoy the clean ocean air.
Seeing a business opportunity, a group of Jacksonville businessmen decided to build a summer resort at the beaches to attract tourists and to construct a railroad from South Jacksonville to transport them. For this purpose, they established the Jacksonville and Atlantic Railway Company in 1883. W.E. Scull, a railroad surveyor, set up housekeeping with his family in a tent and erected another tent as a store. He established a post office and named the town "Ruby," after their oldest daughter.
By June 1885, the railroad and depot were completed. Each week crowds of beachgoers arrived with tents in which to live, and soon Ruby was transformed into a tent city. The following year, the town was renamed Pablo Beach after the San Pablo River. Luxury resort hotels with all the latest amenities were constructed, and new residences filled the area. Pablo Beach became the choice resort of Jacksonville and South Georgia. All of the grand hotels were eventually destroyed by fire.
In 1901, the city of Jacksonville was ravaged by a devastating fire, which destroyed thousands of buildings. It took years for the city to slowly rebuild itself. But by the early decades of the 20th century, Jacksonville was the East Coast capital for filmmaking, and movie production was a big local business.
Meanwhile, out at the beaches, ocean safety became an issue. The American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps established a Life Saving Station in 1914. The boardwalk era was born, with an effort to provide additional amusements to the throngs of visitors. Dance pavilions, shooting galleries, boxing, wrestling and restaurants offered other forms of entertainment. Later, auto racing and horse races on the beach were added to the list of recreation. In 1925, Pablo Beach changed its name to Jacksonville Beach at the request of the city of Jacksonville.
From a tent city of a few hardy souls in 1884, Jacksonville Beach has grown into a solid business, resort and residential community. Its location next to the Atlantic Ocean and near historical and entertainment attractions makes it a great place to stay while exploring the First Coast.
Jacksonville is now the largest city in Florida and the largest city in the United States by land area. More than a million souls make their home in Jacksonville. It is a major hub of commerce and has extensive freight-handling facilities. Blessed with a deep-water port, the town has prospered from shipyards, automobile imports and naval operations. The area's remarkable natural beauty makes tourism a leading industry.