National exposure for Springfield

[JagFan07]

I'll look at some wiki software.  Anyone have any experience researching the wiki apps available?

I have already thought about this and talked with Stephen about setting up a wiki dedicated to Jacksonville's history. I installed Mediawiki, the same software as Wikipedia runs on, and have setup the domains jaxipedia.com and jaxipedia.org . The wiki is located at http://jaxipedia.com/jaxwiki/. So far all I have had time to do is install the wiki software as I have several projects I am trying to get finished before the holiday season.

[untarded]

Stephen,  you have legitimate concerns with SPAR, I get that.  But you hijacked a thread where we were trying to be constructive and merely mentioned SPAR. 

How about you start a thread titled 'Is SPAR the devil?' and go to town.

Would everyone at MJ who worked to get Rick Mullaney on board appreciate it if someone came into that thread and began calling consolidated government a Nazi regimist tool and started posting swastikas?  I'm being facetious here but come on.

[nestliving]

Stephen,  you have legitimate concerns with SPAR, I get that.  But you hijacked a thread where we were trying to be constructive and merely mentioned SPAR. 

How about you start a thread titled 'Is SPAR the devil?' and go to town.

Would everyone at MJ who worked to get Rick Mullaney on board appreciate it if someone came into that thread and began calling consolidated government a Nazi regimist tool and started posting swastikas?  I'm being facetious here but come on.

agreed. I am all for hearing what others have to say but the constant bickering really devalues all of the hard work you MJ people done.

[Johnny]

I can picture it now... wikipedia - Historic Springfield, Jacksonville, FL.... :contributions from Stephen Dare:

"Historic Springfield is the first established neighborhood in Jacksonville. Spar sucks, everyone should step down. I hate Springfield because Spar sucks. Spar really does suck. It's not that I dislike Springfield, I just hate Spar. But, the neighborhood sucks too, we have prostitutes and everyone is nosey and stuck up. Spar really bites. They tear down all the buildings. Spar should rot in hell. I don't like Springfield or Spar. We had a business there and rocked, but Spar sucks. Actually, Springfield I love. I just hate Spar, but Springfield is nice when you need a hooker or some crack. Spar is also great, when you need a building demolished."

[JagFan07]

Who is it that wants to start up this project again?

I will volunteer the hosting space and will maintain the domain. Currently I have it on a shared account I use for development. I do have dedicated space I could make available on a few servers I have Colo'd. Like I said I have already installed the wiki software from our email conversation back in July, but have since been working hard on completing a few projects. If anyone would like to help configure the wiki, build a landing page or start on content let me know.

[JagFan07]

Stephen,

I sent you an email with the details for adding content.

[jaxtrader]

vad en insamling av kollekt omen ledsen berort forlaren

[iloveionia]

There's a thread about it on SPAR's forum (the icky side of Springfield's history). Maybe someone could unlock the forum and retrive it for us.

What's the thread called, because there's a great deal of discussions on that forum about our history

I'm pretty sure I started the thread on SPARs forum and it is titled "Do you have a Springfield Story to Tell."  There was a story in the last year in Jacksonville Magazine about a young girl who was murdered and it still remains unsolved this was a LONG time ago (the murder.)  I'll see if I can dig it up. 

Chris Farley is simply AMAZING and has researched a lot of information about Springfield's history and stories.  She has Ottis O'Toole information, and he did live in Springfield for a time. . .renting a room somewhere.  Chris is a walking encyclopedia filled with really interesting Springfield history.

[chris farley]

I wrote this and lost it so I will try again
Chuck Williams lived with his grand parents at 1617 Liberty (it would be 1817 when he lived there).  He was about 13.  Shortly after that he went to California and was home less, but went to Sonoma and opened a hardware store and the rest is history.  His grand parents were Dow and Leona Shaw, it is said he got his love of cooking and the implements by seeing his grandmother cook and look for the right utensils.  The house itself is awesome.  It was designed by Anton Nechodoma - look him up - Wayne Woods missed this one when he did his book.  He left here shortly after doing this house and went to Puerto Rico where he became the father of prairie architecture.  He blantantly stole Lloyde Wright's designs and some say improved on them  He did a house for the Sugar King Roig. Williams was never married, he is still alive.
Mabel Purcell lived in the yellow house on the NW corner of 6th and Liberty.  She was previously  Mable Persons and  lived on the 1600 block of Silver, Jennifer Godfrey restored the house. Truman Capote's name was originally Persons, Mabel was his grandmother.  He spent some summers with her.   When he was on Liberty he was almost killed by a car, he was chasing a ball.  He and Chuck crossed paths here, they lived across from each other briefly it is understood.
Ottis Toole lived in many Springfield houses, he was a sometime caretaker for Betty Goodyear in between murder sprees.  He met Henry Lee Lucas in a jax soup kitchen.  He burned the Frazier house on East 2nd and deliberately killed a man therein. It is believed that he torched about 40 houses in Springfield.   This was in the Spring Tour book.
These and other articles have been put in many newsletters and pamphlets.
The board of SHEC is building a web page telling the history of each and every house and our famous people.  Rita has wonderful stuff in oral histories etc.  What you are asking is already being done. There will be much history and timelines.
There is also a book being written about the famous murder that took place here in the 19th century.
There is much going on, there will be great stories told.
I hope I haven't posted the other one I lost.

[chris farley]

You  do not know the Springfield history, that was referring to the address.  All North South numbers were reduced by 200 to make them tie in with the cross streets.   Therefore 1617 was 1817,  they used to count from State, but it was better that the houses above 6th - say - were 1600 numbers rather than 1800.  The 1941 directories have both numbers.  I did mean 1817 Liberty, that was when he lived there in the late twenties.

[chris farley]

I bethought myself, I got off this contraption and then thought I had sounded pompous.  I think the idea of this thread is great and I encourage all to do what ever can be done and researched.  This is an amazing neighborhood and that is why I love Springfield. You all may come from a different tac than the one we are taking.  We hope to encourage people to add to our website, we hope to find people that lived in the houses, sometmes many lived in the same houe but are not covered by the directories.
Sorry I think it is great what you wish to do.
Sam in Joel's office is doing a lot of searching also, she has helped me.

[fsu813]

Here's Chris's website:

http://www.springfieldheritagecenter.org/

[chris farley]

It is currently being revamped, we do hope to get a channel with every house in there.

I also left out of my posts that quite a few houses in Springfield have had media exposure,  The Trautmann House on 5th W and the Bennett House on Market - it was once named as being in the top 25 houses in Jacksonville

[fsu813]

I believe Truatmann's house was featured on "If These Walls Could Talk".

[chris farley]

Yes you are right.
The Silent Film Museum in Norman Studios is coming along and I have been looking for silent movie stars (names given to us by relatives or from posters) that lived here.  Trautmann is restoring the bungalow at 154 5th West - painted pale blue, well one of the movie names which came up was Margaret or Marguerite Gilmore.  When she first moved into Springfield she lived in this house