Jacksonville map, 1920. Note that Beaver Street was called Enterprise Street, Roosevelt was St. Johns, Atlantic Blvd. was St. Nicholas Avenue, Blanding was apparently Orange Park Road, Myrtle was Durkee, and a ferrry still ran from the end of Main Street to the Southbank.
(http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/jacksonville_fla_1920.jpg)
From this site of historic maps: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historic_us_cities.html
Atlantic Blvd. was Beach Road once you got away from South Jax. My grandma used to tell us about crossing on the ferry even though there was a bridge (it might have been a cheaper toll) and driving out to the ocean on Beach Road. Going out to the beach or down to Mandarin was an all day excursion by car in those days. Usually involving a picnic lunch.
From looking at this map and knowing the areas, the expressway system really killed off a ton of major commercial corridors in the old city.
I love this map. This is one of the first maps I got to look up the streetcar routes, sadly, it doesn't have them. It is an early AUTO trail guide map, these guides were published in the days before uniform signs and road numbers came about. They included some real jewels of history. "Go two miles to the large oak tree on the right and make your left turn onto the second trail..." etc... The darker lines were not highways as much as they were trails linked to the auto guide. The ferry lasted up until around the time of the Main Street Bridge, both the Ferry Company and the Streetcar Companys were in a fight for their lives by 1932 and many old ads appear in area newspapers.
FYI, there is also a Duval in Texas, and yes, it's the same family, thus TX is a good search site for old Florida stuff.
OCKLAWAHA
You could go to the beach by train.
You could catch a steamer from the Clyde pier on Bay St. Charleston, New York, Providence, Boston, and I bet many others. :)
Quote from: urbanlibertarian on March 25, 2009, 10:34:49 PM
Atlantic Blvd. was Beach Road once you got away from South Jax.
Oh, so THAT'S why there's a Beach Road Chicken on Atlantic!
Quote from: Cliffs_Daughter on March 26, 2009, 08:39:38 AM
Quote from: urbanlibertarian on March 25, 2009, 10:34:49 PM
Atlantic Blvd. was Beach Road once you got away from South Jax.
Oh, so THAT'S why there's a Beach Road Chicken on Atlantic!
Yes, if you go in Beach Road Chicken you will see pictures on the wall from the 1940's or earlier of the restaurant/area at the time.
Beach BOULEVARD was laid down over the original railroad to Jax Beach (originally Pablo Beach). The rail stations in St. Nicholas and at Jax Beach are still standing as historic structures. See the terminus in the 1918 US Geological Survey map below: (http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/maps/local/duval/photos/Pabla.jpg)
The tracks continue northward through Atlantic Beach: (http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/maps/local/duval/photos/Atlantic.jpg)
All the way to Mayport: (http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/maps/local/duval/photos/Mayport.jpg)
From: http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/maps/local/duval/Pabla.htm
Notice how Avondale is already developing in the 20s. Great to see, and the Ortega Bridge is already built. Nice!