Here's an easy question (except for me). Why does that building on Main (across from Hola Mexican) make a loud whistling noise that can be heard for blocks several times a day? What is that?
I would prefer to hear Ock tell the story of "Big John".
Oops. "Big Jim", thanks for the correction!
Big Jim is a steam whistle that sounds at 7am, noon, 1pm, and 5pm.
It's only really loud for the first few seconds then it steps back. I assume they do that to keep people from complaining.
And back in the days before the internet, way back, way, way back, this is how Jacksonville workers knew when it was time to go to work, time to go to lunch, time to end your lunch break and time to go home.
Thanks for the info.
Heres just a bit more from the T-U from 2002.
Big Jim is back.
The JEA's century-old copper whistle returned yesterday to its daily schedule of sounding off, thanks in part to $250,000 in cutting-edge equipment that makes steam for the nostalgic blasts.
Located at a JEA water plant in Springfield, Big Jim blows for 80 seconds at a time and the sound travels for miles. The JEA will blow the whistle at 7 a.m., noon and 1 and 5 p.m. daily, just like old times. However, the JEA won't blast on Saturdays, a concession to some Springfield residents who answered JEA surveys.
Big Jim, which dates back to the 1890s, was silenced in October 2001 when the JEA decommissioned the Southside Generating Station. Until then, Big Jim had blown four times a day and also signalled such major events as the Great Fire of 1901 and the end of World War I and World War II.
I saw that. Interesting info indeed. I wonder how many downtown employees or visitors actually know the historic significance of the whistle.
I used to be able to hear Big Jim sometimes from my house, close to 5 miles away! Love that it's back, though I do kind of feel for the nearby residents, LOL.
I heard that the other day being over on 8th Street wandering around looking at some of the beautiful homes. So thats what that was . :)
Big Jim, and we in Springfield love it....
Very cool, had no idea! At least someone / some people decided on keeping a gem of Jacksonville history around.
Big Jim is great....he alerted the City when the Great Fire of 1901 was raging and also sounded when WW II ended! This is one of the cool things about living in Springfield.
When I was a kid growing up in St Nicholas, this whistle blew practically down the street from my house. I knew it was time to go inside and catch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon!