A history of The Florida Times-Union

[thelakelander]

Across several incarnations and ownership changes, The Florida Times-Union and its predecessors have served Jacksonville and Northeast Florida since 1864. Guest writer Andrew Nicholas provides this history of Jacksonville's newspaper of record.

Full article: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/a-history-of-the-florida-times-union/

[sandyshoes]

I'm assuming this building also would be too small and not enough parking for a 'new' DCPS location? 

[marcuscnelson]

They also wanted to move away from the river.

[Ken_FSU]

I'm assuming this building also would be too small and not enough parking for a 'new' DCPS location?

DCPS could never/would never pay Morris enough to make this happen.

Might take a while, but they've got bigger plans for the property.

If they declined to make a bid for the new JEA headquarters (fun fact: they were going to, until Lori Boyer quietly talked them out of it), no chance they're touching DCPS.

[Ken_FSU]

P.S. Fantastic piece.

The Times-Union is doing the best work that I've seen since moving here to Jax, under the most challenging circumstances they've faced.

Genuinely wonder how the JEA thing would have played out without the whiste blowing from the T-U.

[Charles Hunter]

When they were owned by the railroad, the joke was that "cars ran into trains" never the other way around.

[thelakelander]

I find the ownership of the paper to over the years to be very interesting, in terms of how it led to certain things being reported and other news being excluded locally. For example, the railroads like Flagler's FEC took advantage of convict leasing and peonage. Since they owned the paper and  heavy Southern Democratic leaning, this and a suits associated with it weren't really covered local paper. Here's one about how peonage worked with funneling people against their will through Jacksonville and on to railroad work in South Florida:

http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1999/99_1_01.pdf

Doing historical research in Jacksonville, it requires one to have to seek outside sources to better understand the city's true early 20th century cultural traditions and stories.

P.S. Fantastic piece.

The Times-Union is doing the best work that I've seen since moving here to Jax, under the most challenging circumstances they've faced.

Genuinely wonder how the JEA thing would have played out without the whiste blowing from the T-U.

If it were not for the work of the TU, I expect our local government would be blowing through that one time JEA profit, making foolish expenditures like moving the jail, enriching the connected at the public's expense and totally screwing over future generations in this city.

[jaxlongtimer]

Great article.  But, its not clear to me what happened to ownership between J. J. Daniel's death in 1888 and the railroads' purchase in 1896.  How did that transition come about?

FYI, J. J. Daniel's grandson, also J. J. Daniel, was publisher of the paper from 1976 to 1982 while it was owned by the railroads as well as having served as president of Stockton, Whatley & Davin (SWD successors include what is now FIS, Chase Mortgage, Coldwell Banker's local real estate offices, much of the subdivisions of Riverside and San Marco and current or former Gate Properties consisting of Deerwood Park, Ponte Vedra Club, Deerwood gated community, Deerwood Club and Guana State Park).  He also played a major role in consolidation, the Chamber, UNF's founding, establishment of Episcopal School, etc.   See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._J._Daniel

[Ken_FSU]

I find the ownership of the paper to over the years to be very interesting, in terms of how it led to certain things being reported and other news being excluded locally. For example, the railroads like Flagler's FEC took advantage of convict leasing and peonage. Since they owned the paper and  heavy Southern Democratic leaning, this and a suits associated with it weren't really covered local paper. Here's one about how peonage worked with funneling people against their will through Jacksonville and on to railroad work in South Florida:

http://digitalcollections.fiu.edu/tequesta/files/1999/99_1_01.pdf

Just a fantastic read, thanks for sharing.

Pretty harrowing stuff.

Sounds like the T-U was actively working to cover up the peonage issue.

[BridgeTroll]

Time to rename Flagler college, county, and tear down statues?

[thelakelander]

Sounds like the T-U was actively working to cover up the peonage issue.

Yes, at the time, the T-U did cover it up. As the TU editorial board stated this past summer, it basically ignored most news concerning the city's Black neighborhoods and population at the time. I suspect that was the case with most Jim Crow era outlets. I know that doing historical research on Jax's Black community involves tapping into archives of out-of-state papers that covered the area.

Time to rename Flagler college, county, and tear down statues?

I haven't gone there. I think the issue swirling around the Confederacy and the Lost Cause is a completely different than mentioning that Flagler's FEC was built on a different form of slavery after Emancipation and how ownership of a newspaper played a role in what was reported. Personally, I'm not in awe or equate Flagler with building up the Florida East Coast without acknowledging those who really put in the work. So, for the historian in me, it's just about making history true and inclusive, even when its uncomfortable. I think that knowing our full story, no matter what twists and turns it can take, ultimately opens us up for more equitable economic opportunity and placemaking. Learning more about the people who actually built the FEC was pretty eye opening to me because locally, it helped expose the historical connection and importance of sharing the underrepresented story of LaVilla, Brooklyn and Campbell Hill's late 19th century residents. Sharing that story, we were able to successfully get Allen Chapel AME near McCoys Creek designated as a local landmark last year.

[BridgeTroll]

I agree... there are folks who tore down Columbus and Washington statues not to mention others that didn't pass 21st century standards...

[thelakelander]

I understand that, but I'm not proposing anything like that. There are other ways to address our true history and heritage.

[Tacachale]

There's also a difference between things on public property vs. private. Also Flagler may have been a huge asshole but I don't know that he ranks anywhere close to the level of worrying about now compared to worse assholes.

[jaxlongtimer]

There's also a difference between things on public property vs. private. Also Flagler may have been a huge asshole but I don't know that he ranks anywhere close to the level of worrying about now compared to worse assholes.

I can't wait to see the controversies that will erupt when someone suggests the first statue be erected for Trump  !