Have you ever wondered what stories made headlines in Jacksonville 50 years ago? It may have been a different era of history, culture and politics, but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made then and today. As interesting as the similarities may be, so are the differences. These are some of the top stories from the week of June 29-July 5, 1959. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• The validity of two 1959 laws which provided funds for the Duval County Hospital Board was questioned by the Duval County Budget Commission to the point Florida Attorney General Richard W. Ervin was asked for an opinion.
In the meantime, the commission placed the questioned appropriations for the Duval Medical Center renovation program and the Brewster Hospital School of Nursing in the proposed budget for 1959-60.
In a letter to Ervin McCollum noted the 1959 Legislature passed appropriation acts calling for $558,000 for the renovation and $93,000 for aid to the nursing school.
“I have advised the commission that the acts would be construed as mandatory,” McCollum’s letter stated, “But that probably they were unconstitutional in being mandatory.”
In another query directed to the attorney general the commission’s attorney, O.O. McCollum, asked for a ruling on whether a constable should pay a deputy’s salary out of the expenses of the office, which are billed to the County Commission, or take the deputy’s salary out of the fees provided for the constable’s own salary.
In other business, the commission approved the release of $126,861 from reserve accounts to various active accounts that had been depleted. Among the transfers were $45,000 for constable fees, $27,000 for justice of the peace fees and $35,000 for electricity for operation of the County Courthouse.
• Final appropriations for all City departments except the school board indicated that Duval County taxpayers would contribute a total of $17,560,000 in ad valorem taxes.
The figures indicated that the tax rate would be about 45.5 mills, up from 42.93 mills in 1958.
The millage rate for the County and the Hospital Board operations was just over 23 mills. The school board would require 20 mills for operations, bringing the total to 45.2 mills. Fractional millage levels for other “minor agencies” accounted for the remainder.
• Judge Claude Ogilvie assumed the duties of presiding judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, succeeding Judge Bayard B. Shields.
Ogilvie was first appointed to the Circuit Court bench on June 7, 1945 by Gov. Millard Caldwell.
• Raymond K. Mason was elected to Jacksonville University’s board of trustees. It was noted he had “wide business and civic interests” including serving as president of the Insurance Company of the South, Carolina casualty Company and the Beach Federal Savings & Loan Association. He was also chairman of the board of the Mason-Newton Oil Company.
He was also vice president and trustee of Riverside Hospital and ruling elder of Riverside Presbyterian Church. Mason was a member of the Rotary Club, the Florida yacht Club, Timuquana Country Club, the River Club and the Seminole Club.
• Frank W. Norris, chairman of the board of directors of the Barnett National Bank, announced the bank purchased the property adjoining its building in the 100 block of West Forsyth Street. The purchase price of the property was not disclosed, but revenue stamps indicated the bank paid approximately $800,000 for the land.
One of the occupants of the property was the St. Johns Theatre, owned by Sheldon Mandell and his brother-in-law, Arthur Steel of New York. Mandell said the bank had taken an option to buy the theatre’s lease, but did not reveal any figures in the transaction. He also said the lease did not expire for 20 years but the bank could exercise its option in 18 months.
Other tenants in the property acquired by the bank were Milligan’s Hamburger Shops, City Loan Company, the Tall Girl Shop and Davidson’s Jewelry Company. The leases of all those companies were to expire by September 1960.
Norris said the bank would use the land for expansion.
“We feel that the trend toward redevelopment and revitalization of Downtown Jacksonville makes the need for expanded banking service in that area imperative,” he said then added, “A lot of thought and study must go into the wisest use of this property.”
• Circuit Court Clerk Leonard W. Thomas received the first case transferred from the recently-defunct Civil Court of Record to Circuit Court. The transfer was made by Kathleen L. Hartley, Clerk of the Criminal Court of record who was also Civil Court Clerk.
Duval Civil Court ceased to exist the day before following the death of Civil Court Judge Burton Barrs. The 1959 Legislature had ordered the court abolished when Barrs retired which he had planned to do Aug. 15.
Hartley had prepared forms for transferring pending Civil Court cases to Circuit Court and notice of the change had been given to attorneys and the public a few days earlier.
The procedure required that any interested party, person or counsel in a Civil Court case was allowed to request the transfer to Circuit Court. If no transfer request was made within a year from June 22, 1959 the case would automatically be dismissed.
When the cases reached Circuit Court they were docketed as new Circuit Court cases and Circuit Court rules would be followed. There were no additional fees for transferring the cases.
Hartley said there were about 2,200 active Civil Court cases, some of which had been filed as far back as 1955.
• A small lake in the Hogans Creek area which had drawn complaints from a number of residents would soon be filled in by City crews “to remove a growing nuisance.”
City Engineer Bill Bryant told the City Commission petition from the aroused residents correctly stated that that lake was “badly silted-up, is partially covered by hyacinths and in general badly in need of cleaning or filling.”
Bryant said the lake, about 150 feet in diameter, was a potential breeding spot for mosquitoes and snakes. It was located along Hogans Creek in Springfield Park west of Pearl Street between Third and Fourth streets. He also said the lake was man-made and created “a number of years ago apparently for decorative purposes.”
• Airport Commissioner Lou Ritter told the Downtown Lions Club it would take an estimated $12 million to build a new airport for Jacksonville and steps would soon be taken to get preliminary plans for the facility.
A feasibility report recommended an area six miles northwest of Imeson Airport. According to Ritter, advantages of the site included level terrain, distance from industrial sites to lessen loss of visibility from smoke and a buffer zone to protect outlying areas from noise.
• Jacksonville Beach won approval of its request for the resurfacing of Beach Boulevard. The project had been approved in June but due to a technicality it escaped local notice. The State Road Department approved the project but listed it on its budget as “State Highway 212.” The road was known as “Beach Boulevard” or “U. S. Highway 90.”
“We were very pleased to get it straight,” said H. M. Shelley of the Beaches Chamber of Commerce. “It will be a great help to those who live in Jacksonville Beach and commute to Jacksonville and to those in town who come here regularly.”
One of the most heavily-traveled roads in the area, Beach Boulevard showed a steady increase in daily traffic since it opened in 1947. SRD Traffic Supervisor C. T. Burt said average traffic in 1951 was 6,500 automobiles per day and during 1958 the daily rate rose to 8,790.
Bids were to be asked in December for the 11.2-mile project which was estimated to take three months to complete. The estimated cost was $850,000.