by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
What began on Dec. 12, 1997 as a part of the grand opening celebration for Jacksonville’s new City Hall at 117 W. Duval St. has evolved into a year-round education and entertainment program and a labor of love.
That’s how Emily Lisska, executive director of the Jacksonville Historical Society, describes the guided tours she hosts in and around the historic building on the north side of Hemming Plaza.
“We trained about two dozen Historical Society members to be docents and thousands of people took the tour because they were so curious about the building,” she said.
After the initial excitement over the conversion of what had been one of Jacksonville’s most popular department stores into the headquarters for local government, requests for tours continued to come in both to the City and to the society.
Lisska said at this point, she can’t give an accurate number as to how many people have taken tours.
“But it’s in the thousands,” she said.
In addition to the tour of the building, Lisska also includes quite a bit of Jacksonville’s history from the time cows crossed the river near where the Main Street Bridge is today to the Great Fire of 1901 and consolidation of the city and county governments in 1968.
“Telling Jacksonville’s history is my favorite part of my job,” said Lisska. “The goal is for people to have a greater knowledge of our city’s rich history after they take the tour. Even if they don’t remember all the details, they come away with the feeling that Jacksonville is a special place with a unique history.”
She guides hundreds of students — and other groups, as well — on tours each month. They usually gather first in Hemming Plaza, where Lisska tells the story of the fire that destroyed virtually all of Jacksonville 108 years ago as well as the stories behind the sculpture of the Civil War soldier and the late U.S. Rep. Charles Bennett and the plaque honoring the late President John Kennedy. Then it’s inside City Hall where a highlight is a peek into the City Council’s Chambers.
“I always make sure the mayor’s office and Council staff know when we’re going to have a tour. Sometimes the room is empty but sometimes there’s a meeting going on,” said Lisska. “It really makes an impression on the students that we can just walk right in during a meeting as long as we do it quietly and respectfully. Typically the Council members will take time to recognize the group. The elementary school students really like that.”
Being where the City’s business is conducted gives Lisska a chance to add a civics lesson to the tour. She said students are fascinated by how the legislative process works and if there’s no business being conducted while the tour group is there, they sometimes get to sit in the Council members’ chairs and maybe even wield the president’s gavel.
Mandarin Oaks Elementary School Guidance Counselor Pam Kibler has been taking students on the tour since 1998. She said the tour has educational value that goes far beyond reading a book in a classroom.
“Emily is a great storyteller and the way she describes things really makes them come alive,” said Kibler. “Our Student Council is made up of two students from each class in grades 3, 4 and 5. We consider them our student leaders and it’s great to be able to show them where our city’s leaders work. We wouldn’t miss it.”
There is no charge for the tour but arrangements must be made in advance. Groups of six or more can call the Historical Society at 665-0064 to make an appointment or e-mail [email protected].
“The Historical Society is thrilled to have the opportunity to present Jacksonville’s story with the backdrop of a building with as much history as City Hall. We’re honored the City trusts us to do this and we have a lot of fun,” said Lisska.
356-2466