Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century ago? It was a different era of history, culture and politics but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made headlines then and today. As interesting as the differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1961. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Duval County in the ownership battle over a large portion of Blount Island, on which the County Commission was proposing to establish the hub of a large port and industrial complex.
In 1960, Federal District Judge Bryan Simpson threw out a suit brought by several local residents who claimed ownership of about 600 acres of the 1,500-acre island which had been deeded to the County by trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund for development as a County port facility.
Simpson’s ruling that the litigation was not a matter for the federal courts then was appealed to the federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
Simpson was upheld by the appellate court and then a petition for a review of the case was sought by the private parties. It was denied by the high tribunal.
The suit was filed originally by Pembroke Huckins, his wife, Ava S. Huckins, and Elizabeth A. Payne.
They claimed ownership of part of the island properties through an old Spanish land grant. Their basic contention was they owned part of the land which had become Blount Island because of a shift in the river channel.
The removal of the federal litigation as a hindrance to the development of the property was viewed by County officials as “a great step forward” for the proposed port facility.
It was estimated that the undeveloped land in the St. Johns River off Dames Point was valued at more than $1 million.
The County Commission, which also was the County Port and Industrial Authority, had pending before the Duval County Budget Commission a request for a $500,000 appropriation to build a bridge to the island from the Dames Point area. Commissioner Bob Harris, who was port authority chair, said the bridge appropriation was “needed vitally” so that development and leasing of industrial sites could begin.
• Specifications for Broadview Terrace, a 14-story, 54-unit waterfront apartment building in Riverside, went to contractors for bids.
The building would be located on Lancaster Terrace on a point of land that protruded into the St. Johns River north of Memorial Park.
A.D. Davis, president of Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., owned the property and would build and be sole owner of the apartment building.
“The apartments will be designed for full enjoyment of facilities comparable to those available in a large house and yet without the problems of a large house,” said Davis.
Inside parking for tenants would be available at ground level under a swimming pool and terrace. A putting green and shuffleboard courts were also included in the plans from architects Burns and Germaine.
Robert D. Davis, coordinator for the project and son of the owner, said another feature of the building would be that apartment dwellers could choose for themselves whether to turn on air conditioning or heat.
“They will be able to do either because of a special zone control system that will be used in the building,” he said.
The project was estimated to cost $1 million.
• Efforts to get municipal improvements at Jacksonville Beach gained ground when directors of the resort’s chamber of commerce voted to hold a luncheon meeting June 27 to study what could be accomplished.
Leaders of local organizations, chamber members and the public were invited to the session at which City Manager Walter Johnson would be asked to give details on how a new civic center could be built and financed.
“There have been too many plans and too much discussion about plans,” said Walter Freeman, chamber president.
“We’d better get busy and do something here or we will become known as the last resort,” said Frank Griffen, a boardwalk businessman.
He criticized the City Council for what he described as “its failure to take an interest in the business life of the community and the needs of the citizens.”
Griffen also said that some merchants had discussed the possibility that a special tax district could be set up for the business area. Extra millage could be levied to pay for a new parking lot, he said.
• Traffic deaths in Jacksonville were 14 percent lower in the first four months of 1961 than in the same period of 1960, injuries were reduced 17 percent, and 10 percent fewer accidents were reported.
The statistics were compiled by City Traffic Engineer Harry Howard and reported by Mayor Haydon Burns at a meeting of the Mayor’s Traffic Advisory Committee.
Burns said the improvement in traffic safety, in the face of a growing population and increase in the number of motor vehicles, was encouraging but “not good enough.”
The traffic advisory committee, headed by Brady S. Johnston, adopted a resolution calling on the Jacksonville Expressway Authority to provide 24-hour wrecker service for the Mathews and Fuller Warren toll bridges.
Members of the committee noted that when an accident or vehicular breakdown occurred on the bridges during periods of heavy traffic, movement of vehicles slowed to a crawl for as much as 40 minutes.
Police Department Capt. C.L. Raines said his officers gave what aid they could, but the officers were not authorized to order a commercial wrecker. He also said the department did not have the funds to pay for a wrecker if the motorist was unable to do so.
“It is the responsibility of the Expressway Authority or the State Road Department,” said Raines.
Johnston appointed a committee made up of Howard, Raines and Howard Hill to gather information on all “traffic trouble spots” in the county, to prepare recommendations on them and to submit them to the full committee for study.
• According to FBI statistics, crime in Jacksonville in 1961 was on an “alarming upswing.”
Concerned citizens, in particular merchants who had been burglarized, were clamoring for relief but were met with demands for municipal economy. The police department was overspending on salaries, virtually eliminating the possibility of hiring more officers.
Police officials pointed out that as the crime rate escalated, much manpower was being devoted to investigations, leaving little time for concentration on major cases.
The key to controlling the level of crime was what law enforcement officials called, “preventive enforcement.” An area plagued with crime would be closely observed and patrols stepped up. That would discourage criminals because they wouldn’t want to operate in an area where they would be likely to be observed and apprehended.
It was proposed that Jacksonville emulate other municipalities who had developed a method of increasing services with a limited force by going to the dogs. Literally.
It was believed that trained dogs could provide means of reducing crime, controlling crowds and finding lost or strayed persons.
As one official put it, “Where can you get dedicated police protection for only about 25 cents a day, including room and board?”
City Marshal James Jarboe of Neptune Beach was a staunch supporter of the K-9 corps. He had been unleashing his huge Great Dane in the business area at night and found that the dog was effectively patrolling the zone.
In Jacksonville, Patrolman James Gildorf was using manuals from other police departments to train his own German shepherd, Arno.
Gildorf trained the dog daily in the front yard of his home at 9401 Waynesboro Ave. He said it cost him less than $100 per year for a “first class police dog.”
• It was reported that the July 4 holiday celebration at Jacksonville Beach would be concluded with a $750 fireworks display instead of the usual $500 show.
New features of the annual display would include a full-color American flag and a sign with 32-inch letters advertising a soft drink company, all in pyrotechnics.