Bayard, Jacksonville, Florida
Encyclopedia
Bayard is a historical community of Duval County
, Jacksonville, Florida
. Originally platted in 1884, the community was a busy stopping point for tourists and industry through the early part of the 20th century. In the early 2000s, the City of Jacksonville began developing The Bayard Community Plan in an effort to preserve the character of Bayard as Jacksonville expands towards the community.
Bayard was a planned development platted in 1884 to serve as a midpoint between Jacksonville and St. Augustine
. The area soon became very busy. With easy access to transportation provided by railroad and waterways and with close proximity to sawmill
s and turpentine
distilleries, it was a convenient depot town. Tourists also used it as a rest stop, both before and after the 1934 completion of U.S. Route 1
.
The origin of Bayard's name is disputed. According to the City of Jacksonville, the community was named for Thomas F. Bayard
; the Federal Writers' Project
, publishing in 1939, indicates the same, stating that Florida East Coast Railway
builder Henry M. Flagler bestowed the name. Locals indicate instead that the community is named for Bayard Clinch, who was the son of Duncan Lamont Clinch
, an assertion that dates back at least to 1939.
Bayard's commercial development through its early years reflects its use as a stopping point, with gift shops, restaurants and places for travelers to stay. Among its early historical buildings was The Bayard Inn. Opened in 1899 by Juliet Wing, a Union
soldier's widow, as a combined general store
and hotel, called The Wing Hotel, the Inn flourished until its closure in 1947, when it became a mix of residence and business with a post office
and brothel
on the ground floor. A proposal to designate the building, then known as the Bayard Country Store, as an historical landmark failed in December, 2001, when the owner wished to sell the building and protested its designation. In order to pass the building under owner protest, Jacksonville's Historic Preservation Commission would have had to find that the building sufficiently met the city's criterion, but it did not, although it did find that the building was a "significant reminder" of the city's heritage and was worthy of preservation. The Bayard Inn was demolished in 2005, but other historically significant buildings—including the public school reserved for use by black children—still remain.
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
, Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Originally platted in 1884, the community was a busy stopping point for tourists and industry through the early part of the 20th century. In the early 2000s, the City of Jacksonville began developing The Bayard Community Plan in an effort to preserve the character of Bayard as Jacksonville expands towards the community.
History
St. Augustine
-People:* Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo , father of the Latin church* Augustine of Canterbury , first Archbishop of Canterbury* Augustine Webster, an English Catholic martyr.-Places:*St. Augustine, Florida, United States...
. The area soon became very busy. With easy access to transportation provided by railroad and waterways and with close proximity to sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s and turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
distilleries, it was a convenient depot town. Tourists also used it as a rest stop, both before and after the 1934 completion of U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
.
The origin of Bayard's name is disputed. According to the City of Jacksonville, the community was named for Thomas F. Bayard
Thomas F. Bayard
Thomas Francis Bayard was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served three terms as U.S. Senator from Delaware, and as U.S. Secretary of State, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.-Early life and family:Bayard was born in...
; the Federal Writers' Project
Federal Writers' Project
The Federal Writers' Project was a United States federal government project to fund written work and support writers during the Great Depression. It was part of the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal program...
, publishing in 1939, indicates the same, stating that Florida East Coast Railway
Florida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad.Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison...
builder Henry M. Flagler bestowed the name. Locals indicate instead that the community is named for Bayard Clinch, who was the son of Duncan Lamont Clinch
Duncan Lamont Clinch
Duncan Lamont Clinch was an American army officer and served as a commander during the First and Second Seminole Wars. He also served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Georgia....
, an assertion that dates back at least to 1939.
Bayard's commercial development through its early years reflects its use as a stopping point, with gift shops, restaurants and places for travelers to stay. Among its early historical buildings was The Bayard Inn. Opened in 1899 by Juliet Wing, a Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldier's widow, as a combined general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and hotel, called The Wing Hotel, the Inn flourished until its closure in 1947, when it became a mix of residence and business with a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
on the ground floor. A proposal to designate the building, then known as the Bayard Country Store, as an historical landmark failed in December, 2001, when the owner wished to sell the building and protested its designation. In order to pass the building under owner protest, Jacksonville's Historic Preservation Commission would have had to find that the building sufficiently met the city's criterion, but it did not, although it did find that the building was a "significant reminder" of the city's heritage and was worthy of preservation. The Bayard Inn was demolished in 2005, but other historically significant buildings—including the public school reserved for use by black children—still remain.
The Bayard Community Plan
As commercial use in Bayard has waned and Jacksonville is expanding towards Bayard, the City of Jacksonville, with input from the Bayard community, has developed The Bayard Community Plan to maintain the character of the original community, while still allowing growth. As of January 2009, the plan, proposed on April 2007 with accompanying "Smartcode Development Regulations" on September 2007, was before the Land Use & Zoning Committee.External links
- Bayard Master Plan, City of Jacksonville.