I have not figured out if this is an advertising photo for luggage or a portrait of an airline stewardess shot by Loyd Sandgren in his downtown Jacksonville studio. Loyd did not leave any clues with this one. Anyone recognize the logos on the uniform?
Tags: historic photograph, luggage, portrait, stewardess, studio, uniform, vintage photography, women
At the intersection of West Bay Street and Hogan Street. This is another scene that is long gone from Jacksonville’s downtown. At the corner is the Greyhound Bar and Package Store with advertising for a dentist’s office on the floor above it. In the background are the Hotel Aragon and the Hotel George Washington with it’s Christmas Tree looking advertising sign on the roof. What is particularly fascinating is the copy of the Jacksonville Journal in the rack leaning against the fire hydrant in the foreground of the photograph which allows the image to almost be dated to the exact day it was taken. The date on the paper can’t be read but the top headline is “President Strozier of FSU Dies”. FSU’s president Robert Strozier died of a heart attack April 20th, 1960 while in Chicago on a speaking engagement. The Jacksonville Journal was Jacksonville’s afternoon paper while The Florida Times-Union was the morning paper so it is likely that Strozier’s death was reported on the same day that he died. The other headline is “Ike May Cancel ROK Visit, New Riots Sweep Country”. ROK stood for the Republic of Korea, now better known as South Korea and it was in the middle of riots that would force the country’s president to step down and go into exile the same month.
The BB&T Tower now occupies this corner of the intersection and across the street to the right stands the Florida Bank and Bank of America Tower. The Skyway track runs down West Bay Street from the left and turns up Hogan Street at this intersection.
Tags: Bay Street, BB&T Tower, downtown, Greyhound Bar, historic photography, hogan street, Hotel Aragon, Hotel George Washington, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Journal, Robert Strozier, Skyway, vintage photogaphy
A photograph of city bus signage. I’ll go out on a limb and say they really wanted you to ride the bus but did not want to pay for quality advertising to get you to do it.
Tags: advertising, bus, city bus, historic photograph, signage, vintage photography
Kuder Citrus Pulp Company in Lake Alfred, FL, Bags in warehouse for Cattle Feed, 1946.
According to a 1951 report from the University of Florida “In the 1949-50 season, when a total of 48 million boxes of oranges and grapefruit were processed, two million tons of refuse remained to be disposed of by the citrus by-product industry.” the report went on to say “The rapidly growing Florida cattle industry utilizes large tonnages of two primary by-products, dried citrus pulp and citrus molasses, as stock feeds”
This was another image from Loyd Sandgren’s time working for the State of Florida’s Commerce Department out of Tallahassee, FL.
Tags: agriculture, Cattle, citrus, feed, historic photography, Kuder Citurs Pulp, Lake Alfred, vintage photograph, warehouse
These two photos were in one of the albums of Loyd Sandgren’s prints with no information and I had nothing but a hunch that they were shot at the same event. I focused my attention on trying to find information on the photograph of the procession and my detective work begin. I showed the image to a number of senior members of the Masons in Jacksonville in an effort place the location or event thinking that it was a line going into a Masonic lodge but no one recognized it as such. The presence of a couple of Shriners and the large number of folks in their Sunday best waiting in line made me think it might be something else and one gentleman suggested that it might be a funeral procession of a prominent member of the black community. He pointed out a man in the middle of the group of Masons behind the one in the white hat with a leather strap around his neck that he thought might be a preacher and the strap was part of a holder for a bible. At this point I shifted gears thinking we were at a church and the second crowd shot was likely at the same event, but which church in Jacksonville was it? I then went and visited the Durkeeville Historical Society during their monthly fish fry and showed the photos around to see if anyone there recognized the location. After a number of folks looked them over one of the members identified the interior shot as being the sanctuary of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church on West Beaver Street. With that information I was able to go look around the church complex but nothing outside looked like the exterior neighborhood in the photograph. With the photograph in hand I then visited the Florida Collection at the Main Library downtown and went through the oversized platt books that show not only the streets and lots around the city dating back to the 1800’s but show individual buildings and identify them by business type. After going through a half dozen of the oversized volumes I finally found one that showed the original new Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church which faced West Beaver Street. On the map were two buildings across the street, one identified as Auto Repair (Crabtree’s OK Radiator) and the other as Filling Station (Dixie Vim gas station with regular gas at .28 per gallon). In the map you could see the row houses in the distant background of the photograph which were located on Eaverson Street. At the top left of the photo there is a large white structure which is labeled on the map as another church.
I went back to Shiloh and visited with Bert Brooks, the Events Coordinator of the church which started in Jacksonville’s La Villa Neighborhood in 1875 and she confirmed that the interior photo was indeed their sanctuary and although the original “new” church structure has been expanded since it’s completion in the mid 1950’s it remains the heart of the sprawling complex. I left her with copies of the photos to see if anyone at the church had any idea of the event in the photographs. After a few weeks I spoke with Ms. Brooks again and she had the final piece of the puzzle. A 95 year old member of the church identified the event as the Dedication Service for the new church building. It must have been the place to be as it was standing room only. As a side note, the other church in the photo was the previous Shiloh church building which the congregation had outgrown.
Researching these photos was quite the journey made possible only with the help of many people who guided me along the way. My sincere thanks to everyone that had a part in the process.
Tags: African-American, Beaver Street, church, group, historic photograph, La Villa, Masonic Procession, Masons, Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church, Shriner, vintage photography
Carolyn Rae Sandgren photographed on stage with beauty pageant contestants at Wakulla Springs, FL by her father, Loyd Sandgren in 1946. Almost three years old when the photo was taken, Carolyn was the frequent subject of her father’s camera when he worked for the Florida Department of Commerce not long after leaving the Navy.
I met Carolyn a couple of years after I first met Loyd. She did what she could to help and keep track of her very independent father. My favorite memory was when she brought her dad to the opening of a showing of my American Beach documentary work at WJCT. I had spent years looking at his work and it was fun to be able to have him there to see mine hanging on the walls with a crowd of other people around. After Loyd passed I worked with Carolyn and we cleaned out her dad’s Springfield apartment, salvaging his lifetime of photographs. She trusted me with his legacy and for that I will always be humbled. Carolyn Saunders passed away this month. She left behind her husband Stan Saunders, her son Kelly and three grandchildren. I know she will live on in the memory of her family and friends and like many of her father’s subjects, her images will be a permanent part of Jacksonville and the State of Florida’s history.
Goodbye Carolyn. Say “Hi” to your dad for me. Bob Self/Vintage Jacksonville
(below) Young Carolyn Rae Sandgren stands next to highway markers. Both images from the Photographic Collection of the State Archives of Florida in Tallahassee, FL.
Tags: Bathing Beauties, beauty pageant, Carolyn Rae Sandgren, Carolyn Saunders, Florida Department of Commerce, historic photography, Loyd Sandgren, State Archives of Florida, vintage photograph, Wakulla Springs
“Eddie Graham in Baptist Hospital after getting injured in the ring.” LS
Who said professional wrestling wasn’t real?
Tags: Baptist Hospital, Eddie Graham, historic photograph, injured, professional wrestling, vintage photography
“A view of some of the downtown buildings, it was taken from the Friendship Park in Southside. I thought the park was great. This was in the 60’s.” LS
A view of the Atlantic Coastline building, I can’t tell if it was before the signage was added or between changes of the name at the top of the building. It is now known as the CSX Building, it was opened in 1960 and the Civic Auditorium to the right, now known as the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts was dedicated in 1962. The square Federal Building with the black top did not open until the mid 1960’s. This was shot from under the round roofed shelters in the first incarnation of Friendship Park.
Tags: Atlantic Coastline, Civic Auditorium, CSX, downtown, friendship park, historic photograph, vintage photography
This was what is now known as Naval Station Mayport just two years after it was commissioned in 1942 and set up as a submarine maintenance and refueling facility as well as a home port for minesweepers during WW II. It was not until 1952 that the first carrier called the base home.
There was no caption with this particular photo but it was part of a group of small prints from photographs taken while Loyd Sandgren worked as a Navy Photographer stationed at Mayport. A note with an adjacent print reads “Photos were taken from the weather tower. Showing weekly inspection.” The back of the print is stamped U.S. Naval Frontier Base, Mayport, Florida. There is no date on this print but a date on another print with the same stamp is from 1944.
Loyd told me that when he was stationed at the base there was only a sand road to get there. It is hard to imagine such a spartan facility spawning what the base has become.
Tags: historic photograph, inspection, Mayport, Naval Station Mayport, navy, ships, U.S. Naval Frontier Base, vintage photography
I’m impressed that he did not even have to put down his cigarette while he shot.
From a series of prints showing a group of congressmen shooting handguns and shotguns at the Naval Air Station Jacksonville range. A hand written note on the back of the print identifies the shooter as Bill Jones and a date of 10/15/45. I did not have any luck finding a US Congressman from that time frame. I also question the location. Loyd was shooting a lot at the Naval Air Gunnery School at Yellow Water during the same time frame and I have a feeling it was shot there. Anyone remember a gun range at NAS Jax?
Tags: Bill Jones, Congressman, gun range, handgun, historic photograph, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, navy, shooting, straw hat, suit, vintage photography, yellow water gunnary school
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