"The Great Fire"
On May 3, 1901 at 12:30 p.m., a fire began at the Cleaveland Fibre Factory, ten blocks northwest of this site. Chimney embers ignited sun-dried moss to be used as mattress stuffing. Fueled by wind and dry weather, the fire roared east destroying most structures in its path. By 3:30 p.m., the fire reached this site, then called Hemming Park. The park and its renowned live oaks were devoured by the flames and only the Confederate Monument survived, its base glowing red from heat. The fire continued an eastward march to Hogan's Creek, where a citizens' bucket brigade stayed the flames. Then, turning south, the inferno roared to Bay Street's riverfront docks. Extreme heat caused a waterspout in the river where rescue boats trolled for survivors. The fire was so intense, black smoke clouds could be seen as far away as South Carolina. As flames moved west on Bay Street, the firefighters' gallant stand and dying winds brought the fire under control by 8:30 p.m. In just eight hours, nearly 10,000 people were homeless, 2,368 buildings were lost, 146 city blocks were destroyed, but miraculously only seven people perished. Jacksonville's 1901 Fire remains the most destructive burning of a Southern city in U.S. history.| HM Number | HM13CQ |
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| Tags | |
| Marker Number | F-433 |
| Year Placed | 2001 |
| Placed By | The Jacksonville Historical Society and the Florida Department of State |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Saturday, October 25th, 2014 at 8:39am PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 17R E 436596 N 3355500 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 30.32966667, -81.65956667 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 30° 19.78', W 81° 39.574' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 30° 19' 46.80" N, 81° 39' 34.44" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 904 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 100-198 W Duval St, Jacksonville FL 32202, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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