HONORING OLD GLORY

(Source of image: Florida Collection, Main Public Library, Jacksonville)

Here are two more photos from Camp Berlin in 1940, only a year before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.  In the top picture, African American Scouts are lined up to salute the flag, while their buglers blast out a tune.  The bottom scene appears more tranquil, with several Scouts posed in front of their tents.  Did they just return from exploring the Civil War ruins nearby?  Are they waiting to signal a Coast Guard cutter cruising by?  Then again, maybe they are just fighting the after affects of the infamous "kickapoo juice"!

YOU COULD BE PART OF A NEW JAX BOOK! The website manager of JacksonvilleStory.com is currently writing a history book, and you or your relatives could play a part in it.  The book will describe how Jim Crow (segregation) affected the lives of local African Americans.   From segregated ambulances to whites-only benches in Hemming Park, African Americans used to face the trials & tribulations of Jim Crow nearly everyday.  Do you have any stories or memories that you could contribute?  Do you know someone else who might?  Please feel free to email the website manager, Glenn Emery.  The tentative title of the history is From Cradle to Grave: Jim Crow Jacksonville.  Thanks!