(Source of images: Florida State Archives)
QUESTION -- Jacksonville residents received an
interesting surprise in 1963, when city officials began to construct a new
waterfront parking lot. The parking spaces were to be situated between the
St. Johns River and the tall, riverfront city hall (today's City Hall Annex).
However, inspectors discovered something odd. What did they find -- A
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton? A Timucua Indian Council House? Or a
forgotten riverboat? See below...
ANSWER
-- Considering the pictures on this webpage, the question is pretty easy!
In 1963, the inspectors stumbled upon a steamship hull buried on the
Northbank. It had belonged to the Clyde Line's Osceola, seen in the
photos. The 272-foot-long steel vessel operated until 1928, when she was tied up
and left to rot at an abandoned wharf. The ship flooded and settled into
mud at the river's bottom. Workman dismantled what remained of the topsides
in 1937. The rest of the vessel then sank further down until it was
forgotten. When workers cut out and removed the hull in '63, Jacksonville
witnessed one of the final reminders of its steamboat era. The new parking
covered an old dock area. What's at the site now? The Adam's Mark
Hotel, with its 966 rooms.
CLICK HERE for the
Osceola tied up in Jax
Boat wreckage used to litter various parts of the St. Johns. During the
first half of the 20th century, many large hulks were purposely scuttled in the
bays and creeks along the river. This proved the cheapest way to dispose
of them. Dredging and cleaning eventually removed many of the remains, but
river navigators during the mid-1900s still knew about the surviving "snags."
The top photo shows
the Osceola gliding past the Northbank in about 1915, according to the
Florida State Archives. If it were at the same spot today, it would be
crossing under the Main Street Bridge, which opened in 1941. The bottom
postcard, depicting Captain T. W. Lund of the Osceola,
dates from around 1925, as indicated by the Archives.
The steamer ran overnight trips
between Jacksonville and Sanford, 140 miles up the St. Johns. It carried
60 passengers plus cargo.
CLICK HERE
for another look at the riverboat
The Osceola was born in 1913 at Jacksonville's Merrill
Stevens Shipyard.
The recessed sternwheeler proved unusual in that it was completely
enclosed within the hull.
NORTHBANK CURIOSITY