The collection provides historical evidence and documentation of business enterprises, and their operations and activities in Northeast Florida from the late nineteenth century to date. The core of the collection are print materials, including advertising cards and folders, brochures, convention programs, correspondence, illustrations, journals, reports, restaurant menus, and retail store coupons. Unique items include a late nineteenth century advertisement for a prominent Jacksonville retail store, and a panorama photograph of store employees in 1926. Artifacts and memorabilia among others include building dedication items, newspaper linotype blocks, and a bank money bag.
The collection provides historical evidence and documentation of daily activities, events and life in Northeast Florida from the mid-nineteenth century to date. The core of the collection are print ephemera, including calendars, cards, certificates, correspondence, folders, journals, pamphlets, posters, stationery, stickers, tax receipts, and tickets. Items span the years 1857-2012, with the bulk of the materials concentrated in the late twentieth century. Unique early printed items include an envelope postmarked 1861 addressed to a prominent Jacksonville resident, and an 1890 St. Johns River steamboat trip pass. Important biographical information about local African American leaders is provided in annual Black History Month calendars. Artifacts and memorabilia include commemorative coins and plates, holiday ornaments, souvenir pins and license plates, and tokens from the Jacksonville trolley in the late nineteenth century.
Printed materials include event and performance programs, cards and invitations, posters, and schedules. Musical performance programs date from 1923; theater programs and posters date from 1930 and document the performances of theatrical groups no longer extant. Unique items include source materials from the dedication in 1997 of the St. James Building as the new Jacksonville City Hall, the 100th Centennial commemorating the Great Jacksonville Fire of 1901, and the reopening of the Jacksonville Terminal in 1986 as the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. Memorabilia includes souvenir items from major annual events held in Northeast Florida, such as the Florida First Coast Writers' Festival, Florida Forum Lecture Series, Jacksonville Film Festival, and the Much Ado about Books Festival.
The collection provides historical documentation of tourism activities in northeast Florida in the early to mid-twentieth century. The core of the collection relates to the promotion of tourism and tourist attractions. Representative attractions include the Florida Ostrich Farm, Marineland, and Oriental Gardens. Unique early printed items include a circa 1920s advertisement for the St. Johns River Day Line sightseeing steamer, and a souvenir folder featuring colored illustrations of tropical flora in Florida.
The Northeast region of Florida has an extensive and rich military history, from its discovery and settlement by the Spanish and French, its occupation by Union troops four different times during the U.S. Civil War, and its important military role during both World Wars. In particular, the development of Camp Joseph E. Johnston (now Naval Air Station Jacksonville) from 1917 to 1918 signaled the beginning of a significant military presence in the region. Current military installations include: Camp Blanding, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, and Naval Station Mayport. Another important United States military base, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, is located in adjacent southeastern Georgia.
