JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — June 15, 2020 is Jacksonville’s 198th birthday, the day the city was officially founded – but what’s in a name?
A lot actually. And the city wasn’t always called Jacksonville.
Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society, says, “It was known informally as Cow Ford.”
That name came from the Native American name Wacca Palatka, meaning Cows Crossing.
“Cattle drivers used to ford their herds of cattle across the river at a point roughly where liberty street meets the north bank of the river," Bliss said.
The city began to grow in the late 18th century as Cow Ford. It was settled by British colonists.
Major development came to the city in the late 19th century as Cow Ford became a vacation destination for northerners and midwesterners fleeing the cold winter months.
In 1822, with about 250 people living in the St. Johns River settlement, and with many tourists coming to visit, residents realized the potential to officially form a town.
They signed a petition sent to then-Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams.
“They asked him to designate Jacksonville in the U.S. territory of Florida as a port of entry," Bliss said.
Though that petition was denied – the name Jacksonville stuck. It wasn’t until 1824 that William Duval, the territorial governor, officially recognized the name, which was agreed upon to honor General Andrew Jackson, Florida’s first American Governor.
“The irony about this of course is that as far as anyone knows, Andrew Jackson never visited the town that bears his name,” Bliss said.
Now, with recent protests and the city’s removal of Confederate monuments, some residents are wondering if another name change could happen because of racism and slavery associated with Andrew Jackson.
Jackson played a significant role spurring the Trail of Tears – the forced removal of Native Americans from their protected lands in the 1830s.
There are currently no official petitions to change the name of Jacksonville back to Cow Ford – or any other name.