Jacksonville's Ghost Town: Yukon

[Ocklawaha]

I never lived in Yukon, at least not as a home address, but I lived in Yukon through the 50's and 60's after school and on many a week end. Your photo is priceless. I always dropped in on the little town on my LONG hike to the Yukon Railroad Station. The station agent, Pete Rood, nearly raised me and was always very kind. I stood at the  park entry and snapped a photo of the site recently and damn near got arrested by CSX police. He had no jurisdiction on the public roadway and I stiffled the urge to laugh when he told me a train might be coming and hit me. I told him nothing was coming based on the signal indications, though one had recently passed. Then he told me he knew a hell of a lot more about railroads then I ever would so get away from 'his' tracks. When he pulled away I nearly busted a gut laughing. Sad though how times have changed from the days of Pete's welcoming smile.

My family and the Butts family were VERY close, they had their house in Orange Park and we a craftsman in Ortega. The church was our common ground. The funniest legend of my dad and Willis Butts was when Willis bought his big black 59 Cadillac Sedan De Ville and came tooling up to the church wearing a white trilby hat. They had a brief conversation that involved some laughing and the following Sunday, we showed up at church with a fancy white caddie Sedan De Ville and dad wearing a black trilby hat. Funny as hell was watching those two bribe the waitresses during Sunday dinner out, each one paying off the staff to slip them the check at the end of the meal. No wonder the wait staff at 'Pat and Mikes', 'Lum's' or 'Pritchitts Kitchen', loved us.

The Post Master Mr. Webb and his wife were EVERYBODY'S grandparents and his painting is still over the baptismal pool in front of the church. There is actually ANOTHER pool under the floor at the front of the church and way back when, they would lift the stage area and reveal this unique location. The Webb's saved me from my first experience with fire ants during an Easter egg hunt, I've hated those damn ants ever since.

I'm sure you recall the little 'supermarket' across the street from your Post Office building. The west end of the building had HUGE plumbing troubles and often backed up. The owner got wealthy off my childhood love of ginger snap cookies. I was saddened when the that little block of buildings was recently demolished.

Do you remember a old two story TRAILER in the trailer park? Seems like I was inside it as my sister rented a place there for a time. I just don't remember if it was the one she lived in or some friend of hers but it was cool for an old unit.

We ought to set up a Yukon reunion, it would certainly be fun.

OCKLAWAHA

[Nockatee]

Drop in and say hello sometime, Ock. Good tacos for lunch at Murray's Fridays.
By the way, did you know the old station is down in Orange Park next to Memorial Gardens?
My brother found it and got all excited about possibly moving it up here, but the $$$ involved look overwhelming.
Cheers!
Nockatee

[Ocklawaha]

Your at the old Webb residence right? Yukon  P.O....  Are you around on week days?  Where do we eat?

You might know her but one of those old muscle cars belonged to my sister Carolyn or her, 'attached at the hip' best friend. Seem's like her name was Nancy and the last name might have been something like 'Dragsden?'

Yeah, I went over to the old depot not too long ago. It was empty and for sale, damn the luck my acreage is in California and THAT would be an expensive move. LOL!  It might have been moved over there sometime between when Blanding got a new bridge over the Ortega River and when I-295 was finished. If it could be moved back to YUKON, a friend of my, a VP for Amtrak, told me they would consider the second Jacksonville station.

For all of the aircraft I've seen come and go, I only saw one that was in trouble. It was painted in 'night fighter' blue, probably a Spad A-1. He almost landed where the lumber company is today, but managed to just (inches) clear the fence. I think he sat it down in the grass about where the truck gate guardhouse is today. THANK GOD both he and Yukon survived. 

OCKLAWAHA

[Nockatee]

The Old P.O is HQ for us . We are around the place most of the week.
Tacos at Murray's of Fridays...they sell out before 12:30. Trent's is good for a nice meal any other time.
Ya,ll come!

[acme54321]

Nock how many of the buildings in old Yukon do you own? Do you know why they tore down the old stores and stuff that were across from Murray's?

[Nockatee]

Acme, we own all the buildings in Yukon. The story we heard about the building across from Murray's is there was a fire in Bobby's Garage. The owner at the time did not repair it and as a consequence lost some good tenants. The City gave him orders to rehab the structure or have it condemned. He drug his feet and one day a crew with COJ orders showed up and took it down.
I have been spending a good bit of time policing  the area so people can park there for this weekend's air show. It will be a three day street party in old Yukon. The place should be pretty lively for a "Ghost Town".

[Ocklawaha]

Nock how many of the buildings in old Yukon do you own? Do you know why they tore down the old stores and stuff that were across from Murray's?

That entire block of buildings had some major problems as far back as the 1960's, my dad leased the store closest to the church and we both watched the raw sewage bubble into the back of the place. Needless to say, he didn't keep the place very long. I think he told me they had flat sewer lines and that those lines were only 3 or 4" inches.

At the other end closest to the base was the grocery  store (1960's) it was one of the last I remember that had the squeaky screen door with screen guards advertising Merita Bread and Southern Bread. "I'd even go north for a slice of Southern Bread..." Anyone remember that?  The grocery had a dandy supply of Sugar Daddy, Mars Bars and chocolate ginger snap cookies.

OCKLAWAHA

[acme54321]

Drop in and say hello sometime, Ock. Good tacos for lunch at Murray's Fridays.
By the way, did you know the old station is down in Orange Park next to Memorial Gardens?
My brother found it and got all excited about possibly moving it up here, but the $$$ involved look overwhelming.
Cheers!
Nockatee

Is this it?

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=memorial+gardens+orange+park&ll=30.180523,-81.739781&spn=0.001493,0.00284&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&fb=1&gl=us&hq=memorial+gardens&hnear=0x88e5c5e375d92541:0x5e67dc23a35cd9f5,Orange+Park,+FL&cid=0,0,16493234077395319684&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=30.180395,-81.739841&panoid=oHVjclf9pEXOJ3r7VzgEjA&cbp=12,95.87,,0,0.76

[Ocklawaha]

Yes, that's my old 'home'.  Wouldn't it be cool to put it back in place or nearby as an Amtrak Station and use the baggage end for either a Yukon Museum, or a Yukon Museum themed restaurant? Wonder if they moved it there before or after I-295 was completed? A good 'mega-mover' could find a way to take it home.

Y'all do know that it once served TWO railroads right? The connecting shortline would stop there around lunch and go into the agents office to swap bills and orders. Ahh the good ol days.

OCKLAWAHA

[Nockatee]

Great minds run on the same track!  If we could get a grant from CSX, Amtrak or even Builders.... to move the Station back home we have the option and space to relocate it.  Some reassembly would be required to move it.  The current
structure is already split into two office spaces which may reflect on its previous dual service. In any case we welcome your input and help to bring the "Station" back home.  Brother Bob

[NavyGuyAN]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I was reading somewhere that JTA was thinking about moving the current Amtrak station to right around where the Convention Center is. But due to funding it wasn't going to happen anytime soon and the plans were still on paper. But in doing so they would have to tear out the old Former Union Station underground passage-ways to the platforms in order to level the land for the tracks to fit under the Park St. bridge. An I guess there was an outcry about it.
OCK, also talked about this a little too I believe.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-jan-union-station-tunnels-intact

[acme54321]

I don't think the station would ever be used for Amtrack again, but could be for some other uses.  It used to be in front of the main gate right?  I think moving it up to Yukon would be a better location now.

[Ocklawaha]

Yukon Station was host to a fleet of trains the likes of which Amtrak couldn't duplicate on their best days.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I was reading somewhere that JTA was thinking about moving the current Amtrak station to right around where the Convention Center is. But due to funding it wasn't going to happen anytime soon and the plans were still on paper. But in doing so they would have to tear out the old Former Union Station underground passage-ways to the platforms in order to level the land for the tracks to fit under the Park St. bridge. An I guess there was an outcry about it.
OCK, also talked about this a little too I believe.

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-jan-union-station-tunnels-intact

You are correct except that it isn't just JTA. The Multimodal Station study was done nation wide and published in 1982. Each city's station facilities for rail or bus were cataloged and the most logical location selected as a 'Transportation Center'.  The concept is excellent and promises to boost both rail and bus travel nationwide. The report came back that Jacksonville should have a station with 12 tracks.

Thank God that JTA has not gotten the funding for this project, they completely abandoned the federal recommendations and instead of building a single grand station within our original Jacksonville Terminal, they want to build 4 stations and an officer building each on it's own city block. They have proved that they actually don't understand the concept.

They didn't know that the tunnels were still intact between the station and the track platforms, so they designed an overhead sky-concourse. When I told FDOT in a public hearing about the tunnels one of their planners called me everything but smart as he asserted that THE TUNNELS ARE GONE! It was actually quite a funny public argument, they were livid when I said they don't have to tear out the old tunnels, in fact they could reuse them.

The craziness began when they explained to get under the 'new' Park Street Viaduct (they tore down the older signature viaduct with it's graceful lines and beauty so their would be a view straight down Water Street from the Landing to the front of Jacksonville Terminal (aka: Prime Osbourne). Typical Jacksonville, they destroyed a beautiful artistic bridge to enhance the view with an ugly utilitarian freeway like span. Next they killed the view with the Skyway beamway.

BTW I support the Transportation Center Concept and as such, I am in total opposition to the monstrosity of a 'plan' JTA and FDOT have come up with. Instead of a one stop shop that a transportation center should be, a passenger transferring from one mode to the other in the JTA/FDOT plan would have to cover more ground then the Vatican City.

I don't think the station would ever be used for Amtrack again, but could be for some other uses.  It used to be in front of the main gate right?  I think moving it up to Yukon would be a better location now.

Jacksonville Terminal is the name that God Intended for the grand old terminal station downtown will be used by trains again, the sooner the better. The stupidity is over at FDOT/JTA they keep wanting to build a series of stations. There is no question that downtown is the best location for the main Jacksonville railroad station. 

The Yukon Station sat in the NE corner of the railroad crossing across from the Yorktown Gate at NAS Jax. It can't be used by Amtrak (note the spelling = AMTRAK) 'AGAIN' because it was NEVER used by Amtrak in the first place. You youngsters don't recall but until 1971 all intercity passenger trains in the USA were operated by the private railroads. In this case the Yukon, depot was painted white with green window trim, served the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad as a flag stop. Trains would stop if you had a paid ticket/reservation to or from Savannah, Macon, Albany or beyond. When the ACL merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, emerging as the new 'Seaboard Coast Line Railroad the depots days were numbered. Prior to the railroad becoming CSX, the depot was boarded up and moved off the property.

Bottom line? There is absolutely NO reason to believe that the station couldn't be reused and put back into service.
Amtrak has expressed an interest in expanding its services in the Jacksonville area and that little piece of news should send the city's Historic Preservation Czar. Anything can be used as a station, but historic depots can do many things. Waiting room? CHECK! Bathrooms? CHECK! Historically accurate? CHECK! Could house museum or restaurant in addition to rail services? CHECK! Room for local bus station? CHECK!

Amtrak doesn't give away money for such projects (in fact Amtrak doesn't get enough money from the Federal Government to thrive) and you couldn't interest CSX in contributing to ANYTHING that makes passengers more comfortable. Railroad math works like this: Freight Rail - Passenger Rail = Unlimited profit / Freight Rail + Passenger Rail = less capacity = restricted profit.

It would take a group, club, fraternity or benevolent citizen to make this happen. It would also require CSX to sign off on passengers hanging out around the depot. Laying  in a 2,000 foot platform and getting Amtrak on board would all be part of the solution. The depot could also be used as a 'major station' on the Jacksonville Commuter Rail network.

Hundreds of historic stations are in use throughout the nation and indeed, the world, wouldn't it be nice to see one of our local examples saved and put on center stage?


OCKLAWAHA

[Casterlow]

I am descendant of several of the black families that lived in Yukon (the Smiths, Pollocks, Hicks, Flowers). My ggggrandfather had a small general store. My great great grandparents, great grandparents and most of the children are buried in the abandoned Yukon Cemetery. I was there a few years ago and there is not a single headstone or marker. The cemetery has been desecrated. You can see the sunken graves. I petioned the Jacksonville Department of Historic Resources to help rescue it. Approached an archaelogical company called New South (www.newsouth.org) to assist in doing a study. My family arrived there from Georgia in 1919 when it was just the country. There was church St. Mary's Baptist Church, a school, a juke joint. My last know relative that lived there Rutha Mae Hicks Frazier died in the 1980s. Several of the original houses were still there. Took photos of them.

[Ocklawaha]

There WAS a little store in the black Yukon community. As I recall it was an unpainted shotgun type structure and there were several other buildings/homes around it. I think one of the buildings was used as a pub/dance club, at least at one time in the community's history.

Several times we'd stop in at the little store after riding our bicycle's through the village to access some creeks which ran alongside that land that is now being developed for offices, warehousing etc. In time's like those, there was nothing better then a cold RC Cola and a moon pie!

Casterlow, I found comments most interesting and wonder if this is the same store you are talking about? It's funny that you are a descendant of those black families because now that I think about it, I don't think we ever noticed any difference when we were kids.