Ruins of Jacksonville: Annie Lytle Public School

[sandyshoes]

timkin, bless you for taking care of that Grande Dame of a building - how lucky you were to have seen it back in the day we can only envy.  So was there any truth to the legend that a boiler exploded long ago?  The way they have it painted would sure scare the bejeezus out of me, were I to happen upon it with a flashlight.  Tell us more?

[Dog Walker]

No boiler explosion, no homicidal janitor, no ghosts.  However, the school is haunted...by vandals, homeless, and stupid thrill seekers who are going to get themselves hurt or if they are lucky, arrested.

There is another, benign, reason for the haunting rumors.  For a while there was a barn owl in residence which explains some of the strange noises that have been reported as they hiss, whistle and click their beaks.  The owl's presence also explains why there are no rats or squirrels in the building (other than their human varieties, of course!).

[Timkin]

 Sandy..... Thank you.... Actually it was my late Mother who attended the School. I certainly recall a time when it still had windows and doors ...but even then it was vacant.

 I am about ready to gather as many adult volunteers as I can possibly muster, as I CANNOT do this by myself anymore.  If we could get 10-15 people down there on a Saturday we could accomplish much towards tidying it up.  The "Lawn Mowing" that it is getting these days are at best, CRAPPY... When I mowed it, The building looked cared for...at least the lawn.  My health took a turn early this year and while I am doing WAYYYYYYY better,  again  I cannot do the work I once did.  My buddy Victor has a replacement Flag.  DW .. if I can use your extension ladder , we will hang a new flag.. I ll bring mowers , chainsaws , trashbags , etc..  But I will need help. Milne is getting me a gate key again so I will have access.   Just improving the outward appearance makes it much easier to see if someone is on the property at night.. removal of the vines , etc will help..

Anyone interested.. Please post here with email contact info...I will get in touch with you.. and THANK YOU IN ADVANCE  for helping me on this

[Paradox]

timkin, bless you for taking care of that Grande Dame of a building - how lucky you were to have seen it back in the day we can only envy.  So was there any truth to the legend that a boiler exploded long ago?  The way they have it painted would sure scare the bejeezus out of me, were I to happen upon it with a flashlight.  Tell us more?

If you read the article I wrote about this along with the pictures it talks about those urban legends and that only a rape and trespassing/B&E/vandals have been in police reports... ever

[sandyshoes]

"only a rape" nice choice of words

[Ernest Street]

The version I heard was the rape didnt occur in the School. There used to be a covered walkway over to the park...and it occured there. Both victim and perp were Homeless.
 Maybe Dog walker remembers the structure?

[ac]

"only a rape" nice choice of words

Yeah, that's unfortunate.  However, the statement was not regarding the severity of the crimes but the quantity.

[Sportmotor]

Atleast its not murder

[Dog Walker]

The version I heard was the rape didnt occur in the School. There used to be a covered walkway over to the park...and it occured there. Both victim and perp were Homeless.
 Maybe Dog walker remembers the structure?

Geez, Ernest!  Even I'm not that old!  The connection to the park was cut off when the original Fullar Warren Bridge was built in the early '50's.  Wait!  I AM that old!  Horrors!  However, we were living in Atlantic Beach at the time so I don't remember any covered walkway.

There was a bandstand and tennis courts that were taken out by the approach to the bridge, however.  Oddly enough, the latest rebuild of the Fuller Warren Bridge (originally the Gilmore Street Bridge) has elevated the approaches to the bridge so that it is now possible to reconnect the school to the park under the expressway.

It is my understanding that Mr. Milne did receive an easement from FDOT under the expressway to the park that he can use when the construction of the I-10/I-95 interchange is complete.  FDOT is using the space under there for storage and staging of construction equipment and materials.  I can just imagine a landscaped walkway and bike path from the front of the school into the park which then connects to 5 Points and the rest of Riverside.  Nice!

[Paradox]

I didn't mean it to make rape sound like a small deal and yes it was with two homeless people that had been squatting in the building and I can't recall but I think it happened inside the building. Rumors tell of a boiler explosion killing students, suicidal teachers, killer janitors, ghosts, and murderers which never happened but are the first things you hear about but police reports and news articles don't confirm any of that so it is just kids making up stories about a spooky building. I was actually surprised to find the small amount of things happened inside it considering how open it is.

[Timkin]

Would anyone be interested in committing to a Saturday where we could go there and spend a good day on a cleanup??  Annie sure needs it !

[Timkin]

I have never bought into the "Haunted" theory of School 4.  As everyone knows , its badly vandalized inside and the wooden elements, decayed, destroyed , etc. Graffitti  beyond belief. If these count as haunted , coupled with the somewhat boarded up conditions and overgrowth covering much of the building and property , then yes its haunted. With regard to murders, Janitors killing , Principal eating students, boiler explosions, etc , I dont buy it. IF there had been a boiler explosion , even a building that sound would have sustained appreciable damage , and this many years later with no practical or reasonable maintenance, it would have collapsed in the area of said boiler explosion.  The pictures I have seen of the boiler ,show no indication of it having ever exploded.. After nearly a century the Stack to the chimney has a crack in it, but even that is not appreciable.. it certainly is not leaning or showing any appearance of coming down.. all the decay and destruction are from two things .... LACK OF MAINTENANCE / Neglect and Vandalists and would-be Picasso grafitti brats.  These are the Hauntings of PS #4.  It should never be allowed for this beautiful structure to be removed.

[Ocklawaha]

Timkin, you right about the boiler explosion story, only had their been one in a boiler that big we would be dealing with a new building, and some scared trees. Not only that but damage in neighborhood buildings, chunks of Annie weighing 5-6,000 pounds embedded in nearby houses, streets etc.. One thing is certain, the chance that they rebuilt a boiler that exploded without reconstruction is about zero.

At the risk of being redundant I'll point out a basic law of steam engineering that really should be familiar to everyone that owns a house, pressure cooker, or water heater:

In a pressure container (boiler) boiling water and steam occupy a restricted space and cannot expand, this is where all steam power comes from, IE: pressure. When suddenly exposed to atmospheric pressure the steam will instantly expand 10,000 times. Imagine the bomb just a coffee cup could create is it could be pressurized! The other way to meet your maker is to take the boiler up to 966+ F, at this temperature all of the water molecules will convert to gas and you've got problems, though you'll probably never know it!

Hope this sheds a little light on the story, perhaps we should take a hard look for signs of a rebuilding? I doubt it seriously, had students been present the death toll could have been staggering, and I'm certain the story legendary.

OCKLAWAHA

[mtraininjax]

Good article on Annie Lytle PS in today's Metro section of the TU. However, it is interesting to note how Councilman corrigan seems to believe that the new Riverside Market will lead to new development opportunities for ALPS. The man is the same as Peyton, has no vision or leadership for our great city, a big disappointment for this district.

[Dog Walker]

Funny how the article in the paper today, Milne is careful to separate himself from the "owner", Foundation Holdings and talk about "them" in the third person.  Funny lawyer speak!  Milne is Foundation Holdings, LLC!  There is no "them", just him; unless he has a mouse in his pocket!

There will NEVER be any financing for the planned senior housing facility and he must be smart enough to know it.  No person, bank, or government agency who takes an objective look at his track record or at the other people involved in this scheme would ever lend them a dime.