What Happened to the Community of Eggleston? In June 1888 O.H.P. Champlin filed a plat in Jacksonville for an eighteen-block subdivision just east of Lake Lucina in Arlington. He promoted the community in New Jersey and modeled it after the Christian camp meeting community of Ocean Grove, NJ. At the time one couldn’t have picked a more “off the beaten path” place to start a community. The town of Jacksonville located across the river was a days journey or more if you travelled the old route via South Jacksonville on horseback or by wagon. However, the month before the plat was recorded the JM&P Railroad and Navigation Company began rail service from the Arlington Road Landing to Mayport. In 1889 a depot for the line was constructed at Eggleston and this led to further development of a post office, a school, several stores, and even a hotel. You might say that this community was Florida’s first planned unit development, now referred to as a PUD -- a forerunner to upscale gated communities, except without the gate. To understand why the upscale community of Eggleston was built in the rural community of Arlington one must know the “back story” of the times during the 1880’s in Florida. I use the term “upscale” loosely. Eggleston was a community apart from the pioneer and farming families who previously settled in Arlington. Also, not to be left out were the several black communities descended from free slaves who settled the area after the Civil War. In the years following the Civil War, Florida was considered to be backward, underdeveloped, and underpopulated. Its population in 1880 of 269,493 ranked Florida 34th out of 37 states. The revolution in transportation and communication during the latter part of the 19th century was late in coming to Florida, but these changes would transform the state completely. Jacksonville during this time was the destination point for the Florida mainland. Key West was vastly larger than Jacksonville, but it was accessible only by ocean going vessels and it was another world away. Florida after the Civil War was viewed by many as a subtropical paradise with enormous opportunities to be made. Henry Flagler, as a tourist came in the winter of 1883 and fell in love with the climate, the history, and the ambiance of the area. Before the arrival of the railroads steamboats opened up the interior of Florida to trade and tourists. Advertising programs were implemented to lure vacationers to the state. Travel accounts in national periodicals as well as promotional literature from land developers began to promote the image of Florida as the new Eden. In April of 1870, General Robert E. Lee visited Jacksonville via a steamboat and in 1880 after serving two terms as president, General Grant arrived in Jacksonville and boarded the little steamer, Sappho and visited Arlington. And in 1894 Gentleman Jim Corbett, the World Heavyweight Champion fought Charley Mitchell of Great Britain in Jacksonville. Corbett trained in Mayport and there are several references of him and his entourage taking the train out to Mayport. Perhaps he stopped in Eggleston to take advantage of the amenities offered there at the Eggleston hotel. Jacksonville was unlike other southern towns such as Savannah, Charleston, or Wilmington. Those towns had a long established base of families who for for several generations held controlling interests in business as well as society. One observer remarked in the 1880’s, “The society of Jacksonville is universally admitted to be unusually select, cultured and refined.” He says, “The reasons are not far to seek. many of the most prominent citizens have been drawn thither from all parts of the country and are not native Floridans.” By 1892 Champlin had taken advantage of this new boom in tourism by successfully organizing a Chautauqua Assembly which was held at the hotel and the church. In the winter season of 1891-92 the hotel was reportedly filled with guests. The Chautauqua movement grew out of the Chautauqua Institution began in 1874 by John Vincent and Lewis Miller at a Methodist camp meeting site in upstate western New York. The movement became extremely popular across the nation and it promoted activities that aimed at intellectual and moral self-improvement and civic involvement. More than a few local hardworking farmers and or residents viewed these activities as earnest, but high-minded. Thousands of these Chautauqua communities hosted such events as lectures, popular music, animal acts and even vaudeville type comedy acts. These daughter or independent Chautauqua assemblies during the latter half of the 1800’s were formed around an outdoor summer school format. The trend was to operate at a permanent facility (such as the Eggleston Hotel) and locate in a semi-rural location a short distance outside an established town with good rail service -- preferably next to a nice lake. Also, there were circuit Chautauquas and the program would be presented in tents pitched “on well-drained field near the community.” Eggleston was an ideal location. Even though the movement was nondenominational the principle was on Christian instruction, preaching and worship. Thus the Methodist church at Eggleston provided the spiritual needs of the community as well. With the advent of the automobile, the radio, and the silent movies middle class Americans with more disposable income began to seek other activities rather than participate in the once popular Chautauqua movement. An Arlington promotional brochure, “Arlington Past Present and Future” from 1924, says it best: “...it was a sectarian resort for only one denomination with the promoters in New Jersey and due to its exclusiveness it ended as such organizations do.” The brochure also mentions: “...also failed probably.....with its extreme civic restrictions.” So, there you have it folks. As you can see Eggleston was actually a community within a community. However, the community was not really isolated because it “gates” were open to all. The school at Eggleston was not private, but public and local residents from other parts of Arlington attended. When the JM&P Railroad ceased operating the tourists and guests became fewer and then in 1929 the Great Depression delivered the final blow to the community of “outsiders” who previously enjoyed all that Florida had to offer.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 16:32:51 +0000
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