The nave at Old St. Andrews.
JHS Speaker Series
JHS presents monthly lectures on a diverse range of historical subjects, each presented by speakers of note, including historians, dramatists, experts and artistic presenters. Annually, the series includes 10 to 12 major program opportunities. The subjects are diverse and highlight North Florida history. Some presentations involve multimedia with presenters.
With some exceptions, the lectures are typically held at Old St. Andrew’s Church, 317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. (across from VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena). Evening programs are free to members with a suggested $10 donation for non-members, $5 for students. Members and their guests are invited to join the speakers at a reception before each lecture.
Topics scheduled for 2022 include:
January: Jacksonville Bicentennial by Dr. Alan Bliss; Rare Historic Photographs by Dr. Wayne Wood, on Thursday, January 27, via Zoom. Click here to register.
February: Jacksonville’s Silent Film Era by Norman Studios, on Thursday, February 10, at Old St. Andrew’s Church, 317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. Click here to register.
February: Joseph E. Lee, Jacksonville’s First Black Lawyer by Judge Brian Davis, on Wednesday, February 23, at The Ritz Theatre & Museum, 829 N. Davis Street. Click here to register.
March: Women’s History Month: Chosen by Jane, by Jane Condon, former principal and founder of LaVilla and Douglas Anderson Schools of the Arts, and Carol Grimes, on Tuesday, March 8, at Old St. Andrew’s Church, 317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd. Click here to register.
Past Lectures
The 2015 series included the topics, Spies, Schemes and the Sons of Liberty: The Shadier Side of East and West Florida during the American Revolution (buy book); Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine (buy book); Mary Nolan: Jacksonville Suffragette and her Night of Terror; Mining for Florida History: All Buried Treasure is Not Owned by Pirates!; It Came to Pass on the Banks of this River; The Mad Atlas of Virginia King (buy book); The Ten Most Amazing People for Jacksonville (You likely never heard of).
The 2016 series included the topics Historic Jacksonville Theatre Palaces, Drive-Ins and Movie Houses (buy book); Ribault to Revolution: Shipwreck Archaeology at the St. Augustine Lighthouse; Florida’s War: The Untold Story of Northeast Florida’s Role in the Spanish-American War; Jacksonville: Rail Gateway to Florida (watch); The History of Jacksonville’s Jewish Community; Florida Founder William P. DuVal: Frontier Bon Vivant (watch/buy book); Elvis Has Left the Building: The 60th Anniversary of the King at the Florida Theatre (watch); Banned in Jacksonville: What Book Are You Missing?
The 2017 series included the topics Towers in the Sand: A History of Broadcasting; Civil Rights Struggles: From the Beach to the Courthouse; Florida’s Fleet: A Shrimping Legacy from the First Coast; Andrew Jackson in Florida: An Evening with Mayor Jake; Jacksonville’s Historic St. Nicholas Cemetery: Tales from the Crypt; Emerging Florida and the Women Who Changed the World; Winterling and Weather: A North Florida View; Lindberg Jacksonville: The 90th Anniversary.
The 2018 series included the topics Jacksonville’s Jews: We Really Mean Business; Black History Month at the Ritz; The Melting Pot: The Diverse Cultures of Northeast Florida; Jacksonville’s City/County Consolidation: A Perspective at Fifty Years (buy book); Oral History Workshop; Goat Island Hermit: St of FL v Rollians Christopher (buy book).
The 2019 series included the topics Jacksonville: Florida’s Tourist Mecca and Its Grand Hotels: 1869 to 1926; Recovering Manhattan Beach; 2019 Endangered Historic Properties Report; Jacksonville Terminal Centennial; William Morgan: Evolution of an Architect; Deep Roots, Many Branches: The Blues in Northeast Florida; Salute to the Jax Red Caps; Touchdown Jacksonville! Winning the NFL Franchise for Jacksonville; Cemeteries as Outdoor Museums; Cuba and the “Last” Baseball Season; The Woman’s Club in the Progressive Era: 1897 to 1927.
The 2020 series, truncated by the Coronavirus Pandemic, included: The History of the Insurance Industry in Jacksonville: Fueling a Financial Center by J.F. Bryan IV; Florida’s First Historically Black College: 154 Years of Jacksonville’s Edward Waters College by Dr. David Jamison.
The 2021 series included the topics January: This Old Church, a panel of clergy and laypeople. Click here to watch the presentation. February: Jacksonville’s Most Worshipful Grand Union Lodge by Jerry Urso. Click here to watch the presentation. March: Women’s History Month featuring Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Champion for Women. Click here to watch the presentation. April: Heca Utimile/Our Land: Crafting an Indigenous History of Northeast Florida, by Dr. Denise Bossy and Dr. Keith Ashley. Click here to watch the presentation. May: National Historic Preservation Month: Jacksonville’s Most Endangered Buildings. View it here on YouTube. June: From This Place: Musical Tour of the Sites and Sounds of Jacksonville; by Mitch Hemann. Enjoy Part I in the series on YouTube. July: Murder Capital: Stories of Murder and Mayhem in Jacksonville, by Dr. Tim Gilmore. View it here on YouTube. August: The Real Origins of Florida Tourism, by John Foster. View it here on YouTube. September: A History of the Sunshine State’s Historic African American Homes, by Jada Wright-Greene. Click here to view it on YouTube. October: Jacksonville’s Hispanic Heritage, by Rebecca Dominguez-Karimi. Click here to view it on YouTube.
