American Life Histories
Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project
1936-1940

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MR. VANDEGRIFF
(Florida)

Report for 12/14/39. M.H.Arends.

While at St Johns Bar Pilot Ass'n office, a Mr. Vandegriff now living at Mayport, stated that he was born in Jacksonville Dec 24th, 1874, and that he remembered the old days.

What he recalled in about the same as we have in files. Bay street with its wooden pavement, Main street being called Pine street, the small swamp and lake where Confederate Park Hogans creek and the waterworks now are etc.

When asked about the exact location of the firetower and bell on Bay street he said that it stood on the southeast corner of Bay and Liberty street where the Cowford marker is now placed. Also said he climbed the tower many times. This definitely locates the site of the tower. The jail also was there at one time.

The Vandegriff family owned the rpoperty where Kingans beef house is now- they bought what land they needed from the Vandegriff estate. Mr. V. remarked that he perhaps was the last man to buy anything in Christophers store before the fire in 1901- bought 100 feet of garden hose and with it climbed the roof of his father's house to put out sparks during the fire. The home was not burned because the fire did not spread east of Hogans creek" and-he said "it was a good thing because I could have spit more water than I got through the hose."

Have arranged to see him at his home in Mayport to go over some old papers, pictures and the like and then he will tell me more about his family and the old days.

M.H.Arends.

Text from: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project Collection