Durkeeville in Jacksonville in Duval County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Sugar Hill

Historic African-American Sites

— Durkeeville Historical Society —

Sugar Hill Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Sugar Hill Marker

Inscription. The origin of the name has been lost. In any case, as a lifelong resident of this community, Mrs. Olivia Forest, stated "life was sweet" in Sugar Hill. From its origins in the early 1900s through its hey-days - the 1920s to the 1960s - the height of the era of segregation, many middle and upper class African Americans resided in this neighborhood. The approximate boundaries of Sugar Hill were West State Street (south), Hogans Creek (east), North Davis Street and old I-95 (west) and the north side of West Eighth Street (north).

In the early 1900s the most prominent residents of Sugar Hill were A.L. Lewis and Joseph H. Blodgett, two of the first African-American millionaires in the state. The grand homes of Lewis and Blodgett and most of the other residences of affluent black citizens of that era have been demolished.
(captions)
A.L. Lewis
photo PR0084 from the Florida Memory Collection.
Joseph Blodgett
Photo Courtesy of UNF Library Special Collections

Erected by Comcast, the Northwest Jacksonville CDC and the Durkeeville Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Notable Places • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.

Location.

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30° 20.641′ N, 81° 39.8′ W. Marker is in Jacksonville, Florida, in Duval County. It is in Durkeeville. It is at the intersection of North Jefferson Street and 6th Street, on the right when traveling south on North Jefferson Street. The marker is located on the grounds and in front of the Jacksonville 1 VA Clinic. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1536 North Jefferson Street, Jacksonville FL 32209, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s First Coast.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Brewster Hospital (here, next to this marker); Jefferson Street Pool (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mid-Westside Jacksonville (approx. half a mile away); Durkeeville (approx. half a mile away); St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church (approx. half a mile away); Henry John Klutho (approx. 0.6 miles away); Second Missionary Baptist Church of LaVilla (approx. 0.6 miles away); Bethel Baptist Institutional Church (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jacksonville.

Sugar Hill Marker (right) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Sugar Hill Marker (right)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 564 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 4, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.