The Bigelow Plantation of Floral Bluff

Page 11 15336.43 Robert ⁷ BIGELOW, was the son of Benjamin ⁶ ( Paul ⁵, Cornelius ⁴, Samuel ³, Samuel ², John ¹) and Eunice (AIKEN) BIGELOW,
There is more history of Jacksonville including cemeteries and houses including Robert Bigelow
at jackvill.htm ; jackvil2.htm ; jackvil3.htm ; jackvil4.htm; ; jackvil5.htm; jackvil6.htm; jackvil7.htm; jackvil8.htm ; jackvil9.htm ; jackvi10.htm; jackvi11.htm ; arling1.htm ; arling2.htm ; arling3.htm ;arling4.htm ; bluff1.htm ; bluff2.htm ; bluff3.htm ; bluff4.htm ; bluff5.htm ; bluff6.htm ; bluff7.htm ; bluff8.htm ; bluff9.htm ; bluff10.htm ;
Robert ⁷ BIGELOW, married Elizabeth Richard daughter of Rebeckah Hart Richard and John B. (Juan Batiste) Richard. (pronounced "Reechard")

New Links for Arlington area:
http://fulltext.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=fhp;cc=fhp;sid=1fd8a860cf38a530bd93255c5b7f3644;idno=UF00004167;node=UF00004167%3A4;seq=4
http://www.jacksonvillestory.com/Neighborhoods.htm
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/032701/opl_5748201.html
http://oldarlington.org/
http://apps1.coj.net/neighbor/directory_dist2_4_02.htm

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/042801/ner_6024612.shtml
Saturday, April 28, 2001
Story posted on this site in case of deletion .............ROD 2004
Club helps keep Old Arlington alive
By G. Lee Brooker
River City News correspondent
Some things about Jacksonville will never appear in a history book.
And even if they did, it wouldn't be the same as listening to residents of Old Arlington tell their stories about the days when plantation houses ran along the St. Johns River, carrying guns didn't require a permit, black bass were plentiful at the foot of the Mathews Bridge and a single cigarette could be bought for a penny, a Coke for 5 cents.
Every third Tuesday, members of Old Arlington Inc., a non-profit, historic preservation organization, gather from 7 to 9 p.m. at Jacksonville University's Gooding Building.
They come to discuss revitalization efforts for their community, especially the area known as the Crossroads at the intersection of Arlington Road and University Boulevard North (once known as Chaseville Road) and the Eagle Film/Richard Norman Studios in the 6300 block of Arlington Road.
But often what they leave with are shared memories of yesteryear.
"These people have fascinating stories to tell," said Ann Burt, president of the group. "Some of the things they talk about have long been gone, but most have vivid memories of what Old Arlington was like, and those are the stories we want to hear. We refer to them as 'living treasures.'"
The group established the oral history venue more than a year ago to stimulate interest in the preservation project, she said.
A recent meeting featured Charles Sikes, 78, who now lives in Waycross, Ga., and two of his brothers, Neal Sikes, 76, and Walter Sikes, 72, both still residents of Arlington.
The three entertained as much as educated an audience of about 25, which included a few childhood friends, such as Don MacLean, 72, who moved to Mandarin in 1996.
"I was born and raised in Arlington, in an area with about 200 people, with half of the population white and half black, and we all knew each other," said MacLean, a retired lawyer.
Often prompted by his younger brother, Walter, a retired air traffic controller, Charles Sikes led the discussion that frequently evoked laughter from MacLean and others. Several times, "I remember that" could be heard from the listeners.
"I remember during the war when all the houses along the river had to turn all the lights off when they sounded the siren," said Charles Sikes, who retired from the shipyards. "If anybody didn't do it when the warning signal came on, they'd be taken away. You could be arrested for that."
The three shared stories of the first Arlington post office, catching a ferry at the foot of Arlington Road to cross into town, wooden floors at JCPenney and how the lack of streetlights was a good thing when it came to boyish mischief.
After an hour of reminiscing, the brothers agreed that things have changed a lot since the days when two cars within a half-hour constituted a traffic jam.
Neal Sikes, a former World War II Navy veteran and lithographer, said he sees the construction of the Mathews Bridge as the beginning of the demise of the Old Arlington area -- and the beginning of the end of serenity. "We don't have the peace and quiet that we used to have," he said. "Things are just different now."
Charles Sikes agreed, recalling a time when doors were left unlocked.
Walter Sikes remembered when people could still drive the speed limit without worrying about being run over.
Originally formed in 1993, but revitalized in 1999, the group has also heard from 86-year-old Eula Mae Swann, whose father, Captain A. W. Swann, lived for 14 years on an island near the Mathews Bridge; Justina Sikes, wife of Walter Sikes and for whom Justina Road and Justina Elementary School are named; Louise Sikes, Neal's wife; Lester Sanders; and Ethel Lippert.
For Lucille Smith, a member since 1999, the meetings, which are free to the public, do much to heighten the awareness of the history of Old Arlington and prompt others to get involved.
"We feel like there is a historical significance that will be lost unless we get people to tell their stories," Smith said. "We do this so that Old Arlington would not be lost like many other important areas that have simply gone away."
Old Arlington meetings are free to the public. Not every meeting includes oral history. For more information or to help in the preservation effort, call Ann Burt at 721-0708.

go to bluff12.htm ....

Modified - 04/17/2005
(c) Copyright 2005 Bigelow Society, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rod Bigelow - Director
< rodbigelow@netzero.net >

Rod Bigelow (Roger Jon¹² BIGELOW)

P.O. Box 13 Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929

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