Jacksonville – Then and Now
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The railroad missed old Jacksonville by a mile or more. The leaders suddenly realized that the town was doomed. They organized a committee to meet with the officials of the railroad company. A site for a town had been selected by the company, but it was several miles to the west. Through the influence of E. B. Ragsdale, Jackson Smith and others, an agreement was reached that a town would be located at Fry's Summit. Sarah Fry told the International Railroad Company 75 acres of land with a stipulation that a depot would be located on the tract. Two hundred acres made up the entire town site.
During the later half of 1872, the railroad company put the lots on sale; and the people of old Jacksonville rushed to the new town. Houses were either dismantled or moved by ox wagon. Within a few days, old Jacksonville had almost vanished away, with only three buildings left on the site. Through the years fire destroyed two and the other was removed. Merchants from the old town who moved to the new townsite were B. K. Smith, Allen & Lawler, Peter G. Rhome, George Tilley, W. H. Lovelady, A. J. Chessher and H. Gover & Co., drugs. George Rhome moved his blacksmith shop and W. C. Cobb opened another hotel. Two churches, Methodist and Presbyterian, relocated in the new town.
Other early businesses of present Jacksonville were E. B. Ragsdale & Sons, Clapp & Brown, J. L. Douglas & Company, N. C. Gragard, J. & C. Bolton, B. B. Cannon, L. Grimes, Jarratt & Goodson, Thompson & Thompson & Dellas and McKinney & Brown. S. T. Spruill made carriages and wagons.
The new town started with a sudden burst of activity. Carpenters feverishly set to work building houses, and excited people came streaming in from various parts of the country. Within a short time, a thriving little town had grown up where there had been corn and cotton fields. Several families already were living in the immediate area, among them the Frys, Merritts, Campbells, Kirkpatricks and Loves.
As soon as a suitable meeting place was available, the citizens met in the Cobb House (hotel) and organized a Union Sunday School. Union services were held for several years, but one by one the denominations built their own houses of worship. The town's first church was built by the Methodists in 1874, and the Union Sunday School was moved to the new meeting place. The Cumberland Presbyterians followed in 1882, and two years later the First Baptist Church was built on the corner of Ragsdale and Nacogdoches streets. The Benson Chapel C.M.E. erected a building in 1896. Just after the turn of the century, other denominations built including Christian in 1902, Episcopal in 1908, Catholic in 1910 and Central Baptist in 1913. Since then, the number of church houses in the town has grown to more than 30; and they represent over a dozen denominations. Jacksonville is known for its beautiful, modern church plants and spiritual-minded people.
Old Jacksonville never had a charter, but founders of the Jacksonville of today lost no time in incorporating, securing a charter in May, 1873. The I. & G. N. depot was designated as the center of the city.
N. C. Gragard was elected as the first mayor, according to members of the Gragard family, but it was discovered that he was ineligible to serve, since he had migrated to Texas from Norway and had never become a naturalized citizen. J. H. Martin then was elected and to him goes the distinction of actually having been the first mayor.
Others who subsequently served were M. D. Morris, W. M. Anderson, R. H. Small, N. M. Fain, J. H. Thompson, Sam A. Cobb, W. H. Sory, John C. Box, M. L. Earle, J. E. McFarland and T. E. Acker, who held office for 34 years - from 1918 until 1952. R. C. Buckner was the next mayor during the time Lake Jacksonville was developed; and he has been followed by Robert Huttash, J. D. Bearden, Philip Pavletich, F. A. Shinalt and Talley Nichols. Pavletich has served on two different occasions, and Robert Huttash, present mayor, also had served in the office previously.
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Compiled by Greg Smith. If you have any materials you'd like to contribute, please email me.