LaVilla

LaVilla is a neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, US and former independent city. Jacksonville's first suburb, it was annexed by the city in 1887 and now considered part of downtown. During its height, the area was considered "the mecca for African American culture and heritage" in Florida, particularly its northern sections. It remains primarily an African-American neighborhood.

Location

LaVilla lies to the northwest in Jacksonville's downtown. It is bounded by State Street to the north, I-95 to the west, Broad Street to the east, and Brooklyn to the south.

History

John Jones, an Anglo-American colonist, received a Spanish land grant for much of this area in 1801, when this part of Florida was still a Spanish colony.

The town developed as a kind of suburb to Jacksonville. At different points in the American Civil War, when Jacksonville and northeastern Florida were under Union control, the area was the site of a large Union garrison. Many slaves sought refuge with Union troops and, under the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, gained freedom. After the war, the town attracted additional freedmen, some of whom left rural areas, and was incorporated as LaVilla. The population was mostly black, and during the Reconstruction era (United States), many blacks were elected to positions in Lavilla's government, including mayor and councilmen. In 1887 LaVilla and five other suburbs, including Riverside and Springfield, were annexed by the City of Jacksonville. It became a neighborhood of the city. In 1902 the state legislature passed a new constitution, adopting barriers to voter registration and voting that resulted in the deliberate disfranchisement of African Americans and excluding them from politics.