Napoleon Bonaparte Broward/Pilot Town - Florida Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Side 1
Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Jr., was a bar pilot who became Florida's 19th governor. As a young man, he worked on boats as a cook, fisherman, and seaman. In 1878, he took a job working tugboats on the St. Johns River and in 1883, he received his pilot's license. Captain Broward became joint owner of a steamboat, the Kate Spencer, which brought visitors to the landing at Pilot Town. Broward was elected to the Jacksonville City Council in 1895, although he continued to work as a seaman and a bar pilot. In 1895, he built a seagoing tugboat, The Three Friends, with his brother. The tugboat carried munitions and Cuban expatriates on its maiden voyage to Cuba in 1896. Encouraged by Jacksonville's Cuban community, Captain Broward commanded his boat on eight voyages through Spanish blockades to deliver arms and equipment to Cuban revolutionaries. He was pursued by U.S. authorities set on seizing his ship. In 1897, The Three Friends turned to peacetime freight and passenger business, and Broward was elected Florida governor in 1905. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1910, but died before taking office.

Side 2
The St. Johns River provided trade access that supported the economy of the Fort George Island plantations. Cotton and sugar from the plantations were transported on the river to trading posts. Early Spanish seaman called the river Rio de Corrientas, of River of Currents, for its treacherous currents that plagued river travel. The shifting sandbar at the mouth of the St. Johns River was a significant impediment to ships. As river commerce on the St. Johns River grew, a community developed off Batten Island, which became known as Pilot Town. Pilot Town was inhabited mostly by harbor pilots and sea captains who made their living piloting ships through the currents to the Atlantic Ocean. These men, known as bar pilots, boarded ships and maneuvered them around the river's shifting sandbar, and then helped guide them through the channel and up to Jacksonville. By 1877, Pilot Town became a landing used by tourists and visitors to visit the Fort George island Hotel and inland attractions. A dock was built to accommodate steamers to Jacksonville, Charleston, and Savannah.

Marker Number: F-819 Date: 2014 County: Duval Marker Type: Roadside Sponsored or placed by: Fort George Island Marina, LLC, and the Florida Department of State Website: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.

Please post a photo at the marker location.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/01/2015 Markerman62 visited it