Neptune Beach
On 1st St. N, close to the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and on the east side of the street was Pete's Bar. Here are contemporary photos. The close-up was taken by Austin Smith '58. Pete's, with a slightly, different name, is in John Grisham, The Brethren. Grisham is a Mississippi State University graduate.
On the ocean was the Sea
Horse Inn. Between the ocean and 1st St on Atlantic Blvd, were the Surf
Lodge (#113) and Walt's Neptune Tavern (#120). On the SW corner of 1st St and Atlantic Blvd at
#200 was Silver's/Langston's Pharmacy (the
building is still there). The Dallas
Shop was popular. Glover Weiss operated a radio business at #207.
Smith's Gulf station was at #327 Atlantic Blvd in 1956. There was a Pure Oil
station in the next block. Carleton Motel & Cottages were at #502.
Roy Young's Bar & Grill at #602. Mary Ayoub made dresses at #624. Ed Smith Lumber Company was prominent on First Street. At Mayport Rd. was Uncle John's beer business.
Going south on 1st St. was Howard's Garage in the 200 block.
Atlantic Boulevard separates Neptune and Atlantic Beaches. See it in the mid-1950s.
Atlantic Beach
On the oceanfront on the north side of Atlantic Blvd was
the Sea Turtle Restaurant, quite smaller than now. It was once known as the Green
Turtle. On #20 Sherry Drive was the Palms Motel. Sand Bar liquors occupied #171,
where Ocean Blvd. began. At #207, Campbell's Pharmacy (at one time McDermott's) .
The Friendly Shop was at # 219. Duval Laundry occupied #229. Floyd's 5 & 10
was at #237-249. Brook's Automatic Laundry was at #253. The A&A grocery
store was on that side of the street. The Friendly Shop
and the Nice House of Music were there too. Marshall's Jewelers were at #281.
Grage Texaco was at #307. George Bull had a real estate office at # 321 where
Harcourt Bull, Jr. had his law office. Ora's Beauty Shop occupied #323. At #325 Atlantic Blvd were William S. Howell Real Estate and June Wright Real Estate.
Bennett's Beach Motel was at #363; Frank's SUNOCO station was at #375.
Nice House of Music was next. The Salt Air Motel was
at #415. Close by was Sue's Drive In at #489.
At 599 Atlantic Blvd was Joe's [Costello] Plumbing . At 615 Atlantic Blvd was Willard C. George Plastics. Jack's Lighthouse service station was at #700. Three blocks west was Jimmie's Drive In. At the corner of Mayport Rd. at #1105 was Silver's Bar, the Anchor Inn restaurant at #1127; and the Beach Bargain Store at #1155. Closer to the drawbridge was an FM Station (WKTX).
In 1956, there was an A&A grocery store at #299 Atlantic Avenue.
A few blocks north of Atlantic Blvd on the ocean was Le Chateau Restaurant owned by Preban Johanse; Hurricane Dora damaged it in 1964 but repairs were made and it was sold later. Hurricane Dora also damaged the Atlantic Beach Hotel, about 6 blocks north of Atlantic Boulevard. The Adams owned the hotel in the 1950s but it had been the site on a hotel for many years.
The hotel in the 1940s. Photo courtesy of Nancy Adams.
Fletcher swim teams practiced in its pool, at one time on of the largest
outdoor pools in the state.
Hurricane Dora damaged it in 1964. Photo courtesy of Nancy Adams.
Mayport Road
At the corner with Atlantic Blvd and Mayport Road were Uncle John's Tavern
and Gregg's Corner House, a drive-in restaurant.
Mayport
Mayport was a small fishing village which sat next to a Navy base. Strickland, Parson, and Singleton operated restaurants. It had its own elementary school.
Hank Wilkinson holding up Singleton's Restaurant.
Kelly's Fish camp at the jetties.
Some Fletcher students lived on San Pablo Road across the Intracoastal Waterway [Pablo River] but the road had few houses on it. My cousins, the Taylor twins, Jennie and Elizabeth, of the Class of '52, lived in a small house. Photos by Armine [Wood] was operated from a private home. The road also had Greenfield Stables.
Beaches We Knew Aerial Photos (1960) Downtown Jax Beach and Beach Blvd South of Beach Blvd
North of Beach Blvd Atlantic-Neptune-Mayport Early Fletcher Miscellaneous