4. Religion in a mill town
The former Redeemer Baptist Church at 770 East 57th Street.
At its height, there were as many as two churches in Milldale. The Phoenix Baptist Church was established at the northwest corner of East 56th Street and Cummer (now Evergreen) Avenue in 1908. By 1951, it had been renamed Liberty Baptist Church. Serving the African American community, the Redeemer Baptist Church was located at the end of an unpaved East 57th Street, one block north. The Redeemer Baptist Church building was constructed in 1904. Over time, both congregations moved on from Milldale. The Phoenix Baptist Church property was demolished and is now used as a parking lot for trucks at the USG Jacksonville plant. The Redeemer Baptist Church building still survives and is used as a residence.
5. Terminus of the Jacksonville & Southwestern Railroad
The former Jacksonville & Southwestern Railroad at Milldale.
Now a CSX track serving USG Jacksonville’s plant, this section of railroad track was originally built by the Cummer Lumber Company and known as the Jacksonville & Southwestern Railroad. Completed in 1899, it was built to connect the lumber company’s Milldale operation to timber lands near Newberry, Florida. In 1904, it was acquired by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL).
Eventually, the ACL extended to railroad by constructing a bridge over the Trout River, just north of Milldale. In 1967, the ACL merged with its longtime rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL), creating the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL). Additional mergers in the industry led to the creation of CSX Transportation. The removal of duplicate routes, led to Milldale railroad trestle being dismantled.
Editorial by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com