History

The year’s weirdest and wildest news story so far was actually not so weird and wild, after all. It speaks to the perpetual perdurability of Queen Elizabeth II (April 21, 1926-September 8, 2022) that a 96 year-old woman who’d just beaten covid in February could die in September, and the entire world was shocked, legit. Lucky for us, the queen did all the prep-work, well in advance, allowing her loved the world at large to just sit back, relax, and play their part in the spectacle of her exit, stage-managed to the finest details.  “London Bridge Is Falling Down” was …

Nestled between the famously haunted cities of Savannah and St. Augustine, Jacksonville is not well known as a spooky destination. Yet our city has plenty of its own ghost stories and urban legends. If you’re looking for a scare this October, here are the top 10 haunted hangouts on the First Coast: The Florida Theatre 128 East Forsyth Street, Suite 300, Jacksonville, 32202 Since it opened its doors in 1927, Jacksonville’s Florida Theatre has hosted thousands of performances. The theater draws about 250,000 guests annually and Elvis Presley famously wowed the crowds here in 1956. Performances are so epic, some …

Archive Follow-Up Words by Rain Henderson & Kerry Speckman In 1995, Folio spoke with Cindy Mosling, co-founder of B.E.A.K.S. (Bird Emergency Aid and Kare Sanctuary) on Big Talbot Island, about pelicans. “Here we go again,” Mosling said about reports from concerned local workers in Mayport regarding pelicans dying in the St. Johns River. But something was different this time. Instead of being caused by an oil spill, Mosling insisted, a massive petroleum fire occurring two years prior was the culprit. After she learned 600,000 gallons of fire retardant, known as Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), were dumped in the St. …

“This isn’t any of my best or favorite work,” Walter Coker joked as he pulled a quite impressive stack of Folio Weekly issues out from under the bottom shelf of his bookshelf. The other shelves, lined with photography books authored by some of the most impressive photographers of all time, photojournalism textbooks, stories by local novelists and a beachcombing collection, stood as a sort of ingredient list for what Coker created within the pages of those copies of Folio humbly stashed on the bottom rack. Coker’s 21 years with Folio is one of the only reasons we still have a …

Content warning: This is a story about abortion. It includes descriptions of medical procedures. *I am in no way encouraging the procedures described in this piece, nor am I condoning self-administered medical care in general.* Let’s take a step back to the 1960s, a pre-Roe v. Wade era. Abortion is illegal in 30 states, legal only under specific circumstances in the 20 others. Difficult to imagine a time like that, huh? Carol Downer, mother of six and Los Angeles resident, starts hearing of protests. This is the second-wave feminist movement, focused heavily on reproductive rights. She learns of the pushback …

Shell rock crushed underfoot as we stepped out of my car into the Big Talbot jungle. The backroad we just followed for miles ended in seemingly nowhere with the thicket too dense to even see a few feet off the road. The sun was at its peak yet was barely peeking through the canopy above us, no-see-ums buzzed at our faces, and sweat was already running down my neck. A wiry middle-aged man appeared in a narrow clearing and motioned for us to follow him. The man in question was Keith Ashley, professor of archaeology at the University of North …

Every year we take time to remind our fathers and/or father figures why we love and appreciate them. Whether we give them a funky gift or spend the day with them, we want to thank them for all they do, just as we do every Mother’s Day for our wonderful mothers and mother figures. In this day and age everyone has their own definition of father and father figure, but why do we celebrate it on a single day in the month of June? What is the story behind Father’s Day? The first known celebration honoring fathers was July 5, …

Jay Mafela Located in LaVilla, the Ritz Theatre and Museum is not only a gorgeous venue for concerts and theatrical productions but also serves as a tribute to the lives and contributions of local African-Americans. The Ritz stands on the same spot as the movie theater of the same name built in 1929. At the time, LaVilla was considered by many to be the “Harlem of the South,” attracting performers including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and a young Ray Charles. The original building was eventually torn down with the new Ritz opening in 1999. Today, it …

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