Historic Springfield
Historic Springfield
Historic Springfield is a neighborhood located just north of downtown Jacksonville. Established in 1869, it experienced its greatest growth from the early 1880s through the 1920s. The Springfield Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and contains some of the city's best examples of 19th and early 20th century architecture. It is a local historic district as well
Most of downtown Jacksonville was burned down in the Great Fire of 1901. After the fire, many of the city's most prominent and wealthy citizens lost their homes and relocated to Springfield. Springfield became an affluent suburb, due to the large number of wealthy residents who rebuilt their homes there
The majority of the houses are wood frame vernacular structures, but there are some examples of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and the Stick style. 20th century types include Prairie School, Bungalow, and Mediterranean. One-story porches and verandas are common, and there are some homes with double front porches. Most are frame construction but there are brick, stucco and rusticated concrete as well
No community is as active as Springfield. Springfield is home to several organizations such as SPAR (Springfield Preservation and Revitalization) and SIAA (Springfield Improvement Association and Archives). There is an active families’ group, a garden club, a book club, a business association (SAMBA), a holiday decorating group, an online yard sale page, and the popular “First Friday” pot luck/block parties each month. There are numerous playgrounds, and a dog park. The parks include a disc golf course, pickleball and tennis courts, and a baseball field with bleachers and a scoreboard
Klutho Park hosts the annual Fourth of July Throwback Baseball Game, and is ground zero for Jax for many events, such as some years of Jax Porchfest, which draws thousands of people into the neighborhood one Saturday each year to hear professional musicians perform on some of the best front porches in town. Two home tours each year bring outsiders and neighbors alike to peek into some of these amazing homes
Sesquicentennial Park hosts the Music on Main series as well as SPARdi Gras and the lighting of the Great Tree. It’s also the jumping off point for the Halloween Bike-a-Boo and the Holiday Lights Bike Ride.
Springfield neighbors enjoy an urban quality of life with local arts, culture, and neighbors we know by name. People come looking to plug into the energy of the community. One neighbor had this to say. “I traveled and moved around a lot. Now I wanted to plant roots somewhere to raise my family. We wanted something different – not a cookie cutter home. And we didn’t want to live in a typical suburban neighborhood where you rarely see your neighbors.” Another resident sums it all up when asked this question: What do you enjoy most about Springfield? “I love my house. I love my yard. I love the location of my neighborhood. Most of all, I love my neighbors. We actually know each other. We like each other. My friends who live elsewhere don’t get it – they don’t know who their neighbors are. You can go into any number of restaurants in Springfield and it’ll be like an episode of Cheers, where everyone knows your name.”
This is the neighborhood I call home and I’ll never leave!