41-573: The Clay County Historical Society Museum is located in Green Cove Springs , Clay County, Florida . It is located in the 1890 Courthouse Annex. Exhibits include a country kitchen, a music room, doll room, vault, climb aboard wooden caboose, fully equipped railroad transfer station and a country store. It is operated by volunteers of the Clay County Historical Society. The museum is located at 915 Walnut Street in
82-561: A crash at Killinghome, England, during World War I. In August 1943, the facility was renamed Naval Air Station Green Cove Springs and consisted of four 5,000-foot (1,500 m) asphalt runways. One of the Marine Corps aviators training in the F4U Corsair Operational Training Unit at Lee Field in early 1945 was eventual television personality Ed McMahon . After the war, NAS Green Cove Springs
123-427: A diverse community and handled approximately 32,974 calls for service in 2011, with an average response time of two minutes for calls of an emergency nature. The department makes use of mobile data terminals in all of their patrol vehicles for reporting and obtaining information on the streets. All officers receive advanced training in law enforcement, as well as career development. In 2011, the police department became
164-479: A greatly reduced schedule. After the Second World War , with hundreds of ships no longer needed by a peacetime navy, each fleet consisted of a number of groups corresponding to storage sites, each adjacent to a shipyard for easier reactivation. For example, USS Brock (APD-93) was underway for Green Cove Springs , Florida , on 11 April 1945. Brock arrived there on 13 April 1945, and joined
205-412: A single 5,000-foot (1,500 m) asphalt runway currently operational, although reportedly in poor condition. Though the original air traffic control tower is still standing, attached to one of the former Navy aircraft hangars, the airfield remains an uncontrolled facility. Green Cove Springs is the birthplace of Charles E. Merrill (1885–1956), one of the founders of Merrill Lynch . The town's spring
246-530: A small number of decommissioned U.S. Navy auxiliaries and warships anchored in Virginia 's James River near Newport News . The fleet originally comprised approximately 60 ships, most of which were gradually towed away for scrapping. From 2012 to 2016, among its few remaining vessels was MV Freedom Star , previously a NASA recovery ship for the Space Shuttle 's solid rocket boosters , which
287-540: Is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida , United States. Green Cove Springs is a part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 9,786 at the 2020 census , up from 6,908 at the 2010 census. The city is named after the portion of the St. Johns River upon which it is built. The river bends here, and the area is sheltered by trees that are perennially green. The area
328-504: Is Steve Kennedy. The current office holders are: The Green Cove Springs Police Department provides full law enforcement services within the incorporated city limits of Green Cove Springs. The agency is headed by a chief of police with two lieutenants acting as division commanders. The department currently consists of 29 sworn officers, part-time and full-time dispatchers, an evidence custodian, an administrative secretary, and two crossing guards. The agency has full-time officers assigned to
369-690: Is described by his son James Merrill in the poem "Two From Florida", published in The Inner Room (1988). Green Cove Springs is also the birthplace of Augusta Savage (née Augusta Christine Fells, February 29, 1892 – March 26, 1962). Savage was an African-American sculptor associated with the Harlem Renaissance . Locally, the community is known as the home of Gustafson's Farm , a brand name of milk and dairy products sold throughout Florida. The main Gustafson Dairy Farm
410-515: Is home to Charles E. Bennett Elementary School, Green Cove Springs Jr. High School, and the Bannerman Learning Center. Clay High School lies just feet outside of the western city limits. United States Navy reserve fleets The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet , often called the " Mothball Fleet ". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times,
451-550: Is located in Green Cove Springs and is one of the largest privately owned dairy farms in the Southeastern United States. Started in 1908, the main farm occupies nearly 10,000 acres (40 km ) adjacent to the city limits. Gustafson's has many bottling plants across the state, stretching from Tallahassee in the west to Tampa and Cocoa in the south. All Gustafson products have the picture of
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#1732783473404492-538: The 2020 United States census , there were 9,786 people, 2,997 households, and 2,046 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 United States census , there were 6,908 people, 2,379 households, and 1,737 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000 , there are 5,378 people, 1,987 households, and 1,402 families residing in the city. The population density was 789.0 inhabitants per square mile (304.6/km ). The 2,199 housing units averaged 322.6 units per square mile (124.6 units/km ). The racial makeup of
533-576: The Cold War before its subsequent reactivation as a minerals exploration ship. The Beaumont Reserve Fleet , anchored in the Neches River near Beaumont, Texas , contains a number of transport ships. A Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) is a facility owned by the U.S. Navy as a holding facility for decommissioned naval vessels, pending determination of their final fate. All ships in these facilities are inactive, but some are still on
574-472: The National Register of Historic Places : The city of Green Cove Springs is structured in a city council/city manager form of government, with the council functioning as the governing body. The city has had this form of government since the 1980 charter revision. The city council is composed of five members who are elected at large to three-year terms. The five-member council consists of the mayor,
615-634: The Atlantic Reserve Fleet were at Boston , Charleston , Green Cove Springs, Florida , New London , MOTBY / New York Harbor , Norfolk , Philadelphia , and Texas . The Nineteenth Fleet became the Pacific Reserve Fleet. The groups of the Pacific Reserve Fleet were at Alameda , Bremerton , Columbia River , Long Beach , Mare Island , San Diego , San Francisco , Stockton , Tacoma , and Olympia, Washington (Budd Inlet). The James River Reserve Fleet consists of
656-500: The Clay County Historical Triangle which also includes the 1894 county jail and 1890 courthouse between Walnut Street and Ferris Street ( Hwy 16 ). 29°59′29″N 81°41′05″W / 29.99126°N 81.68474°W / 29.99126; -81.68474 This Florida museum–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Green Cove Springs Green Cove Springs
697-484: The Florida Group, 16th Fleet, which later became the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Many of the deactivated World War II merchant vessels were of a class called Liberty ships which were mass-produced ocean-going transports used primarily in the convoys going to/from the U.S., Europe, and Russia. Liberty ships were also used as the navy's support vessels for its fleet of warships and to ferry forces across
738-646: The Naval Vessel Register, while others have been struck from that Register. The Philadelphia Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility holds several dozen inactive warships, including the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy , Ticonderoga class cruisers , Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates , and numerous supply ships. The Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , located next to Bremerton, Washington , hosts, among its other ships two dozen decommissioned submarines, several frigates, and numerous supply ships. It
779-522: The Navy, will be maintained as-is. Category X Ships stricken from the Naval Vessel Register awaiting disposal. Receives no maintenance except ships on donation hold, which undergo dehumidification and cathodic protection . Category Z This category is for nuclear-powered ships and related support ships pending disposal. Around 1912, the Atlantic Reserve Fleet and the Pacific Reserve Fleet were established as reserve units with still operating ships, but on
820-489: The Pacific and Atlantic. Most Liberty ships when deactivated were put into "mothball fleets" strategically located around the coasts of the U.S., or sold into commercial service. They began to be deactivated and scrapped in the early 1970s. Vice Admirals Herbert F. Leary and Thomas C. Kinkaid served as Commanders, Sixteenth Fleet, after World War II. Sixteenth Fleet later became the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. The groups of
861-622: The Program Executive Officer - Ships, Naval Sea Systems Command , Portsmouth, Virginia . Merchant ships held in reserve are managed as part of the separate National Defense Reserve Fleet within MARAD ( US Maritime Administration ). Several of its sites, such as at Suisun Bay in California , are also used to store regular Navy ships. Ships placed in the reserve fleets are categorized depending on priority, funding and
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#1732783473404902-579: The St. Johns River. U.S. Route 17 passes through the center of town as Orange Avenue and leads north 28 miles (45 km) to downtown Jacksonville and south 26 miles (42 km) to Palatka . State Road 16 departs west from the center of the city and leads 27 miles (43 km) to Starke . SR 16 leaves eastbound from US 17 south of the city center and crosses the St. Johns River by the Shands Bridge , leading to St. Augustine 25 miles (40 km) to
943-530: The basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and sufficiently working as to be reactivated quickly in an emergency. In some cases (for instance, at the outset of the Korean War ), many ships were successfully reactivated at a considerable savings in time and money. The usual fate of ships in the reserve fleet, though, is to become too old and obsolete to be of any use, at which point they are sold for scrapping or are scuttled in weapons tests. In rare cases,
984-561: The city is 71.55% White , 24.40% African American , 0.41% Native American , 0.54% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 1.34% from other races, and 1.73% from two or more races. 5.08% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 1,987 households in 2000, 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were not families. About 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who
1025-726: The countywide Drug Task Force and Jacksonville Metro DEA Task Force, and also participates in the Clay County SWAT team. In addition to these specialized assignments, the police department is active in the North East Florida Intelligence Unit, North East Florida Burglary Detectives Unit, Northeast Florida Investigative Support Center, the Violent Crime Regional Coordinating Team, Sex Assault Task Force, and Domestic Violence Task Force. The department serves
1066-571: The east. By the late 2020s, the First Coast Expressway , a major toll bypass road connecting I-10 and I-95, is expected to pass to the west and south of Green Cove Springs. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 9.9 square miles (25.6 km ), of which 7.4 square miles (19.1 km ) are land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km ), or 25.35%, are covered by water. As of
1107-523: The end of the 19th century, when Henry Flagler 's railroad began taking tourists further south in Florida. In 1895, the Great Freeze destroyed the area's citrus crops, and tourism all but ended. The 1920s had renewed development, with automobile traffic once again bringing in tourists. The Great Depression of the 1930s marked the end of this period of growth for the city. The first women's club in
1148-591: The first law enforcement agency in northeast Florida to use red-light cameras. The agency is also known for programs such as North East Florida Camp Cadet and the Teen Summit. In April 2014, the agency moved into a newly built police station and emergency operations center at 1001 Idlewild Avenue. The city of Green Cove Springs contracts with the Clay County Fire-Rescue Department for fire and medical services. A U.S. post office
1189-664: The general public may intercede for ships from the reserve fleet that are about to be scrapped – usually asking for the Navy to donate them for use as museum ships , memorials, or artificial reefs . In November 1976, the controlling organization was the Inactive Ship Division of the Naval Ship Systems Command. As of 2011, the controlling organization actually appears to be the Inactive Ships Management Office of
1230-431: The husband-and-wife founders, Frank and Agnes Gustafson (also known as Mama and Papa Gus), who along with their first cow on their farm (named "Buttercup") are prominently featured on the packaging of the dairy's products. Scenes for the 1971 "B" monster movie Blood Waters of Dr. Z (or Zaat ) were filmed here. The movie was satirized on the television program Mystery Science Theater 3000 . These sites are listed on
1271-515: The median income for a household in the city was $ 33,487, and for a family was $ 40,443. Males had a median income of $ 28,097 versus $ 22,040 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,673. About 14.6% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over. Green Cove Springs is part of the Clay County School District . The city
Clay County Historical Museum - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-483: The pier facility. Some of the mothballed vessels were transferred to foreign navies, while others were relocated to other Reserve Fleet locations. In 1984, the city annexed the former naval base into the city to use it for further growth and development as the Clay County Port and Reynolds Industrial Park. The air station is now a private airfield known as Reynolds Airpark (FAA airfield identifier FL60 ) with
1353-503: The planned disposition. Category B Ships in this category are prioritized over the other categories when it comes to maintenance and funding. They are retained for possible future mobilization and will receive updates and upgrades as funding permits. Category C These are ships that will be maintained as-is; meaning no updates or improvements unless funding becomes available after that assigned for category B ships has been exhausted. Category D Temporary state pending planned usage by
1394-468: The short distance to the St. Johns River. The Green Cove Springs area was first developed by George J. F. Clarke in 1816 when he was provided land, under a Spanish land grant, to build a sawmill. Green Cove Springs was established in 1854 as White Sulfur Springs. Renamed in 1866, it became the Clay County seat in 1871. Agriculture and tourism were the two primary economic activities in the area until
1435-473: The state of Florida was established in Green Cove Springs in 1883. The Village Improvement Association led local efforts to beautify the town, and established its first public library. The period immediately before and during World War II again brought new growth to Green Cove Springs. On September 11, 1940, the U.S. Navy opened Naval Air Station Lee Field in honor of Ensign Bejamin Lee, who had lost his life in
1476-415: The vice mayor, and three council members. The mayor and vice mayor are elected by the council and serve in these positions for one year. As the official representative of the city, the mayor is responsible for all intergovernmental relations and for presiding over all meetings of the council. The vice mayor serves as the presiding officer for all council meetings in the mayor's absence. The current city manager
1517-442: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51, and the average family size was 2.96. In 2000, in the city, the population distribution was 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males. In 2000,
1558-449: Was downgraded in status to a Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) as part of the greater NAS Jacksonville complex. Thirteen piers were constructed along the west bank of the St. Johns River adjacent to NAAS Green Cove Springs to house a U.S. Navy Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Florida "mothball fleet" of some 500 vessels, primarily destroyers , destroyer escorts, and fleet auxiliaries. In 1960, the Navy decommissioned NAAS Green Cove Springs and
1599-557: Was established at Hibernia on June 19, 1849, but its name was changed on October 17, 1853, to Magnolia Mills, and on July 30, 1866, it was changed to Green Cove Springs. The Hibernia post office was reestablished on February 16, 1855, and remained open until May 15, 1931, when it was closed and the area assigned to Green Cove Springs. Green Cove Springs is located on the eastern border of Clay County at 29°59′34″N 81°41′2″W / 29.99278°N 81.68389°W / 29.99278; -81.68389 (29.992716, –81.683786), along
1640-407: Was first inhabited over 7,000 years ago by Native Americans attracted to a warm mineral spring. The hydrological spring , locally known as the "Original Fountain of Youth ", attracted patrons in the 19th century to the spa town , where more than a dozen hotels were built near the spring to accommodate them. Today, the sulfur -scented spring water feeds an adjacent public swimming pool before flowing
1681-731: Was then loaned out to the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education in Piney Point, Maryland, as a training vessel. A similar fleet, the National Defense Reserve Fleet, is anchored in Suisun Bay near Benicia, California , and has similarly been reduced. This location is known for hosting the Glomar Explorer after its recovery of portions of Soviet submarine K-129 during