New Town is a neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida . A primarily residential neighborhood, it is located in Jacksonville's Urban Core , immediately northwest of Downtown .
24-487: New Town was developed in the early 20th century for African-American workers in the railroads and industrial areas to the east, south and west. The neighborhood is home to Edward Waters College , Florida's oldest historically black college . By the 21st century, the neighborhood show considerable signs of urban decay , with residents plagued by crime, failing schools, health problems, and endemic poverty. In 2008, Jacksonville mayor John Peyton and other parties established
48-529: A former member of the Florida Legislature . The original Edward Waters University campus was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1901 . By 1904, the college obtained new land and work was started on the new facility. Edward Waters was accredited as a junior college in 1955 under President William B. Stewart and five years later had a restored four-year curriculum . Beginning in 1979, the school
72-557: A full postseason-eligible member of the NCAA and the SIAC. The university broke ground on a permanent on-campus football facility in February 2020. The team previously played at local high schools. The new facility is planned to meet NCAA specifications as part of the athletic development process associated with the move to Division II. Edward Waters' marching band is officially known as
96-648: A morning paper. Charles H. Jones wanted to buy the Union but was refused by McCallum. Annoyed, Jones started a rival paper, the Florida Daily Times , in November 1881. By 1883, the Daily Times was dominating the Union . McCallum became ill and finally decided to sell the paper to the Daily Times . The Union then combined with the Daily Times to form The Florida Times-Union , whose first edition
120-756: A school to educate freedmen and their children. It was the first independent institution of higher education and the first historically black college in the State of Florida . It continues to be affiliated with the AME Church and is a member of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida . The AME Church was the first independent black denomination in the United States and was founded in 1816 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . After
144-680: A settlement that allowed the school to remain accredited while re-filing their accreditation documentation. The university's accreditation was reaffirmed in 2006. Centennial Hall, which contains the Obi-Scott-Umunna Collection of African Art, is the oldest building on campus. Built in 1916, it was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 1976. It was designed by Richard Lewis Brown, Jacksonville's first known black architect. The Centennial Hall building contains
168-594: Is located in the city's Urban Core , immediately northwest of Downtown . It is bounded by King Street to the north, I-95 to the west, Seminary Street to the east, and Beaver Street to the south. Edward Waters College Edward Waters University is a private Christian historically Black university in Jacksonville, Florida . It was founded in 1866 by members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church) as
192-504: The New Town Success Zone , modeled after New York City 's Harlem Children's Zone , which provides comprehensive social and educational programs and services to children in the neighborhood. In 2012 a completed HabiJax home was furnished and decorated by a local interior designer as a model for the revitalization of the neighborhood. The project, which constructed more than 100 new homes, was completed in 2012. New Town
216-978: The Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) from 2006–07 to 2009–10. For football only, Edward Waters participated in The Sun Conference for the 2014 and 2015 fall seasons, and would later join the Mid-South Conference 's Sun Division from the 2017 to 2020 fall seasons. Edward Waters competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include competitive cheerleading. In 2019,
240-567: The "Triple Threat Marching Band." The band was established in 2001 and has twice received an invitation to the Honda Battle of the Bands in 2009 and 2013. The marching band has also been invited to perform at halftime for the NFL 's Jacksonville Jaguars . Florida Times-Union The Florida Times-Union is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida , United States. Widely known as
264-576: The 1870s. It reopened in 1883 as "East Florida Conference High School”, then changed to “East Florida Scientific and Divinity High School.” Over the next ten years, the curriculum was expanded. In 1892, the school was renamed for Edward Waters, the third bishop of the AME Church. A drawing of 1893 shows that the College President at that time was John R. Scott, Sr. , first pastor of the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church of Jacksonville, and
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#1732790481332288-578: The 2021–22 academic year; which they were a member on a previous stint from 1930–31 to 1934–35. Prior joining the NCAA, The Tigers previously competed in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2010–11 to 2020–21 (with an associate transitional membership period for competing in conference championships during the 2021–22 school year); and in
312-630: The Civil War, it sent numerous missionaries to the South to plant AME churches. The first African Methodist Episcopal pastor in the state, William G. Steward, originally named the college Brown Theological Institute. Charles H. Pearce was also involved in establishing an educational institution for the AME church in Jacksonville. Struggling with some financial difficulties, the school closed for much of
336-791: The Edward Waters University Library, which was relocated from the H. Y. Tookes Building in 1979. The library also contains art and artifacts from central and West Africa. The Edward Waters athletic teams are called the Tigers and the Lady Tigers. The university is a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) as a provisional member since
360-609: The Seaboard merged in 1967 and were predecessors of CSX Transportation ; the Florida East Coast has maintained its corporate identity into the 21st century. Both railroads have their headquarters in Jacksonville, the railroad hub of the state. In 1983 Morris Communications of Augusta, Georgia , acquired the Florida Publishing Company for $ 200 million. In October 2017 Gatehouse Media acquired
384-785: The Wells Fargo building at 1 Independent Drive, Suite 200 in downtown Jacksonville. For most of the 20th century, The Florida Times-Union was owned by the Florida Publishing Company, which was in turn jointly owned by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , the Florida East Coast Railway , and the Seaboard Air Line Railway , the three main railroads serving Jacksonville, having been acquired in equal shares by them or their corporate predecessors about 1896. The Coast Line and
408-604: The country. The paper is now owned by Gannett . Its editor is Paul Runnestrand. In 1864, during the American Civil War , J. K. Stickney and W. C. Morrill published the first edition of the Florida Union . It was a Northern and Republican paper, at the time when Jacksonville was occupied by the Union Army . By 1867, Stickney sold the Florida Union to Edward M. Cheney, of Boston . Cheney tried to make
432-483: The oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the Florida Union in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when the Florida Union merged with another Jacksonville paper, the Florida Daily Times . In 1983, Morris Communications of Augusta, Georgia , purchased Florida Publishing Company. The Times-Union became the largest newspaper of this chain, which owns a number of newspapers around
456-458: The paper into a daily publication but lacked the needed money. The Union was sold to Walton, Fowle & Co. in 1873. Stockholder C. F. Mawbey assumed control and turned the Union into a daily publication. Cheney returned to the Union as an editor. In 1876, the Union was in decline and abandoned daily publication. Financially doomed, it was sold to H. B. McCallum, who then returned it to daily publication and converted it from an afternoon to
480-461: The school's accreditation, but the school appealed. A hearing was held in Atlanta during February 2005, and the appeal by Edward Waters University was denied. The school filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction during litigation, which a federal judge granted. The judge ruled that the college could show they were denied due process, and appointed two mediators. In June, the college and SACS agreed to
504-554: The university received a membership invitation to join the SIAC, a historic HBCU athletic conference playing at the NCAA Division II level. Although still holding active membership in the NAIA, EWU has a scheduling agreement with the SIAC to play SIAC opponents in non-conference competition. Following the invitation, the college plans to apply for NCAA Division II membership and begin the multi-year transition process to become
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#1732790481332528-651: Was accredited as a four-year institution by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and started awarding bachelor's degrees . Edward Waters University offers bachelor's degrees in eight academic programs including the following: Bachelor of Arts in communications, Music, Psychology, or Criminal Justice; Bachelor of Science in biology, Elementary Education or Mathematics; and Bachelor of Business Administration. Beginning in 1979, Edward Waters University (EWU)
552-745: Was accredited as a four-year institution by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-COC). In 2004, Edward Waters University had submitted documents to SACS to support their request for reaccreditation. A Florida Times-Union investigation in October discovered that the EWU documents plagiarized sections of text and statistics from a similar Alabama A&M University document. The Commission on Colleges voted to drop EWU from membership in SACS, thus revoking
576-499: Was published on February 4, 1883. The paper was partisan and worked to promote railroad interests. The Daily Times was reporting on election related violence in 1882. On February 11, 2018, The Florida Times-Union printed its last papers in Jacksonville after 154 years. The Florida Times-Union newspapers are now printed at The Gainesville Sun and The Daytona Beach News-Journal , which are both owned by Gatehouse Media . On April 1, 2019, The Florida Times-Union moved to
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