Tragic Downtown Accident Involving Two Prominent Jacksonville Women

Saturday, there was a tragic accident downtown involving two prominent Jacksonville women. The accident occurred at the intersection of Hogan Street and Adams Street. Both women were rushed to the local physician after they were violently ejected from their vehicle onto the pavement.

This sounds like any other accident, but it happened June 6, 1903, nearly 106 years ago. It involved Mrs. A.S. Mann and her mother Mrs. George W. Clark, Sr. The women were visiting downtown to purchase a few items when their High Stanhope (the Chevy Tahoe style horse carriage of the day, which included plush leather seating and larger rear wheels) overturned. It seems that, as the women guided their horse and carriage from Bay Street onto Hogan, the straps that Mrs. Clark was using to direct their horse suddenly broke causing her to lose control. When the front of the carriage touched the horse, the horse kicked the dashboard of the carriage several times with his hind legs (alerting passersby) and quickly trotted up Hogan dragging the carriage rapidly behind it.

When the carriage reached Adams Street, the horse (still connected) made a rapid and unpredictable turn heading East on Adams Street. The carriage and women were jerked so violently that the Stanhope overturned throwing both women to the ground. Witnesses reported that Mrs. Mann (wife of former State Legislator A.S. Mann) was ejected in such a fashion that it appeared that she were diving into a pool. Her head struck the ground with the full force of her body weight, and she was left unconscious. Her mother, Mrs. George Clark (wife of wealthy land owner, marble company owner, local undertaker and national bicycle company owner, George W. Clark, Sr.) left the carriage in a near standing position and hit the ground feet first, then fell onto her side.

The first men on the scene witnessed blood oozing from Mrs. Mann’s head as she was laying motionless face down on the ground and decided that she had a cracked skull. They agreed that there was no hope for her. Mrs. Clark, very slightly injured, rushed to her side. The men carried both ladies one block to the local physicians whose offices were located at 131 West Adams Street. Not long after Mrs. Mann was carried into the office, she regained consciousness. The physicians treated the most seriously hurt Mrs. Mann first and concluded that not only had she not cracked her skull, but that her most severe injury was her arm. It had been badly cut, and they quickly stitched the wound. In addition, one of her front teeth was broken.

Friends and passersby who had gathered outside considered it a miracle when both women exited the physicians’ office calmly and collected. Moments later, a new carriage and driver arrived from Mrs. Clark’s estate to collect the women and return them to their home. That evening, Mr. Mann was wired by telegraph notifying him of the event and informing him that his wife would fully recover within days.

George and Gertrude lived a long and prosperous life. George passed away in 1939 and Gertrude in 1954. They are both buried in the Clark family plot in Evergreen Cemetery off Main Street. Their estate home was located on Oriental Road. The estate consisted of the property extending from the San Marco theatre area to Oriental Road (nearly ½ mile) including all of the riverfront. But that story is for another day.

Interestingly, the 1903 Florida-Times Union included a railroad advertisement (located next to the article used to create this story) which reported one-way travel from Jacksonville to Washington, D.C would cost $37.

George W. Clark, Sr., holds a special place in history as a friend and benefactor of the Founder of Rotary (Paul P. Harris). He was voted an Honorary Rotarian (second in the world), making him one of the first 21 Rotarians in history. In 1912, George Clark, Sr., became the first President of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, and the first Rotarian in the state of Florida. “You were a real friend, George Clark, a grand and generous friend!” -Paul P. Harris (1917)

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Joseph Miller is a life-long resident of Jacksonville, Florida, and an active member of the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville. As a historian, he recently completed his first book on the Founder of Rotary, Paul P. Harris, titled “That Paul Harris.”

Joseph can be reached at JaxHistory@gmail.com.