The Hill is a historic African American neighborhood in Jacksonville Beach that dates back to the late 19th century.

Neighborhood photograph tour

The Rhoda L. Martin Cultural Heritage Center is located at 376 4th Street South. It is housed in the former Jacksonville Beach School for Colored Children, School No. 144, which opened in 1939. The school grew out of an earlier school established by Rhoda L. Martin. Born enslaved in 1832 in Abbeville, South Carolina, Martin arrived in Pablo Beach in 1891 and resided at the corner of Shetter Avenue and 6th Street South. She was one of the founding members of the St. Andrews A.M.E. Church congregation and established the first school for African-Americans in Jacksonville Beach in 1924. She passed in 1948 at the age of 116. Today, the Rhoda L. Martin Cultural Heritage Center serves as a multi-purpose site to exhibit and preserve the African American historical artifacts of the Beaches area.

Carver Recreation Center is a public park and community center operated by the City of Jacksonville Beach.

The Carver Recreation Center is located at 777 5th Avenue South.

The First Missionary Baptist Church building, at 810 3rd Avenue South, was built in 1946. The congregation was founded in 1913 with the sponsorship of St. Johns Missionary and Bethel Institutional Baptist Churches. The first church site was located at 6th and Main Streets.

The St. Andrews African Methodist Episcopal Church was constituted in 1912. Initial services were held in the home of Mrs. Rhoda Martin and the first settled pastor was Rev. Parson Francis. In 1912, a small frame building with a bell tower was constructed on 32nd Street. In 1960, the current structure at 125 9th Street South was completed.

Good Samaritan Life Changing Ministries building at 119 6th Street South was completed in 1970.

The Second Missionary Baptist Church at 752 3rd Avenue South.

Located at 931 3rd Avenue South, the Thomas Chapel Church of God by Faith began in a tent at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and 6th Street South in Jacksonvile Beach. The current building was dedicated in December 1938.

A signification portion of the neighborhood was razed and redeveloped as public housing by the Jacksonville Housing Authority during the 1960s and 1970s.

In recent years, JHA has partnered with TVC Development Inc. to replace aging public housing units within the neighborhood. The new infill affordable housing development is called “The Waves.”

Like many areas along Florida’s coast, the neighborhood is also witnessing a tremendous amount of infill housing.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com