JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of people of all ages gathered at Historic Stanton Saturday morning to clean up the local landmark.
RELATED | Historic ‘Old Stanton’ High School to be renovated
Historic Stanton is a place Charles B. McIntosh remembers quite well.
As he looks up at the iconic stairs, he remembers running up and down them as a teenager.
For the 97-year-old this wasn’t always “Old Stanton” High School.
It used to be the McIntosh stomping grounds.
“I have lived much longer than I had anticipated,” McIntosh said. “So looking back now is a very nostalgic for me.”
McIntosh was a part of the Stanton Class of 1943.
The school was built in 1917, and it was the first Black secondary school in Jacksonville.
According to a statement, “Historic Stanton was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, but the history of the building is one of persistence and resilience.”
McIntosh said that’s a part of history that can’t be forgotten.
“It’s very important because that history is part of the history of Jacksonville,” he said. “A significant portion of the citizenry of Jacksonville at that time was African-American, so we can’t leave that out.”
As the years have gone by and the school has relocated, the Stanton Board of Trustees has been tasked with maintaining Historic Stanton and mapping out what’s next.
That included their first volunteer cleanup of the exterior, where dozens gathered to cut the grass, pull the weeds and pick up trash.
“It shows commitment to the city,” Barry Farmer, who helped organize the cleanup said. “I don’t ask people for money or things like that, but their time is their most precious resource and is the most valuable thing. I’m just thankful that they’re out here giving a little bit of their time.”
From 8 a.m. to noon, they cleaned up the outside and moved closer to future renovations. The group hopes they can make the building a space that will provide areas to learn about the building and the history of Jacksonville.
“It’s very important to keep this building as a reminder that education is the way forward,” McIntosh said.
News4JAX was told that construction on the windows and roof will start in about four weeks. That portion is expected to be done by the middle of 2025.