Joseph Haygood Blodgett facts for kids

Joseph Haygood Blodgett (1858–1934), often called J. H. Blodgett, was an important African American builder and designer. He lived and worked in Jacksonville, Florida, during the early 1900s.

Early Life and Building Career

Joseph Blodgett was born on February 8, 1858, in Augusta, Georgia. He was born into slavery. As a teenager, he left the farm and moved to Summerville, South Carolina. There, he first worked as a laborer.

Later, he started his own businesses. These included a company that moved goods with horse-drawn carts and a lumberyard. He also spent some time farming. After facing financial difficulties, he moved to Jacksonville.

In Jacksonville, he worked for the railroad for a while. Soon, he started his own businesses again, including another lumberyard. By 1898, he focused entirely on building homes. He built many houses in the growing city of Jacksonville.

Rebuilding Jacksonville

In 1901, a huge fire destroyed much of downtown Jacksonville. Joseph Blodgett played a big part in rebuilding the city quickly. By 1919, his company had built more than 250 houses. He kept many of these houses as investments.

Most of the homes he built were smaller houses. They were often in the African American neighborhoods of the city. However, he also built some larger, fancy homes. These included his own house, called "Blodgett Villa." It was located on West 8th Street in Jacksonville.

Blodgett also built homes in other states. These included Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. He stopped working in the 1920s because of his health. When he passed away on June 5, 1934, he was thought to be one of the richest African Americans in Florida.

Surviving Buildings

Many of Blodgett's buildings were later torn down. This happened during city improvement projects in Jacksonville's African American communities. However, some of his buildings, mostly homes, are still standing today:

• Mortuary for Lawton L. Pratt, 525 W Beaver St, Jacksonville, Florida (built in 1915)
• Houses for Joseph H. Blodgett, 1241 and 1251 Hart St, Jacksonville, Florida
• Houses for Joseph H. Blodgett, 1441 and 1447 N Myrtle Ave, Jacksonville, Florida
• Houses for Joseph H. Blodgett, 1476 and 1480 N Myrtle Ave, Jacksonville, Florida

Community Leadership and Family

Besides his success in business, Blodgett was also a respected community leader. After the 1901 fire, he helped lead a group that organized aid for the African American community. He also supported the local chapter of the Negro Business League. He helped Edward Waters College and his church too.

Joseph Blodgett married Sallie A. Barnes in 1894. She was from Bamberg, South Carolina.

Later, a large public housing project in Jacksonville was named after him. It was called Blodgett Homes and built in 1942. Its replacement was also named after him, called Blodgett Villas.