Located in Hemming Plaza, the monument was erected in 1898 and paid for by Charles C. Hemming, a wealthy banker and Confederate veteran. Hemming had joined the Jacksonville Light Infantry in 1861, fought in the western theater, and was captured at the Battle of Missionary Ridge in 1863. He escaped to Canada from where he participated in spying expeditions on Union fortifications in the Midwest, and eventually returned to the 3rd Florida Infantry in North Carolina where he ended the war as a sergeant-major. To honor Hemming for his donation, the City of Jacksonville changed the name of the monument site from St. James Park to Hemming Park in 1899.

Image Courtesy William Lees, Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN)

Information provided by the Florida Division of Historical Resources.