Napoleon Bonaparte Broward House

Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Jr. was born on April 19, 1857 in Duval County, Florida, and soon became known for his extensive political career and his expeditions as a sea pilot to Cuba. In 1821, shipping increased along the St. Johns River after Florida became a possession of the United States, with Jacksonville becoming the center of a large port after the arrival of the first steamboat to the area in 1829. South of the north bank of the River on Fort George Island was Batten Island, where early Spanish settlers referred to the section of river that flowed through the area as the “Rio de Corrientes,” or “River of Currents.” It was in that location that Pilot Town grew, and where Broward, Jr. established his eventual summer home with his family.

Pilot Town was developed as a necessary means to house men known as “bar pilots,” known for navigating treacherous waters where the St. Johns River met the Atlantic Ocean. Though it was an important port area, the currents and shifting sandbar made the journey nearly impossible for unskilled sailors or those unfamiliar with the terrain, so bar pilots were responsible for boarding ships to guide them through the waterways. Broward, Jr. began working on boats as a young man, holding jobs such as a fisherman or cook. In 1878, he got a job working on tugboats, and shortly after, in 1883, he received his pilot license. He then became the joint owner of the steamboat the Kate Spencer, and later, began his political career.

In 1888, Broward, Jr. became the sheriff of Duval County. Two years later he was elected to the post, then again in 1896. While Broward, Jr. explored his political agenda, he maintained his job working on boats in Pilot Town. It was in 1895, the same year he was elected to city council, that he built The Three Friends with his brother. Beginning the following year and lasting until 1897, he made eight journeys to Cuba to supply revolutionaries with arms and munitions while evading law enforcement sent to seize his ship. Eventually, The Three Friends was converted into a peacetime freight, and Broward, Jr. focused on politics.

In 1900, he was elected to the House of Representatives, and in 1905, was elected as Florida’s 19th governor. As governor, he was sometimes referred to as “Florida’s Fighting Democrat.” Although he made pushes to drain the Everglades, he also worked to increase the salaries of teachers, worked toward prison reform, worked to establish child labor laws, and wanted to enforce an eight-hour workday. It was in 1897 that Broward, Jr. purchased his summer home in Pilot Town. It is believed that the relatively square, two-story house with wooden framing covered with weatherboard siding was built in 1878, although little documentation exists due to the Great Fire of 1901 that burned most of the city and the county courthouse along with it. The year prior, the property had been purchased by Laura and Dr. Jonathan Gilbert, with mixed records recounting him as either a doctor or a dentist. The Folk Victorian style of the house coincides with that time period, as the style was popular around 1870 to 1910.

The house rests on 2.9 acres of land that was inhabited by Native Americans thousands of years prior to the purchase of the land. Because of this, Timucuan shells and artifacts dating back 3,500 years can still be found around the property. Initially, and lasting until the 20th century, the only access to the estate was by boat. Broward, Jr. was elected to the United States Senate in 1910, but died before taking office. However, his family continued to use the house until the 1990s, making improvements during that time. It is estimated around 1910-1918 a shed was put in place, and in the 1920s, a large sunroom extension of the porch was constructed.

In 1996, the house was sold to Tracy and Karl Zillgitt, who lived there as their prime residence rather than using it as a summer home as the Browards did. From 1996 to 2003, they conducted extensive repairs to return the estate to what it may have resembled when the Browards lived in the home. Their plans included adding a modern kitchen in place of an existing one, as well as two new bathrooms in what was once a spare bedroom. They also removed the porch section that was built in the 1920s and rebuilt it to more closely resemble the original design of the house. Although the house was already added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a landmark by the City of Jacksonville, in 2004, it was preserved as part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve due to the National Park Service, State of Florida, City of Jacksonville, and the national nonprofit Trust for Public Land (TPL). It was also added as part of the Timucuan State and National Parks.

1. Historic Broward House Preserved (FL), Trust for Public Land. July 30th 2004. Accessed October 4th 2020. https://www.tpl.org/media-room/historic-broward-house-preserved-fl.
2. Oppermann, Joseph K.. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward House: Historic Structure Report, National Park Service. March 2010. Accessed October 4th 2020. http://npshistory.com/publications/timu/hsr-broward-house.pdf.
3. Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, Florida Department of State. Accessed October 4th 2020. https://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-history/florida-governors/napoleon-bonaparte-broward/.