City Hall
The significance of The Lawson family is so grand in Palatka that a family tree is painted in a mural on the side of the family business.
The mural is painted on the side of the E W Lawson & Son Funeral Home, the Lawson family business. The funeral home opened in 1913. For the past 104 years, the business has remained family owned and operated. The Lawson family also opened a hospital for blacks and whites in 1922. The hospital can see painted in the mural.
Mary Lawson found her footing away from the dead and the sick by working as the vice mayor of Palatka. She is the first female elected to her position. And now with Palatka dubbed as a "dying city," Lawson hasn't stopped trying to put life back into the city of Palatka.
Lawson remembers the day she read The Washington Post article about her city.
"When I read it, I got really upset at first," she said. "We're not a dying city, but it brought some things out. Like we weren't getting enough help."
The vice mayor said that the article about Palatka made people realize that their small town had a lot more to offer than it already was.
"We have something to offer that we haven't gotten out there and advertised," Lawson said.
Among Palatka's biggest places to see are the St. John's River, the Bartram trail, the two industrial parks, and the airport, where visitors can get aerial views of the town. The city, she said, is trying to pump more tourism into the town by showing off its extensive and rich history.
"It's a quiet town, but we still got folks that don't want change. They like the little quiet town. But we can't stay that way. We have to change with the times."
The Palatka mall had tons of stores when it first opened, according to Lawson. But big stores are leaving Palatka. Lawson said this trend is happening everywhere though because of a new generation of online shopping. It's easy for consumers now to find something in a mom-and-pop shop and then find the same product online for maybe a little bit cheaper, she said.
"We've been making changes, and the changes have been good," Lawson said. "People are knowing that we're here."
Palatka a dying city? Palakta’s Mayor, Terrill Hill, could not disagree more.
“When you look at it, when JCP closed, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet came in at the same time," Hill said. "We have had a number of permits coming through the community with different business that have started coming in. I think it is 57 businesses have come to downtown in the last three years. We have seen a lot for local entrepreneurs, and we have seen a lot of folks from out of town come in.”
Hill said the previous administration in Palatka tried to build Palatka up and now the new administration is improving these efforts and yielding tangible results.
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| City Hall Entrance in Palatka, FL. |
“You know, one thing I always say is the best way to resuscitate a dying city is to restore the people, and that’s what we’ve really done.” Hill said.
He said that at the start of his administration his goal was to create opportunities for residents in Palatka who own their own businesses to drive the economy. He said that creating jobs starts with small endeavors.
"We have really placed an emphasis on making sure that we get local business into our downtown area as well as our outlying areas.”
Besides the growing number of local businesses sprouting up in Palatka, Hill said the number of citizens who dedicate their time to the growth and well being of their city proves the community is prospering. Annual events like the Palatka Pride Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat are just a few examples when everyone comes together to contribute to a place they love and live in.
Besides the growing number of local businesses sprouting up in Palatka, Hill said the number of citizens who dedicate their time to the growth and well being of their city proves the community is prospering. Annual events like the Palatka Pride Fall Festival and Trunk-or-Treat are just a few examples when everyone comes together to contribute to a place they love and live in.
When community stakeholders like Palatka Pride, the Palatka Police Department, St. Johns River State, the Health Department, Waste Pro and Waste Management contribute to these festivities, Hill said it's a chance for people with a passion for Palatka to come together.
"The first year we did it, we dedicated a little library house, but we also did a remake of the park as part of our Palatka Proud initiative," Hill said. "We cleaned the park up, created parking lots and different trails.”
Hill said he is certain that beautifying the parks and nature walks throughout Palatka helps bring more people into Palatka.
“We are the Gem City of the St. Johns River and have many treasures. Whether it’s the Bartram Trail, the eco-tourism, the Rodman Dam, the vast history of both African American as well as the community history as a whole that just hasn’t been shared. Those are the things that we really push.”
It seems that no matter where one looks in Palatka, someone is there trying to make the city better for everyone. This can be said for the local administration, police force, and even the local people. With such a large portion of Palatka banning together to ensure it is around for generations to come, it is clear that the people who reside in this city truly are proud of Palatka.