Blount Island

Blount Island is an island of approximately 2000acre on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, nine nautical miles (16.7 km) west of the Atlantic Ocean. One of three public cargo facilities at the Port of Jacksonville is located there, and it is also the site of the United States Marine Corps Blount Island Command.HistoryBefore the Port Authority obtained Blount Island, the island was named Goat Island. The Bartchlett family lived on the island for over 35 years. They were there during World War II. They observed ships coming through the channel still burning from action in the war. The Dames Point Cut that straightened the river was signed off by George Bartchlett allowing the dredging to begin. He raised seven children and four grandchildren on this island. At that time the only way to the island was by boat. The house once set on the Dames Point side of the island. The children going to school caught the bus at the end of Dames point road. There is a lot of history to this island that once was a family's home. The St. Johns River between Jacksonville and the Atlantic Ocean twists and turns. That was not a problem until shipping companies began using bigger and bigger freighters after World War II. The United States Army Corps of Engineers created the Dames Point Cut, a straight channel that provided an alternative to the river's natural course, which contained several of the sharpest turns in the river. Four marsh islands received the dredging spoil and became Blount Island. The property was turned over to the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) for development. The west side of the island was developed and used for freight operations after the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) was established in 1963. Railroad access to the site was added in the late 1960s.