Beginning in 1908, Jacksonville had a two-decade-long love affair with the film industry. Where New York City was cold in the winter and Hollywood was still waiting to be established, Jacksonville became known as the “Winter Film Capital of the World.” Norman Studios was established in the midst of this film Renaissance. Begun as Eagle Film City in 1916 and purchased by Richard E. Norman in 1920, Norman Studios became one of the principal studios working with Black actors in town. The studio made films from 1920 to 1928, using…
