Editing Jay, Florida (section)

==History==
===19th century===
In 1821, Spain formally yielded possession of [[Spanish Florida]] to the United States and it became the [[Florida Territory]] in 1822. Santa Rosa County was created in 1842, three years before Florida became a state in 1845. The '''Town of Jay''' was known in the early 1800s as "''Cobb Old Field''", but was later known as "''Pine Level''". It is located about 38 miles north of [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] and 27 miles north of [[Milton, Florida]], and about 3 miles from the [[Escambia County, Alabama]], state line.<ref name="Diamond1949"/>

The Jernigan family were among some of the earliest pioneers in the "Pine Level" area of Santa Rosa County. Among them were such settlers as Van Jernigan, who arrived when Florida was still a territory. His homestead near the headbank at the southern bend of Cobb Creek was located on the eastern side of Milton-Pollard Road. As with many residents of the area, Jernigan's occupation was in the timber and logging industry. He also owned one of the area's largest range cattle herds, descendants of which continued to roam on the open range even many years after his death. Jerningan's estate sold them sometime in the 1890s.<ref name="Diamond1949"/>

Eldridge Jernigan was another member of the Jernigan family who was an early settler in the area. He later moved to the nearby community of [[Mount Carmel, Florida|Mount Carmel]].<ref name="Diamond1949"/>

===20th century===
In 1902, a committee was formed to select a name for the thriving farming community. James "Jay" Thomas Nowling submitted the name "Pine Level" but it was declined due to another Florida post office already using that same name. Nowling was asked to submit a second name and was turned down again due to the name being too long. He was asked to submit yet another name but the [[United States Postal Service]] decided to name the new post office after his [[nickname]] ("Jay") before he was able to submit another name, and then Nowling became the first [[postmaster]] for the community that now had his [[namesake]].<ref name="Diamond1949"/>

In 1922, at least 175 African-American residents of Jay left in a [[mass exodus]] after a fight between a black and a white farmer, leaving a legacy of Jay being known as a [[sundown town]].<ref name="Little2022">{{Cite news |last=Little |first=Jim |date=February 20, 2023 |title=A fight over a stalk cutter in 1922 turned into a mass exodus of Black residents of Jay |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/jay/2022/06/09/jay-florida-sundown-town-forgotten-legacy-black-farmers/9851577002/ |access-date=March 30, 2023 |work=[[Pensacola News Journal]] |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330223127/https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/jay/2022/06/09/jay-florida-sundown-town-forgotten-legacy-black-farmers/9851577002/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Little2008">{{Cite news |last=Little |first=Jim |date=February 20, 2023 |title=Two Florida Cities, Two Paths: Former 'Sundown Towns' Grapple with Their Pasts |url=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/state/2022/06/08/florida-sundown-towns-jay-ocoee-past-racial-legacy/9805440002/ |access-date=March 30, 2023 |work=[[Pensacola News Journal]] |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330224631/https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/state/2022/06/08/florida-sundown-towns-jay-ocoee-past-racial-legacy/9805440002/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Collington |first=Theresa |date=March 1, 2010 |title=Racial Tension Thick in Florida Panhandle Town After Party Shooting |url=https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/florida/racial-tension-thick-in-florida-panhandle-town-after-party-shooting/67-390702217 |access-date=March 30, 2023 |work=[[WSTP]]}}</ref> In a 1974 ''[[Tampa Bay Times]]'' article, the then-mayor of Jay, J.D. Bray said: "The sun doesn't set on a colored man in Jay, ... Come 4 o'clock, they're gone. They were run out of here back in the days of the turpentine still. And they know better than to come in here.".<ref name="Little2022" /> According to the [[US Census]] in 2010 and in 2020, the town still had only four African-American residents, but that was up from just two Black citizens on the 2000 US Census.<ref name="GR2" /><ref name="Little2008" /><ref name=usc2010/><ref name=usc2020/>

The Town of Jay was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1951.<ref name=JayInc>{{Cite web|title=FLORIDA CITIES BY INCORPORATION YEAR WITH INCORPORATION & DISSOLUTION INFO|url=https://www.flcities.com/docs/default-source/research-institute-reports/2020citiesbyincorporationwithinfo.pdf?sfvrsn=5009d6d5_0|access-date=May 17, 2025|website=www.flcities.com}}</ref><ref name=JInc>{{Cite web|title=MUNICIPAL DIRECTORY: Town of Jay|url=https://www.floridaleagueofcities.com/research-resources/municipal-directory|access-date=May 17, 2025|website=www.floridaleagueofcities.com}}</ref><ref name="JayInc2020">{{Cite web |title=Florida Cities By Incorporation Year with Incorporation & Dissolution Info |url=https://www.flcities.com/docs/default-source/research-institute-reports/2020citiesbyincorporationwithinfo.pdf?sfvrsn=5009d6d5_0 |website=www.flcities.com |access-date=February 20, 2024 |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213212456/https://www.flcities.com/docs/default-source/research-institute-reports/2020citiesbyincorporationwithinfo.pdf?sfvrsn=5009d6d5_0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Little2022" />