WJCT Public Media recently announced the debut of its newest podcast, Bygone Jax: Our Unsung History.

Bygone Jax was created in partnership with Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ), with the intention of educating Jaxsons on rich examples of local history that aren’t widely known or discussed. The show is powered by the researchers behind FSCJ’s History of Jacksonville course, which launched in fall 2022.

The first season will take listeners back to March of 1863, when two regiments of Black Union soldiers were sent to Jacksonville to occupy the city for the third time during the Civil War. Their mission: pester Confederate troops in the area, free enslaved people along the St. Johns River and enlist as many Black men as possible. Despite their successful occupation of Jacksonville, the Union soldiers were ordered to withdraw after just three weeks  — but media coverage of the events helped turn the tide of public opinion on Black troops serving in the army. By the war’s end in 1865, nearly 180,000 Black men were wearing or had worn Yankee blue.

Topics planned for future episodes include Northeast Florida’s Timucua civilization and Jacksonville’s place in national film history. Bygone Jax: Our Unsung History brings these stories to life with compelling sound-rich storytelling, a diversity of primary sources and historical context from subject matter experts.

The show is produced by WJCT Public Media in association with FSCJ. Listeners can subscribe to Bygone Jax on all major podcast platforms, including NPR One. More information can be found at wjct.org/podcasts.