The Beginning
The Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers plant viewed from the railroad. | University of Florida
The Jones-Chambliss Company was officially incorporated in January 1911 with a capital investment of $30,000. The company name was a fusion of its founders’ names, Charles A. Jones and John O. Chambliss.
That same year, John Chambliss partnered with Walter and William Graddick, Barney Hart, Robert Stewart, and William Smith to establish the Jacksonville Cattle Company at 406 Forest Street. Situated in the heart of an established African-American neighborhood, this business began as a slaughterhouse. In July 1916, a one-story brick abattoir, designed by Prairie School architect Ransom Buffalo, was added just east of the Atlantic Coast Line railroad crossing. Buffalo was recognized for his residential designs in the Riverside area. By 1920, Chambliss had become the company’s president.
In 1921, Chambliss reunited with Jones, along with Alfred H. Goedert, to form the Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers, which took over operations at the Forest Street facility. The company focused on wholesale slaughtering and meat packing, distributing products under the brand name “Better Brand Products.”
Growth and Industrial Expansion
Strike at Jones-Chambliss Meat Packers in 1949. | Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library
In 1937, the facility expanded with a two-story, reinforced concrete structure faced in brick. A cattle pen was added at the rear of the property to confine livestock. Due to increasing demand, further expansions followed in 1938 and 1939. By 1940, the site encompassed a dog food plant located north of the 55,390-square-foot slaughterhouse, along 141 Pleasant Street.
Life inside the plant was arduous. Former worker Marie Hendricks Brooks recalled:
“I left home (Union County, FL) in the fall of 1935 to look for work with 65 cents and a pair of shoes borrowed from Mabel Forsythe. I never had an opportunity to return the shoes—I wore them out! Eventually, I found a job at Jones Chambliss Meat Packing Company making wieners at 20 cents per hour. The work was hard and nasty. I later got a job at Wilson & Co. making 25 cents per hour.”
In 1949, employees affiliated with the United Packinghouse Workers of America went on strike, demanding better pay and working conditions.
Military Contracts and Peak Operations
Plant workers in a warehouse filled with boxes of pigs feet. | University of Florida
Under the leadership of Alfred H. Goedert, the company secured contracts with the U.S. Navy and Air Force, prompting major expansion. In 1963, a boiler house, additional office space, and a warehouse were constructed.
Three years later, the company launched Henry’s Hickory House, a meat and bacon slicing facility on the west side of the railroad. This 28,000 square foot factory was designed by John L. Goedert, Alfred’s son, who had served in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. John took charge of construction and plant development.