ORANGE PARK  – Orange Park’s Lawrence Hicks was once known as the town’s favorite "Ice Man."

Delivering ice to homes all over the county during the 1930s and 1940s, customers were always intrigued by his beaming smile and the fascinating stories he had to tell. 

“He worked hard. He had a rough life in the beginning, and he rose above that to become a positive force in the community," Historical Society of Orange Park President Cynthia Cheatwood said. 

But following his death in 1982, his story went untold. His grave unmarked. 

Until now.

On April 12, the Historical Society of Orange Park hosted a ceremony dedicated to unveiling Hicks’ new headstone memorial, sitting within the Magnolia Cemetery.

Members of the public, the town council, along with some of Hicks’ blood relatives were in attendance to celebrate the special occasion.

Cheatwood said it was a long time coming.

“He had that kind of a servant’s heart ingrained in him – so, he just deserved better,” she said.

Hicks' relatives were in attendance and told stories of their summers with him.

Hicks was an African-American entrepreneur originally from the farm town of Yukon – currently the Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park. The small community was closed in 1963, the Navy deeming it unsafe for nearby families. 

Cheatwood said that Hicks went to school for two years before beginning his full-time work on the farm – his father instilling in him the importance of raising livestock and maintaining a family garden. 

Traveling around on wagons with oxen, railroad or by the “Ollie” sailboat, she said Hicks and his father would transport produce throughout Jacksonville. 

Hicks began working in turpentine camps and eventually established Orange Park’s only ice business on McIntosh Avenue. 

Cheatwood said the house is still standing today. 

Tales and memories from some of Hicks’ nieces and nephews left the audience with laughter and endearment, reliving what it was like to spend their summers with the Hicks’ family – from making early-morning deliveries to playfully drinking melted ice that fell from underneath the house.

Cheatwood said she was grateful for their presence. 

“It was just such a lovely surprise to see so many of them come,” she said. 

Applause was heard as the relatives then pulled the cover back, revealing a marble headstone boldly labeled ‘Hicks’ – in memory of the beloved Ice Man and his first wife, Effie Pollard. 

Pollard passed away in 1967 and her grave also went unmarked, though Hicks supplied a grave cover and planted a cedar tree at the head of her grave, which is still there. 

Cheatwood said that, without a headstone, it took years to find Hicks’ final resting place and properly tell his story. Providing the proper headstone was no doubt something they had to do.

In a collaboration with Jacksonville Memory Gardens, Cheatwood said the process took months and the society considered various ideas of what to put on the headstone. 

One of the biggest challenges: confirming Hicks’ date of birth. Due to a fire that burned down the home he grew up in, all of Hicks’ paperwork was lost, Cheatwood said, and it was nearly impossible to prove his age.

It wasn’t until recently that Cheatwood said the society fished through tons of archives to find an interview with Hicks dating back to Nov. 21, 1977. In that interview, she said they found the missing piece to a decade-long question.

The headstone now marks his date of birth as March 28, 1888. 

“No longer will it be a challenge. So, we are going to make sure anybody who's looking for it will know it's here," Cheatwood said.