JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A nondescript house in west Jacksonville is making rock history this weekend, when the childhood home of Ronnie and Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd gets a historical marker Saturday.
The marker recognizes the band but also brother Donnie of .38 Special.
"This is the Van Zant house,” said Charles Harding, who along with his wife has been fixing the house for six months. "People will know where the house is now and be able to stop and pay their respects to southern music and learn a little bit about the history."
During the renovation process, Harding found the old, weathered checkbook of Lacy Van Zant, and a crackerjack box from the 70s.
Harding also showed First Coast News an old Robert E. Lee High School yearbook featuring Leonard Skinner, the real-life teacher behind the band’s name.
The items will be on display at Saturday’s marker unveiling, but neighbors like John Haye who’s lived nearby for 63 years were already excited Friday.
"It's hard to put a value on something like that,” Haye said. “To some people that was just a bunch of noise but to me, it was for real southern music. They just don't do it like that anymore."
The unveiling is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at 5419 Woodcrest Road.