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St Augustine has many things to be proud of, yet many people do not know any of them. Let’s fix that.
It is the oldest (with occupants) European settlement in the 48 contiguous United States.
Spanish conquistador Pedro Menendez de Aviles lands on the east coast of Florida circa 1565. He names the settlement “San Agustin” in honor of St. Augustine’s feast day, eleven days earlier.
WAIT! What about Ponce de Leon?
He did sail from Cuba in 1513 and was the first to record spotting the coast of Florida. Earlier slave traders were probably the first to land.
But Ponce probably did not land in the St Augustine area, and none of his records ever mention a fountain.
It is the second-oldest continuously European city in U.S. territory with inhabitants after 1521’s San Juan, Puerto Rico.
British pilgrims will not begin their first colony at Jamestown, Virginia, until 1607.
Spain claims everything for themselves, paying no attention to the tribes already living there.
French Influence.
Circa 1562, a group of French Huguenots arrive near the mouth of the St. Johns River. Today the area is Jacksonville, 40 miles north of St Augustine. They then sail north and establish a settlement they call Charlesfort at Port Royal Sound, near Hilton Head S.C.
Two years later, more Huguenots arrive at the St. John River area and establish Fort Caroline.
They are on Spanish land, according to Spain.
Menendez sails from Cadiz, Spain, sighting land in August. They quickly construct fortifications to protect the settlers and supplies. This settlement is St Augustine.
After eradicating the French from Fort Caroline, he moves St Augustine to a location easier to defend. He will move it one more time to an area south of the current town plaza. He also builds additional forts along the coast to police the Spanish coast.
For the first few years, the Spanish live in peace with the local natives.
Pirates From The Caribbean.
When the 1586 Anglo-Spanish War breaks out, the English privateer (English for pirate) Sir Francis Drake sacks St. Augustine. The Spanish rearguard attacks the British pirates, killing one of Drake’s men. So the pirate has his men burn the town down.
The Spanish rebuild St Augustine and their troops. For the next 80 years, they battle pirates, the British, French, and local natives to control St. Augustine and the Florida coast.
Pirates From England.
The 1663 Carolina charter claims lands as far south as Daytona Beach. Still fighting in Europe, the Spanish Crown does not have the time, money, or forces to do anything about it.
When English pirates again sack St Augustine and kill townspeople, Queen Regent Mariana finally takes notice. She orders the building of a masonry fortress, circa 1672.
It will take 23 years to complete the Castillo de San Marcos.
The 1702 British attack on the fort is a failure, so they burn St. Augustine to the ground.
Circa 1738, the Spanish governor creates the settlement of Fort Mose. It is the first legal free Black settlement in the soon-to-be U.S. It is for those slaves fleeing English slavery in the colonies.
The slaves need to convert to Catholicism, and the healthy ones help defend St Augustine. The wooden enclosure was the first wall of security north of the Castillo.
From the colony of Georgia, General Oglethorpe leads a 1740 attack on the Castillo de San Marcos that also fails. In part due to the counter-attack of soldiers from Fort Mose and local natives.
However, the wooden structure of Fort Mose burns to the ground. The free blacks and some local natives will live in St Augustine until they can build a new Fort Mose. By 1742 the next fort is complete.
A new government insists that all blacks must return to the settlement. The fort will continue to thrive until 1763.
Not So Ancient.
With Great Britain’s victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years’ War, The 1763 Treaty of Paris cedes Florida to Great Britain, Spain gets Cuba back in the deal.
With that, the majority of Spanish in St. Augustinian relocate to Cuba. The inhabitants of Fort Mose follow them.
Great Britain splits Florida in half, making the East and West Florida colonies. This move makes St. Augustine a Loyalist stronghold during the upcoming American Revolution.
Brits from the north and the mother country began heading to Florida. Each white male would get 100 acres of land, plus an additional 50 acres for each family member.
Unlike the Spanish, the Brits allowed slavery, so Northern Florida was no longer a refuge for slaves fleeing the south.
In St Augustine, the once Spanish houses and buildings began sprouting second floors with British architecture.
The British will rename the Castillo de San Marcos as Fort St. Mark. It would become a training camp and supply base, and later a prisoner of war camp during the revolution.
The New Smyrna Experiment.
Andrew Turnbull, a physician from Scotland, secures 40,000 acres from the British government, just south of St Augustine. He names the settlement in honor of his Greek wife, who comes from Smyrna now in present-day Turkey.
The plan was to fill the colony with indentured servants from Mediterranian countries familiar with working in the heat. The first ships arrive with laborers from Spanish Menorca, Italy, the Greek Islands, and French Corsica circa 1767.
The first few years are not productive. Crops are not resistant to insects or compatible to the new land. Eventually, they are producing indigo, hemp, and sugarcane. Although the quality is good, production does not compare to that of the Caribbean islands.
Also, there are attacks by the Native Americans, and the working and living conditions are harsh. Many of these colonists desert the settlement.
By 1777, the remaining workers march to St. Augustine to present their complaints to the governor of East Florida. He offers them sanctuary, and they all desert New Smyrna and move to St Augustine.
The Spanish Come Back.
The 1783 Treaty of Paris gives Florida back to Spain in exchange for the Bahamas.
Some British citizens leave, and some Spanish return. The Menorcans, the name for anyone from New Smyrna, regardless of where they originate, remain.
Spain owns Florida on paper, but it can not support it.
At home, they are trying to ward off Napoleon’s advance towards the Iberian Peninsula. Their colonies in South America are dropping one by one to revolutions.
On their mind, the last thing was East and West Florida, two colonies that were not supporting themselves.
Florida is becoming an orphan. They have the French to the west in New Orleans, and the British in the Bahamas to the east. The Alabama and Georgia colonies are to the north.
The United States, through some questionable dealings, moves to relieve Spain of the Florida colonies.
First, following the War of 1812 against the British, the Americans begin the First Seminole War. (1816–1819)
The Spanish cannot help do to the reasons above. The British are still reeling from the 1812 debacle, and it gets rid of natives.
The U.S. eventually negotiates the 1819 Adams–Onis Treaty, acquiring west and East Florida. Slavery becomes legal in Florida.
Andrew Jackson comes to Florida circa 1821 to establish the new territorial government. In place of Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, and St Augustine, the eastern capital, they create one capital, Tallahassee. It is halfway between the two old capitals.
The U.S. builds a series of forts and trading posts on a large reservation in the center of Florida. They tell the remaining Seminoles that they must vacate their lands and live here. Many go, but some head south into the Florida wilderness.
Who Do These Natives Think They Are.
The indigenous people, the first settlers to claim Florida, have been living, mostly in peace, for more than 12,000 years.
The Spanish push them, and then the British push more. Now this new group from up north is trying to send them entirely out of Florida. They are not going without a fight.
The 1835 Second Seminole War will last seven years. The United States attempts to move the Seminole from the reservation they put them on 11 years earlier. They want them west of the Mississippi River on a Creek Reservation.
They hold Seminole prisoners in St Augustine’s Fort Marion, previously the Castillo de San Marcos.
By the end of the second war, the Florida territory’s population is now over 54,000 people. Half this population is slaves, predominantly from Africa, although there are still a few native slaves.
People are moving further into central Florida, traveling by steamboats from Jacksonville along the St. Johns River, west of St Augustine. Others arrive in St Augustine by sea.
Small neighborhood railroads, many on narrow gauge, begin connecting this town with that. They are more for moving product than people.
Brand New State.
By 1845, the United States admits the 27th state, keeping the capital in Tallahassee.
The Third Seminole War (1855–1858) will occur in southwest Florida near Fort Myers and the Everglades. For the most part, it does not involve St Augustine.
Civil Unrest.
The new state is one of the first to pull from the union in 1861.
St Augustine begins the Civil War as a major supply port for the confederacy. However, by 1862 Union troops gain control of St. Augustine and hold on to it the rest of the war. Many residents flee.
Florida will not see too much fighting, and St Augustine remains out of the fight. Most battles take place closer to the Georgia Florida border.
By the end of the war, St Augustine has many of its original buildings. The city does not face rebuilding as much of the south does.
Henry Flagler Stretches the State.
Until the early 1900s, most Floridians are still living within 50 miles of the Georgia border. To the south are cattle ranches and wilderness.
During an 1883 visit to St Augustine, Henry Flagler finds it to be very inviting. However getting there, and decent accommodations are problems.
Two years later, he retires from Standard Oil’s day-to-day running.
He begins buying up regional railroads reaching south from Jacksonville. His first job is to move them all to a standard rail gauge.
He begins constructing the 540 room Ponce De Leon and 300 room Alcazar Hotels in St Augustine.
By January of 1888, his up-to-date railroad and hotels in St Augustine are up and running.
Flagler Moves On.
Flagler will go on to lay track as far as Key West, and in doing so, ignite several villages into towns. Daytona, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami can all thank Flagler for their growth. And all of those people will pass through St Augustine. By 1912, the railroad reaches Key West. The overseas railroad will operate until 1935 when the Labor Day hurricane destroys much of it.
The construction of the first north-south paved highway takes place between 1915 and 1927. The Dixie Highway stretches from the Michigan Canadian border to Miami. It passes right through St Augustine.
A little further east, U.S. 1 stretches from Fort Kent, Maine to Miami, Florida. It also passes right through St Augustine funneling people from the east coast. They extend U.S.1 from Miami to Key West circa 1938, using Flagler’s remaining train bridges.
Thanks to several visionaries, Florida has a transportation grid. Lucky for St Augustine, many of them lead to its doorstep.
Civil Rights.
All is not sunshine in the sunshine state. Florida, like much of the south, are not good losers after the Civil War.
Part of their success is due to the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist hate group. Their goal is to overthrow Republican state governments in the south. They use voter intimidation and violence to achieve this.
Their primary targets are African Americans, Jews, immigrants, homosexuals, and Catholics.
For more than sixty years, Democrats control a majority of the state’s seats in Congress. They base the number of positions on the total population, including the African Americans and women who cannot vote.
A World War.
The U.S.A. comes home from WWI as victors in 1918. Over the next ten years, the American economy grows 42%. Mass production and mass consumption spread across the land.
In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution became law allowing white women to vote.
But not everything is sunny in Florida.
After World War I, Florida sees a rise in racial violence against blacks in the state. Florida is not the only place, but it leads the nation in lynchings per capita from 1900–1930.
Black veterans are returning from a war where people have been treating them more like equals. All of a sudden, there are two classes. There is competition for jobs with so many service members looking all at once. And things are changing for everyone. Socially and economically, there is change, and most people do not adapt quickly. And there is lingering resentment resulting from the Reconstruction period, which is not too distant in the past.
The modern Klan flares up again after the World War, first in Georgia, but spreads to Florida quickly. Estimates are there are three million members nationwide by 1925. As the Depression deepens, the Klan begins to fade, except in Florida, where they expand their list of targets.
To escape lynchings, segregation, and civil rights suppression, more than 40,000 African Americans leave Florida to find better lives in northern cities between 1910–1940.
Then there is another World War and attention turn elsewhere. Once again, African Americans are equals on the battlefield.
And once again, they return to a two-class Florida.
Post World War.
Almost a decade after the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, the St Augustine public schools are still not integrating.
African Americans were facing arrest eating at public lunch counters, and the Ku Klux Klan was escalating violence.
The black leaders were victims of violence and death threats. Local college students holding non-violent protests at the Woolworth’s lunch counter, on picket lines, or marches receive the same.
By 1964, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) sends its leader to help St. Augustine civil rights leader Robert Hayling.
His name is Martin Luther King, Jr.
Working from May until July, King and his staff, including Andrew Young, help Hayling organize peaceful protests.
Hundreds of black and white civil rights supporters go to jail, filling them.
King and Hayling ask additional northern white civil rights supporters, including well-known public figures, to support St. Augustine.
They, along with King and Hayling, end up in jail. St. Augustine is the only place in Florida where King goes to jail.
Flash Point.
June 11, 1964, a group of white and black protestors meets at the Monson Motor Lodge’s pool. The manger of the hotel is James Brock.
The group enters the hotel’s swimming pool, despite the “whites only” sign. Brock begins pouring jugs of liquid into the pool, claiming it is muriatic acid to burn the protesters. The media gets their shots of police officers jumping into the pool to arrest the protesters.
The Ku Klux Klan responds with violent attacks. The media has a field day. Between the Klan, violence, and press coverage, events in St. Augustine finally push Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act.
St. Augustine Today.
Circa 1958, a historic preservation program began just before the 400th anniversary of St Augustine’s founding. The State of Florida helps support the program until 1997.
In 1971, the city began creating five local Historic Preservation Zoning Districts. Ordinances include regulating architectural modifications to the structures and commercial use.
Three years later, the city establishes the Historical Architectural Review Board to enforce ordinances on existing and new buildings. Since its inception, the city has been able to add seven districts to the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2020, there are over 50 listings on the register.
Today, control of the historic buildings belongs to the Univerity of Florida Historic St. Augustine, Inc. They not only tend to the buildings but educate, so the preservation continues.
To celebrate the 450th anniversary (2015) of St Augustine’s founding, the city gave a four-day-long festival. The King of Spain, Felipe VI, and his wife Queen Letizia of Spain, were special guests.
Fortunately, unfortunately, St Augustine is one of Florida’s most popular destinations. The area attracts over six million visitors every year. The peak months are June – August and for the Christmas lights in December.
But even with smaller numbers, it does not take long for the Historic District’s small colonial streets to fill up. Expect crowds. The good news is that most of the historic area is within a short walking area.
What is in St Augustine for me?
See & Hear.
You can walk along the harbor or a centuries-old cobble street. Listen to the waves, birds, or children playing. it’s up to you.
Taste & Smell.
It would be a crime to visit St Augustine and not try some form of seafood. Shrimp and fresh fish arrive daily.
A table by the water may give you a whiff of salt air.
Feel.
There is an energy about St Augustine. Walk the historic district in the morning, then again after dark. Can you feel it?
Stop for a coffee and macaroon, or pastry. Watch the never-ending parade of people go by.
There may be better ways to take a break, but this one doesn’t suck.
Should-see in St Augustine.
The St. Augustine Historic District.
This Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places, as are several structures within it.
There are few horses and no autos in the 1600s, so the streets are narrow.
The northern boundary is Orange Street, and St Francis is the southern one. These are approximately where the city walls were standing. You can walk from one street to the other in twenty minutes, depending on traffic.
The Matanzas River is the front (east) side of the district, and Cordova Street is the west side.
Some people mistakenly call this the Colonial district. It does include the Colonial Quarter, but that does not encompass the entire area.
We are starting on the waterfront at the bridge.
Bridge of Lions.
This structure, dating from 1927, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It connects the city with Anastasia Island. From the bridge, turn right (north) and walk along the west side with buildings.
Monson Motor Lodge.
This location is the scene of several turning points in St Augustine’s civil rights. They arrest Dr. Martin Luther King Jr for dining in the lodge’s segregated dining room. A week later, white and black protesters jump in the white-only pool drawing international attention. They tear down the motor lodge circa 2002. In the courtyard of the modern hotel are several of the Monson steps leading to the previous pool.
Castillo de San Marcos.
The fort was actually outside the city walls, but as you are passing it, stop in. The continental United States’ oldest masonry fort has commanding views of the Matanzas River and the approach from the ocean. It is the oldest structure in the city and a National Monument. Check for morning and afternoon cannon firings, usually in the summer.
Fort Alley.
To the west of the fort, look for the stoplight. This light is the legal crosswalk from the fort to the Colonial Quarter.
St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum.
Popular with pirates at heart, this museum began as the Pirate Soul Museum in Key West. Since 2010, it has been in St Augustine and has several hands-on displays. In addition to Caribbean pirate artifacts, there are also displays of the pirates from Hollywood.
From here, I suggest staying on the main road, S. Castillo Drive, and walking approximately five minutes north, with the street on your right. You will cross Orange Street, which I said was the northern border of the historic district. I guide outside of the lines sometimes.
Huguenot Cemetery.
On the northside of Orange St, this cemetery dating from 1821 is across from the historic City Gate. The Spanish (Catholic) St Augustine has a cemetery inside the walls for Catholics. The French Huguenots (Protestants) are outside with a view of the walls. You can view some of the grave markers from the street.
Old Spanish Trail Zero Milestone.
One of the first transcontinental paved highways, stretching from St Augustine to San Diego, California, dates from the 1920s. Along its 2,750 miles, it passes through eight states. Today, much of it is highway 90 from Jacksonville to West Texas. Near the Arizona and New Mexico border, it becomes Highway 80. Interstates 10 and 8 now share many sections.
If you have a lot of time, drive sections of it for a “Route 66-like” experience of old America.
Due to the landscape, it probably does share many parts (primarily through mountains) with the old Spanish foot trails. However, during building, it was to link towns that did not exist in early Spanish time.
St Augustine Civic Center.
The building behind the Milestone marker is the local tourist information center. In addition to local information, you will find restrooms and drinking fountains. Behind this building is a public parking garage.
Old City Gates.
Back south of the cemetery are the remains of a city gate and foundation of one of the city walls. The wall, Cubo Line, dates from after the burning of the wooden city in 1702. As St Augustine has water on three sides, they build the fort’s wall to the San Sabastian river. They rebuild the present gate and the Cubo line segment circa 1808.
St George Street.
St George is the most famous street as many of the historical sites are along here. You begin in the Colonial Quarter.
Between St George and the waterfront is Charlotte Street. There are some stores and restaurants but not any significant sites. It does have vehicle traffic but can still be faster (less crowded) when you need to go north or south.
Oldest Wooden School House.
The third building on your right, walking from Orange Street, is this cedar and Cypress wood structure from the 1700s. It is a Minorcan homestead that also doubles as a schoolhouse. Self-guiding tours are available.
The next two blocks of St. George St are my favorite as the buildings’ exterior gives you a real feel for old St Augustine. The downside, most of them are retail stores on the ground floor, so the interiors are nothing like their original. Look for historical markers on the front.
Colonial (Spanish) Quarter.
This area takes up much of the left side of the next block. The entrance to this open-air museum is at #29.
It includes:
Casa de Triay.
Francisco Triay was a Minorcan settler from the New Smyrna colony owning the home until circa 1834.
The St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission began in 1964 to reconstruct these structures. They sit on their original foundations, using authentic materials, coquina stone, and wood.
Casa de Gonzalez.
Two doors down, also on the left, is this one story white structure dating from around the same time.
Here you can see blacksmithing and musket firing. The area covers much of a block backing onto S Castillo Drive. It is more dining and trinket shopping. A Disney-like representation than an actual Colonial neighborhood. Many of the structures date from post-2000.
Salcedo House.
Across the street (right side) from the Colonial Quarter is where Alfonsa de Avero was living. She fled to Cuba with the signing of the 1763 Treaty of Paris. (British occupation.) Captain Salcedo would purchase it when the Spanish return circa 1783. The total reconstruction was part of the 1962 excavation of the area.
Salcedo Kitchen.
Just beyond, and behind the Salcedo House, is the kitchen building. It was a separate building that the British would add sometime between 1763 and 1788. Today, it houses a bakery.
St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine.
Further on your left in the Avero House, is the first in America, national shrine of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Here the survivors of the New Smyrna Colony found refuge after fleeing the settlement. They rebuild the 1702 structure circa 1965, and it houses a small but impressive museum to the early Greek settlers. At the end of the museum is the beautiful Saint Photios Chapel.
Rodriquez-Avero-Sanchez House (#52).
Across the street from the Greek Shrine is this Spanish Colonial building, dating from pre-1761. The second floor dates from a later period. It was not unusual for the British to top one-story Spanish stone homes with a wooden upper floor. The restoration takes place circa 1962.
Oliveros House (#59).
Sebastian de Oliveros, a Corsican sailor, bought the property and built a two-story stone house in 1798. Excavations show there were three structures here before, at least two made of wood. Its reconstruction took place in 1964.
Casa Nicolas de Ortega, (#70).
Nicolas builds the house circa 1763. His occupation is as an armorer at the nearby Castillo de San Marcos. It will pass through many families until the early 1800s. The restoration takes place c 1967.
Villalonga House (#72).
This home, from circa 1820, belongs to Bartolome Villalonga from Corsica and his Corsican-Greek wife. The St. Augustine Restoration Foundation is responsible for the 1976 restoration.
Acosta House (#76).
Next door to the Villalonga House is this circa 1803 home by Jorge Acosta from Corsica. It also undergoes a painstaking restoration circa 1976.
Pena- Peck House (#143).
Juan Pena builds the stone first floor as a home circa 1750. He loses it in 1763 and the British occupation. It is not until 1821 that Dr. Peck buys the house and adds the second floor. His family will live there until 1931 when they donate it to the city. The Woman’s Exchange operates the facility as a museum and special events space.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.
The church construction dates from circa 1793, and it is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The Christian congregation dates to circa 1565, making it the oldest group in the contiguous United States. Sir Francis Drake (Protestant?) would burn the first wooden building to the ground in 1586. A quickly built church burns circa 1599. For a third time, the Spanish church rebuilds, using quality lumber, in St Augustine’s wet climate.
The 1707 attack by British South Carolina colonists led by James Moore ends in another heap of ashes. Spain sends more money for a new church, but the government officials misappropriate the funds. When the British claim the area in 1763, there is no Spanish church. They do not build one. When the Spanish return in 1784, there is a new pride to rebuild the Spanish St Augustine.
Plaza de la Constitucion.
Across the street from the cathedral is the oldest public park in the United States, dating from 1573. Many of the original government and other municipal buildings would be on this square.
On the plaza, you can find the 1600s public well and two monuments. The current market structure dates from circa 1880, so it is not a slave market.
With an exchange in this area since the 1600s, possibly slaves were a commodity.
The exchange of flags took place here when Spain ceded Florida to the United States. Union Navy Officers would reclaim the city from the Confederates here in 1862.
Governor’s House (Government House).
The current building houses a history museum, archive library, private event rooms, and an information office. On the plaza, the east wing dates to 1710, while the rest of the building dates from a 1930s overhaul.
It was the governor’s residence and colonial capital during the Spanish and British rule. By 1821 it becomes an American federal building.
In addition to offices, it also serves as a U.S. Post Office, customs house, and courthouse. During the Civil War, they use it for a military hospital.
Aviles Street.
Near the Southwest side of the plaza de la Constitucion is the beginning of Aviles Street. Look for the wooden sign over the street.
This passage is the oldest street in the nation. Therefore, you will find some of the oldest structures.
Spanish Military Hospital.
Sitting on the site of a medical facility from the first Spanish period, this museum will show you medical practices. A fully-guided tour offers a glimpse of “cutting edge” surgery techniques and equipment.
The Apothecary displays how they would use herbs in colonial times and how some lead to popular medicines today.
Segui-Kirby Smith House
One of the few remaining Spanish Colonial houses, it has many owners and uses.
Ximenez-Fatio House Museum,
Dating from circa 1798, this was first a merchant house, and later the best boarding house in the city. Today, it is a historic house museum, reflecting St Augustine’s life from the 1830s through the 1850s. Behind the restored house are a detached kitchen building (circa1798) and a wash house (circa 1802).
Father O’Reilly House Museum.
The building of the first structure began circa 1691, meaning the fort is the only older structure still standing.
Fr. Miguel O’Reilly, an Irish priest, leaves the house to a religious order of nuns to continue his work. Today, you can tour the home and its five architectural phases. Learn more about the city’s unbroken Catholic tradition, which dates back to 1565. The photo gallery includes pictures of the O’Reilly House and other local landmarks.
Prince Achille Murat House.
Legend says that Prince Murat, the eldest son of Joachim Murat, the King of Naples, was living here circa 1824. His father, appointed by his brother-in-law, Napoleon, was not popular with the Italians. The prince made a hasty retreat from Europe. He would purchase land south of town and establish a plantation. The house, one block west of Father O’Reillys, at 250 St George, is worth a peek for its 1800s architecture.
Stanbury Cottage (232 St George St)
The building to the south is part of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine’s St Joseph’s Convent. The sisters, arriving in 1866, were here to convert and educate the freed slaves. One block north and you are back to King Street by the Governor’s House.
Cordova Street.
One block west (left) brings you to Cordova Street, which was the back wall of the city in early times.
Casa Monica Hotel.
On your left is one of the oldest hotels in the United States. Despite what some may say, it is not a Henry Flagler hotel, initially. The original owner was Franklin W. Smith, who was part of the team trying to interest Henry Flagler in investing in the state. He built the hotel (1888) adjacent to Flagler’s two, even matching their exterior finish. A renovation in the 1960s covers that with stucco.
Unfortunately, he runs into financial difficulties soon after opening and has to sell the hotel. Including all its fixtures and furnishings, the buyer is Flagler. The hotel becomes the Cordova Hotel.
One of its first tenants was a know-it-all Ward Foster who began a travel service. He was also the unofficial keeper of the train schedules. When hotel guests inquire about train arrivals or departures, the staff tells them, “Ask Mr. Foster.” The “Ask Mr. Foster” Travel Company is the oldest in the United States. By 1992, the Carlson Companies buy it and drop the name.
The hotel closes during the Depression. The city buys it as an annex and, by 1968, is using it for additional government offices, archives, and courtrooms. That will last into the 1990s. Today, it is a hotel once again.
Hotel Alcazar – Lightner Museum.
Henry Flagler builds this hotel for wealthy tourists traveling to Florida for the winter on his railroad. Opening in 1890, this hotel and Flagler’s Ponce de Leon are early examples of poured concrete buildings. At the time, the hotel had the world’s largest indoor swimming pool. Unfortunately, the hotel cannot survive the Depression and closes in 1932.
Circa 1947, publisher Otto Lightner purchases the building for a hobbies museum. After filling it with several collections, including his Victorian-era art, he gives it to the city. The museum takes up many rooms of the spa facilities, including the Turkish bath and its three-story ballroom. The museum covers three floors and hosts an eclectic collection.
This listing on the National Register of Historic Places also serves as the city hall.
Villa Zorayda Museum.
One block west of The Lightner Museum is this 1883 “winter home” of eccentric millionaire Franklin W. Smith. Before his Casa Monica Hotel, he built this home in the style of Granada’s 12th-century Moorish Alhambra Palace. The Mussallem family acquires the house and its incredible collections circa 1913. First, it is their home. Later it becomes a private club, then a casino and speakeasy during prohibition. Circa 1933, the family turns it into a museum. Still in the same family, today the museum houses more than 95% of the original Smith and Mussallem collections. For a look at a gilded-age mansion, this is a perfect spot.
Ponce de Leon Hotel – Flagler College.
Henry Flagler’s crown jewel opens in 1888 to receive guests from his railroad arriving for the winter. It is one of the very few original properties remaining from his hotels. His choice to use flammable wood in the Florida tropical climate did not bid well for his other hotels. This hotel was the first of its kind constructed entirely from poured concrete.
Other firsts include being one of the first buildings in the U.S. wired during construction for electricity. The hotel would have its generators as the city could not provide the amount necessary. For this, Flagler would call on his friend Thomas Edison. Flagler would hire staff to turn lights on as guests did not know how to, or were afraid.
Flagler hires the new architectural firm of Carrère and Hastings. They will later design the New York Public Library. Bernard Maybeck (Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco) does many of the designs. The hotel’s interior design was under the eye of Louis Comfort Tiffany.
The 540 room hotel opens by January 1888.
After the war, Americans want to see the U.S., but not by train. Also, Palm Beach and Miami, Flagler’s success stories, are pulling tourists from St Augustine.
By 1967, the bejeweled palace can no longer support itself and closes. A year later, Flagler College, a new private liberal arts program, needs a home.
Today.
The main hotel building serves as administration, classrooms, and dorms. The hotel grounds will later house additional buildings.
The buildings are part of a private university and therefore are not open to the public. You can stroll the grounds outside, and tours of the main building highlights are available. I suggest pre-booking. The tour includes the main hall and the dining room with its 79 Tiffany stained-glass windows.
Grace United Methodist Church.
Henry Flagler builds this church for the citizens of St Augustine two blocks behind his hotel on Cordova St. Using the same designers and builders as his hotel, it compliments the new hotel.
It is not without strings. Flagler is replacing the wooden Olivet Methodist Church, which sits where he wants to build his Hotel Alcazar.
Outside of the Historic District.
South.
González–Alvarez House.
With a history dating to circa 1723, this appears to be the oldest surviving house in St. Augustine. Many people call it The Oldest House Museum or Florida’s Oldest House. The property includes the Oldest House Museum, ornamental gardens, an exhibit gallery, and a museum gift shop.
St. Francis Barracks.
Across the street from the Oldest House is this historic structure. It originally dates from circa 1755 when the friars of the Order of St. Francis had to replace their wooden building. When England takes control of Florida, the friars flee, possibly to Cuba. The British make it a military barrack. Circa 1763. Today it houses the Florida National Guard.
King’s Bakery.
A block south of the Barracks on Marine Street is the bakery for the barracks compound. It is probably the only remaining structure in St. Augustine dating from the British occupation of 1763–1784. After being a storeroom for flour, they would use it as a military hospital, then offices.
St. Augustine National Cemetery.
Initially, the cemetery for the St. Francis Barracks, the first interment took place circa 1828. The old cemetery holds more than 1000 veterans of the Indian Wars. After the civil war, they expand the space, and in 1881, it becomes a National Cemetery. Today, it is also a National Historic Landmark.
Lincolnville Historic District.
From the cemetery, drive south to South Street and turn right. After crossing the bridge, you will come to Washington Street, the Lincolnville Historic District’s eastern street. The district runs to the west side of the peninsula at Riberia Street.
The southern end is at Cerro Street, two blocks to your left. Dehaven, the northern defining line, is six blocks to your right.
Legally free men and women were able to lease land for $1.00 a year starting in 1866. The peninsula was home to two orange plantations. The initial inhabitants call the settlement Africa or Little Africa. When they finally put in streets around 1878, it takes the name Lincolnville on city maps. Henry Flagler will fill in Maria Sanchez Creek from King Street to St Francis, widening Lincolnville to the east.
At the corner of Cordova and St Francis, he builds the Ponce de Leon Barracks. Using the same poured concrete as the hotels, the building holds 150 rooms for the male workers at the hotel. In the 1940s, the Flagler estate converts them into apartments. Due to the state racial segregation laws, only whites can rent them. Today, after several renovations, the building houses condominiums.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Lincolnville is the base of activists working towards the end of racial segregation in St. Augustine. Their work finally leads Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
By 1991, the Lincolnville Historic District joins the National Register of Historic Places. It contains 548 historic buildings.
Last Slave Cabin.
Two blocks after Washington Street, still on South Street, you come to Blanco Street, turn right. The house on the left seems to have a storage shed next to the street. This “shed” is the last slave cabin in this area. But I thought Lincolnville was for free people? The cabin dates from the orange plantation that was here before Lincolnville.
Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center.
Documenting more than 450 years of African-American history in St. Augustine is the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center. On Martin Luther King Avenue, it is in the former Excelsior school building, the city’s first black public high school. This center is a great place to learn more about the history of Lincolnville. If you are looking for a history of the Civil Rights movement in St Augustine, check out the Accord Civil Rights Museum nearby on Bridge Street.
North of the Historic District.
These are a little more spread out and require transportation.
Mission Nombre de Dios Museum.
The museum is home to the original casket of Pedro Menéndez, the founder of St. Augustine. His remains are in his hometown, Aviles, Spain. The museum’s exhibits include items from the Diocese of St. Augustine’s archives and artifacts from the archaeological excavations. Behind the museum is the 208 foot Great Cross. It dates from 1966 and the 400th anniversary of the mission.
Our Lady of La Leche National Shrine.
This building is the first Marian (Virgin Mary) Shrine in the United States, dating from circa the 1500s. The devotion to Mary, Our Lady of La Leche, comes from Spain.
Today’s structure is the third chapel on the site, dating from 1914. The first chapel is a victim to the British in 1728 and the second to a hurricane. The pilgrimage site is especially popular with expecting mothers. The shrine is northeast of the museum.
Old Senator Live Oak.
A block north of the mission, just past the liquor store on your right, turn into the hotel parking lot. In the middle of the (currently Villa 1565) hotel’s parking lot is the Live Oak tree, “Old Senator.”
With a circumference of more than 21 feet, this majestic tree is over 600 years old.
Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.
Knowing that Ponce probably never set foot in this area, and was never looking for a fountain, what’s the deal? Here you can see the foundations of the 1565 settlement of Pedro Menendez. Due to growing hostilities between the Spaniards and the local natives, they would move to Anastasia Island. A lookout tower gives a great view of the area.
St. Augustine History Museum.
In the middle of “Old Town,” a tourist-only shopping center is the city’s history museum? It has some interesting displays on the numerous people who are part of St Augustine’s history. The owner is a tour company, and the museum is for families. There are just enough interesting items to keep kids’ attention for 20-30 minutes if you’re lucky.
Old St. Johns County Jail.
Next to the history museum is, to me, the most interesting and historic site in this “must-see” tourist area. The 1891 building was a “gift” from Henry Flagler. We now know there are strings with a Flagler gift. The old jail was sitting on land adjacent to the new Ponce de Leon Hotel that he wanted. It remains the county jail until 1953. Today, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fort Mose State Historic Park.
Fort Mose is the first legal free African settlement in what is today the United States.
Francisco Menendez (no relation to Pedro) is a Mandinga boy working as a slave on a British plantation in South Carolina. He escapes several times, living in Carolina and Georgia’s coastal swamps, among the local natives. He leads a group of runaway slaves to St Augustine circa 1725. Not shy, he begins petitioning the governor to free all slaves and for a settlement.
Circa 1738, the governor of Spanish Florida sets aside land for the settlement of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose. It is a safe place for those fleeing slavery in the English colonies to the north. The governor assigns Menendez as the captain of the free black militia. This makes him the de facto leader of the fort.
Unfortunately, there are no structures to see between the British burning it to the ground and the Florida climate. It is a lovely park with useful information at the visitor center. History buffs need to bring their imagination and be happy with visiting “the spot where.”
Anastasia Island.
Across the Bridge of Lions is the barrier island of Anastasia. The island holds some of the areas oldest history.
St Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum.
The 1874 St Augustine lighthouse is one of many scenic lighthouses along the Florida coast. Being the nation’s oldest port, it probably has some maritime history.
The exhibits include shipwrecks and the area’s 400 years of maritime history. For those feeling energetic, there is a 219-step climb to the top for a view 140-feet above.
Spanish Coquina Quarries.
Just outside the Anastasia State Park is the path to the quarry. The wood forts were disappearing, either to flames or termites. The only local stone they could find was coquina, a mixture of seashell and limestone. Having no idea how strong it might be, they begin building the Castillo with walls 12 feet thick. (The walls on the ocean side are up to 19 feet thick due to cannons on ships.
Its success leads to using coquina in most construction projects. Later, Flagler will add it to his concrete. The site is now on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. There is not a lot to see as much of the area is grown over. There are a few information signs around the area.
Fort Matanzas National Monument.
A twenty-minute drive south of the quarries is the fort guarding the southern entrance from the ocean. The 1740 Spanish fort was a defense on the south Matanzas River. Today, it is a United States National Monument.
Further Afield.
World Golf Hall of Fame.
Thirty minutes northwest of St Augustine is World Golf Village, home to the World Golf Hall of Fame. Twenty-six different world golf organizations support this site. Besides exhibits, there are challenges, simulators, and the wall of fame.
St Augustine Summary.
Who knew this little city, hiding in northeast Florida, had so many offerings?
It has many of the “oldest” this and that due to being the first continuous town in the U.S. But it has a more recent history as well, making it an excellent stop for just about everyone.
And there is excellent cuisine reflecting the Spanish and the English periods.
The town also offers a distillery and nearby wine. Once again, something for everyone.