City of St. Augustine
Source: https://www.visitflorida.com/ and https://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/
Stroll the narrow lanes, enter the many museums, and visit historic landmarks such as Castillo de San Marcos, Ponce de Leon’s “Fountain of Youth,” and the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse.
Founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, St. Augustine is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States – more commonly called the “Nation’s Oldest City.”
More than four centuries of history also owe much to the English, to Greeks, Native Americans and African Americans.
Visit famous forts like Fort Matanzas, Castillo de San Marcos, and Fort Mose for a look back in time. With live demonstrations, nature trails, and incredible 360-degree views, these historic forts in St. Augustine are a must-see for your visit. Still standing after 300 years, the amazing structures will wow history lovers. Bird watchers and nature lovers can enjoy access to nearby nature trails and boardwalks too.
Colonial Quarter: A Walk through History. St. Augutine’s Spanish Quarter has long been the centerpiece of this charming city’s appeal. But now there’s even more to explore with the Spanish Quarter’s transformation into the two-acre Colonial Quarter, offering an immersive look at four separate eras of the town’s history: 16th Century First City, 17th Century Spanish Fortified Town, 18th Century British 14th Colony and 18th Century Spanish Garrison Town.
Henry Flagler’s Gilded Age Vision: If you stroll through the area of St. Augustine immediately west of downtown, you will experience the extraordinary influence of New Yorker Henry Morrison Flagler. He was a co-founder of Standard Oil with John D. Rockefeller. Flagler stepped back from daily responsibilities of this successful venture and launched a second career in Florida.
Over the next thirty years, he built resort hotels from Jacksonville to Miami and the Florida Keys linked by his Florida East Coast Railway. Steamships took visitors to his resorts at Nassau in the Bahamas and to Havana, Cuba. His Overseas Railway through the Florida Keys was recognized as the “Eighth Wonder of the Modern World.” Ultimately, Flagler was regarded as the “Father of Modern Florida” for his investments in the sunshine state. St. Augustine exhibits some of his most lasting contributions and was his chosen location for his final resting place, the Flagler Mausoleum.
Civil Rights: In St. Agustine, you can also experience one of the most important chapters in our nation’s history. For centuries, African-Americans have played a significant part in the multi-cultural heritage of Florida’s Historic Coast.
This rich chapter includes free and enslaved Africans as founding settlers in the 1565 Spanish colony of Pedro Menéndez. Nearly 200 years later, black citizens and soldiers helped defend that same Spanish province from English invaders. Here, where America was founded, we demonstrate that the Underground Railroad ran south first…to our historic coast.
Descendants of these proud community members joined with other African-Americans and settled again after the Civil War.
Some ways to experience the African American heritage found on Florida’s Historic Coast include:
Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose’ (Fort Mose’): Just north of St. Augustine, off the Kings Highway (US1) is Fort Mose’ (pronounced Moh-say). Here, you can see where the Spanish government established this stronghold in 1738 as the first free Black settlement in North America. The fort with its Black militia was captained by Mandingo native baptized as Francisco Menéndez. In the Visitors’ Center, you will learn the story of the northernmost fort that played a critical role in defending Spain’s colony at St. Augustine.
Lincolnville Historic District: Originally known as “Africa,” this enclave founded by freed slaves began in 1866 when Union troops occupied Florida during Reconstruction.
Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center: Excelsior High School, St. Augustine’s first Black public high school, gained a new purpose as the home for the Lincolnville community’s collective heritage and an incubator for the creative development of future generations.
ACCORD Civil Rights Museum: African-Americans in St. Augustine played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement, and the ACCORD Civil Rights Museum documents parts of this story.
St. Augustine is not just history, it also offers many 21st-century family friendly activities, beaches, outdoor adventures (kayaking an inland waterway), golf (play where the pros play), fine dining (the fresh catch of the day), and shopping from colonial to chic.
Whether you are a Floridian or planning a visit from another state, St. Augustine is one of the “must visit cities” in the State!
