From May 26 to July 5, 1823, the "Old Government House" (known today as Governor's House Cultural Center and Museum) was the center of Florida lawmaking. The second session of Florida's Territorial Legislative Council was held in St. Augustine for its five-week meeting. Before Florida became a U.S. territory, St. Augustine and Pensacola served as …
Continue reading Commemorating the Bicentennial of Florida’s 1823 Territorial Legislative Session
University of Florida graduate Mikayla Martin (BA '23) started as a volunteer with Governor's House Library in the summer of 2022. Over the past year, she helped transcribe metadata for the recently digitized Allen Lastinger Postcard Collection. This collection contains over 500 postcards depicting St. Augustine's tourism industry over the 20th century. The project also …
Continue reading Q & A with Governor’s House Library Volunteer Mikayla Martin
The pitter patter of little goat feet joined San Agustin Antíguo in March 1968. The living history museum housed a colony of two nanny (female) goats - named Josephina and Maria - on St. George Street. The arrival of Josephina's two kids (baby goats) surprised the staff members, who did not know of her pregnancy. …
"I tell them never to underestimate the power of a woman -- especially one wearing an Archie Eason hat," reported Elizabeth Towers to The Florida Times-Union on August 31, 1965. Towers, a Jacksonville philanthropist, dedicated herself to historic preservation in St. Augustine. At that time, she served as the only woman on the St. Augustine …
On November 18, 1963, President John F. Kennedy made a five-hour trip to Tampa, Florida. From his family's winter home in Palm Beach, Kennedy flew into MacDill Air Force Base. The president then toured Tampa International Airport before embarking on a 28-mile motorcade through downtown Tampa. Thousands of people came out to see the 35th …
On October 2, 1672, Governor Manuel de Cendoya broke ground on a masonry fort for St. Augustine. Today, we know this fortification as the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. Yet, what do we know about the historical leader behind the monument? Spain's Queen Regent Mariana appointed Cendoya to the governorship of Florida on October …
Continue reading Don Manuel de Cendoya: The Governor Behind The Castillo De San Marcos
In 1669, Spain's Queen Regent Mariana de Austria (Mariana of Austria) approved the construction of a masonry fort to protect St. Augustine. Today, we know this fortification as the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. Yet, what do we know about the historical leader behind the monumental decision? Born on December 24, 1634, Mariana started …
Continue reading Mariana De Austria: The Queen Behind The Castillo De San Marcos
If you’ve been to St. Augustine at night - walked along the coast to take in the sharp tang of brine and the close sound of ocean waves colliding with the shore - you probably have seen a light in the distance, revolving in mechanical circles as it sweeps over the dark water below. A …
Continue reading A Cartographic History of the St. Augustine Lighthouse
St. Benedict the Moor Catholic School is the oldest surviving brick school building in St. Augustine. In 1867, St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart arrived from France. The teaching order vowed to serve and minister to former slaves in Lincolnville. Up until that point, the state outlawed the education of Black Floridians. The society …
Over 450 years of Black history fill the streets of St. Augustine. From the city's origins in 1565, Black men and women built their lives on the shores of the Matanzas River. The names of their children and grandchildren fill local Catholic parish records as early as the 1590s. Their sweat, skill, and resilience contributed …
Continue reading Presence / Erasure: Black History in St. Augustine | Reading List
Governor's House Library 