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
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
Today, Avenida Menendez runs parallel to St. Augustine's seawall and the Matanzas River - from the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument to St. Francis Street. But did you know that Avenida Mendendez was once known as Bay Street? And before it became Bay Street, it was a coastal marsh? European settlement in this area …
Continue reading Walls and Roads: From Bayfront to Avenida Menendez
Extra, extra! Read all about it! Today, we have a piece of news that is not so hot off the presses. To be exact this story is over 50 years old: The printing pressed used by the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board from the 1960s until 1990s is a replica! The Board's shop built the …
Continue reading Hot Off The Presses: Printing History At San Agustin Antíguo
In 1764, Juan de Rivera lived at present-day 22 St. George Street. He was born around 1732 into a family of either Guale or Yamassee Native Americans from the nearby mission Nuestra Señora del Rosario de la Punta. His father was Pedro de Rivera and his mother María de la Cruz. Rivera followed in his …
In 1513, Spain claimed much of today's Southeastearn United States as their own - naming the large area La Florida. Their colony covered an area already home to a wide variety of Indigenous cultures and tribes. To convert the Native Americans to Christianity, control such a large area, and prevent colonization by other countries, Spain …
Today, Lake Maria Sanchez is a lake located at the southern end of Lincolnville and St. Augustine's peninsula. We know a lake may not sound too exciting in a state full of waterways, but did you know this lake wasn't always a lake? Also, who was Maria Sanchez? (The answer is not the professional tennis …
Over 100,000 years ago, the St. Johns River formed as Florida's peninsula took shape. Starting as trapped ocean water, the river eventually became over 300 miles long and a vital part of life. Its freshwater flows northwards from marshes in today's Indian River County to the Atlantic Ocean in present-day Jacksonville. Humans began to call …
James Grant (1720-1806) only served as Governor of British East Florida for seven years, but his impact continues to reverberate through our state's history. For Grant laid the foundations of Florida's borders, commercial agriculture economy, and plantation era during his tenure. Today, we will be taking a look into Grant's governorship. Military Background Born the …
Continue reading Governor James Grant: “Commissioner Of The Mildew”
Have you always wondered: What is the difference between a governor's house and a government house? Why does Florida have a governor's house in St. Augustine and a governor's mansion in Tallahassee? Well, today we are here to answer some of your gubernatorial housing questions. Governor's House vs. Government House To keep this definition simple: …
Governor's House Library 