We all know about Nights of Lights here in St. Augustine, but what about Night Watch? Let's learn a little more about this military exercise turned festive. In the colonial period of St. Augustine, the town was mostly occupied by soldiers at the Castillo or their family members. The town revolved around the fort and …
Bartram Trail, Bartram Park, Bartram Farms...ever wondered who Bartram was and why there are so many things named after him in Northeast Florida? William Bartram There are actually two Bartrams we have to thank for all these names; botanist John and his son William. First there was John Bartram, who was a well known botanist …
We eat history everyday. We grow traditions in our gardens. And culture simmers in our kitchens. Our culinary and agrarian story in St. Augustine is a unique and complex layering of culture, history, and geography. It is both grounded in our soil, water, seasons, and flora - as well as influenced by the globe. What …
Continue reading Growing St. Augustine’s Story: One Food at a Time
It's not very often that you can claim that your workplace is featured on fine china, but we're some of the lucky few that can! This dinner plate got us thinking about all of the feasts that would have been held on this site when it was the Royal Governor's residence, so we did some …
Did you know that St. Augustine is laid out in accordance with the typical Spanish town plan? This means that each town should feature a large plaza area in the center of the town, flanked by a religious center (the Cathedral) and governmental offices. Government House stands at the west end of our Plaza at …
The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest stone fortification in the continental United States and one of the most beloved landmarks of St. Augustine. Built of coquina from Anastasia Island, it succeeded nine wooden forts that had previously stood at the entrance to Matanzas Bay. In 1669, following Robert Searles's attack on St. Augustine, …
The Battista Boazio map of St. Augustine, published in 1589, shows a Spanish watchtower on the northeast corner of Anastasia Island. This eventually approximated the spot where the current day St. Augustine lighthouse, built in 1874, stands. In 1737, the Spanish replaced their early wooden watchtower with one made of coquina. It was important to …
Detailed Renovations to the Oldest House, Drawn by Bart Crichlow, 1960. St. Augustine's Oldest House, or the Gonzalez-Alvarez House, sits at 14 St. Francis Street, south of the Plaza de la Constitución, across from the headquarters for the Florida National Guard. There was a home at this site during the seventeenth century, but any such …
Arrivas House today. Today we're shining a spotlight on the first restoration project completed by the St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission; the Arrivas House! Located at 46 St. George Street, it has a long and varied history, with a long list of owners and uses. It is one of our favorite buildings because …
A pen and ink drawing of a man leaning against a house at the intersection of Treasury Street and Bay Street, by E.A. Meyer. University of Florida Digital Collections. St. Augustine can claim a lot of superlatives, but did you know we have the narrowest street in the United States? A short section of Treasury Street, running …
Governor's House Library 