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 …
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
Have you ever stopped by Tedi's Olde Tyme Ice Cream on St. George Street? Long before serving sweet treats, the site was home to the Benet family and their store. Let us take a scoop into the past of 65 St. George Street. Located on the southeast corner of Cuna and St. George Streets, the …
Hunter Makin started as an intern at the Governor's House Library during his Spring Semester 2022 at Flagler College. Makin calls the city of Winter Garden, Florida home during his summers and breaks, but Saint Augustine his second home during the school year. As a student at Flagler, Makin is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts …
Continue reading Q & A with Governor’s House Library Intern Hunter Makin
The Ramones once sang, "Well, I don't care about history..." Lucky for you all, we do! While the Ramones head to rock-n-roll high school, let us crack open our history books to learn about St. Augustine High and Grade School at 40 Orange Street - also known as Orange Street School. St. Augustine High and …
Continue reading Orange Street School: From A Moat Comes A Century Of Education
Today, we are checking-into the past at the Casa Monica Hotel. The Moorish and Spanish Baroque Revival structure - located at 95 Cordova Street - first opened its doors to guests in 1888. Unlike the neighboring Flagler-era hotels, this building still operates as a hotel today - making it one of the oldest hotels in …
St. Augustine's Visitor Information Center - at 10 West Castillo Drive - greets thousands of tourists every year. As they enter the one-story structure's arcaded porch, the visitors step back in time - not into the 1500s, but rather the 1930s. Originally known as the Civic Center, the building began welcoming guests to St. Augustine …
Did you know that before Governor's House was a cultural center, museum, and library that it was a United States Post Office? That's right, it was the City of St. Augustine's post office from the late 1880s until 1965! The building underwent a major facelift from 1935-1937 when Jacksonville architect Mellen Clark Greeley transformed it …
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: …
You may hear the names of Zora Neale Hurston and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings throughout the Sunshine State. But did you know these two famous Florida writers spent time in St. Johns County? Today, we take a look at the local sites associated with their lives and legends. Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) As an anthropologist, Zora …
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