This house in downtown St. Augustine currently acts as the Research Library for the St. Augustine Historical Society. Bernardo Segui built the coquina house there around 1805. Bernardo Segui was a baker and supplied Spanish troops. In the American Territorial Period, Superior Court Judge Joseph Lee Smith from Connecticut rented this house. His wife, Frances, …
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 …
We know them today as Flagler College and The Lightner Museum and The City of St. Augustine's City Hall, but not so long ago these large structures housed some of America's wealthiest vacationers! Henry Flagler radically changed St. Augustine's future when he opened his Hotel Ponce de Leon on this day in 1888, and later, …
Continue reading Henry Flagler’s Hotels : The Ponce de Leon and the Alcazar
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 …
Today we're exploring the origins and history of one of St. Augustine's more recognizable landmarks: The City Gate. Located at the north end of St. George Street, this gate has stood for over 200 years. City Gates, 1864. The gate we know today was constructed in 1808, but to fully understand their history and purpose, …
Map of the Castillo. UFDC. The Castillo de San Marcos stands as a sentinel on the Matanzas Inlet, a symbol of the Spanish colonial history for which St. Augustine, Florida is known. Its name then, the Castillo de San Marcos, does not surprise tourists who flock to see it, who travel from around the world, …
It's Talk Like a Pirate Day! To commemorate this fun holiday, Governor’s House is retelling the tales of Sir Francis Drake and Robert Searles, two feared men who raided our town either to intimidate or gain material wealth. Sir Francis Drake was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and a sworn enemy of Spain. The …
Continue reading Pirate Attack : Drake and Searles Raid St. Augustine
On May 28 and 29, 1586, Sir Francis Drake orchestrated an attack on St. Augustine. Drake was ordered by Queen Elizabeth I to sail across the Atlantic with 25 ships and raid Spanish strongholds in the Caribbean and South America. Before St. Augustine, Drake and his fleet made stops in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. …
High winds at Saint Augustine. 1944. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. It’s December 1st, which means that we’ve officially survived another hurricane season here in Saint Augustine. Many are still recovering from both Hurricanes Matthew and Irma, so we’re already crossing our fingers for a reprieve next year. 2017’s hurricane season was certainly one of …
Continue reading Saint Augustine’s First Hurricane? The Storm of 1565
Map of the town, fort, and entrance to the harbor of St. Augustine and vicinity, Florida, 1595]. Pen-and-ink tracing. Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress (167.00.00) Welcome to the blog for the University of Florida Historic Saint Augustine (UFHSA) Governor's House Library! Our library and archives are full of exciting and wonderful resources that …
Governor's House Library 