A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....09-14-05....Castillo de San Marcos - St. Augustine

Aquamarine; LadyX

[Aquamarine]

The Castillo de San Marcos, built 1672-1695, served primarily as an outpost of the Spanish Empire, guarding St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States and also protecting the sea route for treasure ships returning to Spain. It is the oldest major engineered structure existing in America.

To reach the Castillo de San Marcos you must drive through part of the city of Saint Augustine. Saint Augustine is in northeastern Florida near the Atlantic Ocean.

You drive on a small, narrow road with vehicles slowly going both ways. On one side of the road is water. On the other side is the city.

You pass businesses, eating places, stores and hotels. And then you see it, just as the road turns to the left. It looks like a hill of rock rising out of the ground. It seems fierce. And it looks very foreign. There can be no mistake about what it is. It is a very old military base -- the kind that is called a fort. It looks like it should be in some European country, not on the coast of Florida.

Passing through the huge walls of the fort is a little like walking back in time. Today we take you back into the past with a tour of the Fort and it's rich history.....

The First Spanish Period 1565 - 1763

Having sighted the land of La Florida in August 28, the feast day of Saint Augustine, Pedro Menendez de Aviles landed on the shore of what is today Matanzas Bay on September 8, 1565, and thus began the founding of the Presidio of San Agustín. The town was to serve very important functions for the Spanish Empire. It defended the primary trade route to Europe and the Bahama Channel (today called the Gulf Stream). It also served as Florida's territorial capital, defending against encroachment into the northern reaches of the Spanish Empire.

The Castillo was not the first fort built by the Spanish but was in fact the tenth, with the previous nine forts being built of wood. Following a pirate attack on St. Augustine in 1668, the Queen Regent Mariana made the commitment to have a masonry fortification built to defend the city and port. The founding of Charles Town (Charleston) in 1670 by the British less than two-day's sail from St. Augustine further emphasized the need for a stronger fort. Construction of the fortress that would become the Castillo de San Marcos was begun in October 1672.

For this new fort the engineers chose to use a local stone called "coquina" (Co-KEY-Na). The name means "little shells" and that is exactly what the stone is made of-- little shellfish that died long ago, and their shells have now become bonded together to form the rock, a type of limestone. The coquina rock was quarried from Anastasia Island across the bay from the Castillo, and after rough shaping had been done, was ferried across to the construction site.

In a work area that was located where the Castillo parking lot is today, the stone masons sent here by the Crown from Havana labored to produce the blocks for the construction. The mortar to bond the blocks to each other was made on the construction site by baking oyster shells in kilns until they fell apart to a fine white powder called lime. The lime was then mixed with sand and fresh water to produce the mortar that still holds the Castillo together today. After 23 years of work, the Castillo was declared completed in 1695.

The Castillo had its first test when British forces under Governor James Moore of Charles Town (Charleston), Carolina laid siege to the city in early November, 1702. At the start of the siege the people of St. Augustine crowded into the Castillo to take shelter. Over 1200 civilians and 300 soldiers of the city would remain within the walls for almost two months as the British troops occupied the town.

The British cannon had little effect upon the soft coquina walls which merely absorbed the shock of the hits with little damage. The siege was finally broken by the arrival of a relief fleet from Havana that trapped the British ships within St. Augustine's harbor and forced the British to burn their ships to prevent their capture by the Spanish. As they withdrew from the area, the British put the city to the torch just as their countryman Sir Francis Drake had when he burned the city in 1586.

After the 1702 Siege, it was decided to improve the Castillo and fortifications of the city of St. Augustine itself. Construction work was begun on a new interior for the Castillo in 1738. The interior rooms were pulled out into the courtyard to make them deeper, and vaulted arch ceilings replaced the wooden roof to make the rooms bombproof to better protect the supplies stored inside. These vaulted ceilings also made it possible to mount heavy garrison guns all around the perimeter of the gundeck rather than just in the corner bastions as in the original design. The construction of the vaults made it necessary to raise the walls of the fortress from their original 26-foot height to the present 33-foot height.

In addition to changes to the Castillo, the Spanish began building walls around the city itself to protect their homes and property from being destroyed yet again. The northern wall running from the Castillo to the San Sebastian River is called the Cubo Line. It defended the land approach to the city from the north. The wall that protected the city's west and south sides was called the Rosario Line. At intervals along their lengths both of these defensive lines had redoubts, small palisaded platforms on which two cannon were mounted. (One of these, the Santo Domingo Redoubt, has been reconstructed at the corner of Orange and Codova Streets.)

In 1740 General James Edward Oglethorpe laid siege to St. Augustine from the newly established English Colony (in disputed territory) of Georgia. He established a blockade of the city harbor after successfully taking the small outpost forts of Fort San Diego, Fort Picolotta, and Fort Mose. (Eventually, Fort Mose would be retaken by the Spanish.)

Oglethorpe placed troops and cannon batteries on Anastasia Island to fire on the city and the Castillo. He hoped that a sustained bombardment and blockade of St. Augustine would cause the Governor of Florida, Manuel de Montiano, to surrender the city and fortress to the British. The English guns fired on the Castillo, but were unable to breach the walls.

The Spanish were able to successfully send a shallow-draft vessel down the river and out the Matanzas Inlet to sail down the coast to Cuba for supplies. When they returned from Cuba, the one British ship that was supposed to be guarding the Matanzas Inlet was gone. So they were able to bring the supplies to St. Augustine unopposed.

With British morale low due to the broken blockade, the defeat of the British forces holding Fort Mose, and the onset of hurricane season, Oglethorpe was unable to organize an assault on the Castillo. With the dawn of the 38th day of the siege, the citizens of St. Augustine saw that the British had withdrawn from the area.

Over the years, the distinctive star-shaped fort and surrounding moat have served several countries.

The British Period 1763 - 1784

In 1763, Britain finally gained possession of St. Augustine and all of Florida, but not by taking St. Augustine. As a provision of the Treaty of Paris that ended the Seven Years War (The French and Indian War), Britain gained the Florida Territory in exchange for Havana and the Philippines, which the British had captured during the war. The British split Florida into an East Florida and a West Florida with St. Augustine the capital of East Florida and Pensacola the capital of West Florida. On July 21, 1763, the Spanish governor turned the Castillo over to the troops of King George III, and nearly all the Spanish citizens of the town moved to Cuba.

The British would make a number of small changes to the Castillo, including its name, which would now be Fort St. Mark. With the departure of the Spanish from Florida, the British felt no great need to maintain the Fort in first rate condition because they held the all of eastern North America. This outlook changed greatly with signs of rebellion being seen in the Thirteen Colonies to the north.

With the start of the American Revolution, St. Augustine enjoyed new importance as the capital of King George's loyal colony of East Florida. In early 1775, the changes in view of the Fort's new status could be seen. Repairs were made to the gates and the well, and housing in the Fort was increased by adding second floors in some of the rooms because it became regimental headquarters for the area. The British also improved the defenses of the city and its approaches. At this time, the old Spanish monastery on St. Francis Street was also turned into a barracks to house the influx of British soldiers. Today, this building is still in the hands of the military as the headquarters of the Florida National Guard.

Castillo de San Marcos Virtual Tour

As a foreshadowing of later activities, the Fort and St. Augustine also served as a prison for a few patriots who had been captured in Charleston, including Christopher Gadsen, the Lieutenant-governor of North Carolina, and three signers of the Declaration of Independence--Edward Rutledge, Thomas Hayward, and Charles Pinckney.

As the Revolution raged on, Spain came to the unofficial aid of the American colonies by sending money, weapons, medicine, and military supplies. When Spain declared war on Britain in 1779, Bernardo de Gálvez, the governor of Spanish Louisiana, immediately attacked and captured the British forts along the southern Mississippi River. Then he moved against Mobile in British West Florida and captured it as well. The next target was Pensacola, and in two months of heavy fighting, it too fell. By keeping the British occupied in the Gulf of Mexico, the Spanish kept the British from sending troops and supplies to support their efforts against the thirteen colonies, and thus they played an enormous part in the success of the Americans in their war for independence.

Bernardo de Gálvez was the only officer on any side in the Revolution who came out undefeated. The Battle of Pensacola was among the longest and hardest battles of the American Revolution. Yet, this remarkable general is relatively unknown. Only a statue in Washington, DC and one in New Orleans, and a city in Texas (Galveston) stand in tribute to this man who helped win the American Revolution.

At the end of the war, the Second Treaty of Paris returned Florida to Spain. On July 12, 1784, Spanish troops returned to St. Augustine.

The Second Spanish Period 1784 - 1821

With Spain's return to St. Augustine, the Fort had its name changed back to the Castillo de San Marcos. The Spanish soon discovered that Florida had changed markedly since 1763, however. Border problems of the past were now greatly increased by the fact that runaway slaves were coming into Florida to be welcomed by the Seminole Indians. Also, the population of Florida had changed. Few of the Spanish returned from Cuba, and many of the British who had homes and property from the British period stayed in Florida. Some of these were wealthy plantation owners, but many were ruffians and scoundrels who were now calling Florida their home base.

In spite of these challenges and coupled with unrest in her colonies in South America, Spain continued the reinforcement of the new defenses built by the British and the upkeep of the Castillo, including the rebuilding of the City Gates in 1808. Nevertheless, Spain's days in Florida were coming to an end. On July 10, 1821, after heavy pressure from the US Government and numerous other pressures on the Empire, Spain ceded Florida to the United States of America, ending 235 years of Spanish colonization.

The First American Period 1821 - 1861

On their arrival in St. Augustine, the Americans changed the name of the Spanish Castillo to Fort Marion, in honor of General Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of Revolutionary War fame. However, structurally little of the fortification was changed. The old storerooms with their heavy doors and barred windows were converted to prison cells. In the 1840s, army engineers turned the east moat into a water battery, part of the American Coastal Defense System, and improved the glacis hill around the Fort.

During the Second Seminole War, Seminole Indians were jailed within the Fort, among them Osceola in 1837. Several of them managed to escape, but Osceola was not among them. Already in ill health, he was sent to Fort Moultrie in Charleston where he died in January 1838.

The Confederate Period 1861-1862

In 1845, Florida became a state in the Union, but would remain so only until December of 1860 when she joined other Southern states to form the Confederate States of America and entered the ensuing American Civil War.

The federal troops had been withdrawn from Fort Marion leaving only a solitary sergeant at the fort as caretaker. In January 1861 the Confederates marched into St. Augustine and demanded that the sergeant surrender the fort to them. He said that it was government property, and he would need to get a receipt for it. This was done, and Fort Marion was turned over to the Confederacy without a shot. Most of the artillery was then sent away to other Confederate forts leaving Fort Marion nearly defenseless.

The Second American Period 1862 - 1900

The Fort came back into Union hands on March 11, 1862 after the USS WABASH, a Union gunboat, took the city and Fort without firing a shot when it found that Confederate forces had evacuated the area and the local authorities were willing to surrender to preserve the town.

During this Second American Period, Fort Marion was mostly used as a military prison. In the 1870s seventy-four Indians from the Great Plains-- Kiowa, Cheyenne, Comanche, and Arapaho-- captured in the west during America's push toward her "Manifest Destiny", were imprisoned in Fort Marion for three years. Ten years later Apache were also captured and brought east. This time, most of the men, including Geronimo, were imprisoned at Fort Pickens in Pensacola, and the women and children were sent on to Fort Marion.

During the Spanish American War in 1898, almost 200 court-martialed deserters from the American Army were imprisoned within its walls. With the end of the 19th century, however, the Fort finally completed its long tour of duty. It was removed from the rolls of active bases in 1900, after serving under five flags over 205 years. Fort Marion was named a National Monument in 1924. In 1933 it was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service, and in 1942, Congress restored the name "Castillo de San Marcos" in honor of its long Spanish heritage.

If I paused to name my Top Ten Places in a nomadic life, fascinating St. Augustine surely would be among them.

Choices would include ones full of extreme drama and grandeur like living in the area around Rapid City, South Dakota; 3 1/2 years in Fairbanks, Alaska; driving between the two through western Canada around the very top of the Rockies (throw in Calgary and Banff), including the length of the Alaska Highway and Yukon Territory (up in winter-back in summer).

Pure magic --

Primitive family camping in a tent camper in 1965, first above the Arctic Circle in Alaska, and then down to an overlook at Mile 88 on the Denali Highway by Mt. McKinley (before paving, and lacking *ANY* amenities-no lodging, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and unlike today, could drive all the way to Mt. McK.), brought home the answer to Isaiah's query, "Who hath created these things?" Looking out over the UTTER VASTNESS of the scene far below, only God Almighty could have, and as I wept, the Holy Spirit blessed my acknowledgement.

Man-made big cities and hustle and bustle do not interest me, having lived in/seen many up and down the Eastern U.S. and Midwest; and while driving from Fairbanks down the Rockies (Denver, Dallas, Montgomery, etc.) to South Florida and up to South Carolina in one fell swoop.With a lifelong love of American History, I of course enjoyed my week in Washington, D.C., including a tour of Mt. Vernon, returning to D.C. by steamer on the Potomac. (Yes, Temple Owl, did the Smithsonian, but imagine they've added "a few things" since 1947..:)

Places that drew me most were the full lengths of the Rocky, Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, and exploring, discovering abandoned cabins and mines and towns, and realizing the hardships, loneliness, tenacity, and spirit of our early American settlers.

Living in South Carolina four other times including Charleston, its Historic Downtown is also high on the list. A forebear of mine arrived there in the 1680's, with a house on the river (shipping merchant, Charles Town surgeon, mayor and then Governor of Carolina) and Medway Plantation. My mother described to me as a teenager there ( her father a minister), the end of WWI and the town streaming to The Battery to celebrate! I've done the day long Spring Plantation Tour through several counties there, ending at Medway Plantation where "Papa Tom" is buried. (Once lived 6 miles from it.)

Born in Miami, I lived in Coral Gables until age 9 1/2; then Melbourne, returning there in early adulthood, and Port Malabar, Ft. Pierce, Panama City; and my grandmother lived in Orlando, so visited and shopped often there. In Coral Gables, everywhere was "Ponce de Leon" something, with its strong Spanish influence! However, I did not see St. Augustine until briefly at age 20, passing through. It was 1996 before my first stay there and love affair with it began, returning several times since to explore. ~ LadyX

St. Augustine: the Nations Oldest City also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's most charming. Known as the "Ancient City," Saint Augustine is located between North East and Central East Florida.

De Leon, Ponce
A History of Florida 1904

One of the sailors who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World was a man named Juan Ponce De Leon. This voyage would change his life.

He decided to stay in Hispaniola when Columbus returned. Ponce became very popular and was named governor of nearby Puerto Rico then called (Boriquien) in 1508.

While there, he heard many stories of a magical water source. People called it the "Fountain of Youth" and said that drinking its water kept you young. Ponce decided that he must find this water source.

For the next few years, he tried to find out where this "Fountain of Youth" was. He finally believed he knew where it was, and he asked permission from Spain's King Charles V to go in search of it. The king agreed, as long as Ponce agreed to pay for the ships and crew.

The young explorer did so readily, and they were off. It was March 1513. They sailed for Bimini.

They sailed for days but didn't see the island. On March 27, he came within sight of the Florida coast. "On April 2, he landed at what he named St. Augustine. This was the first Spanish settlement on the mainland of North America."

He had several adventures along the way, fighting off fierce native tribes and discovering some hidden riches. He did not, however, find the Fountain of Youth. In need of fresh ships and crew, he returned to Boriquien.

He continued to govern the island, and he continued to hear stories of the Fountain of Youth. Finally, in 1521, he set out again. He had gained permission to settle both Bimini, which he still hoped to find, and Florida, which he thought was an island.

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The narrator at the tour of the Fountain of Youth in 1997, at the north side of the City, said in recent years clearing the sand around the water spring, workers uncovered a large cross attributed to having been laid at the direction of Ponce de Leon, claiming the"island" for God and Spain.

This is a photograph of the Panorama on a stage in
the building housing the Fountain of Youth Spring.

It shows why Ponce de Leon,- an average European male being just 4' tall, caused by their poor nutrition, being greeted by the Seminole Chief -who was over 7' tall! Thus impressed, it is no wonder he believed the spring to truly be The Fountain of Youth.

The well nourished Indians had plenty of vegetables and fruits and meats, and their custom was for the Chief to marry the tallest single female in the tribe, gaining height with each generation."

Some of Ponce de Leon's sailors remained there when he first left, taking native Seminole women as wives; some of them migrated westward over to Tallahassee, where many Seminoles lived across there and up and down Florida.

It is this history that was highlighted in 1999 by Chuck Pierce, the respected Christian prophet! A year BEFORE the 2000 Presidential Election, he foresaw that Tallahassee - St. Augustine - West Palm Beach and Broward County would be the focus of it, and delay the results like a Presidential Election centered in those areas of Florida in the 1800's!!

That God BEGAN His Presence in America at St. Augustine and across to Tallahassee - and would use it to restore it !!

IT WAS HIS FOUNDATION IN AMERICA - -

06-28-05 ~ Hall of Fame #12

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 09-12-05....Military Monday 09-13-05....Obladi Oblada ~ Life Goes On

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Aquamarine]

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). Because of His grace to us, we should "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave [us]" (4:32).

That message bears repeating!

Thanks for your daily dedication to bringing us such good news.

[Aquamarine]

Work on the snafus - boo boos - dumb errors - and hope it all somehow straightens up and flies right..:))

I know, just found one. Forgot to update the links to this weeks threads, am working with the moderator now to get it straightened out.

[The Mayor]

That message bears repeating!

Yes it does. Your welcome Aqua.

[Aquamarine]

Oh Man! Praying for a just outcome.

[JulieRNR21]

Keep up the Good Fight.............BUMP

[JustAmy]

Praying that you are successful in your complaint and lawsuit.

DO NOT CONCEDE. CONTINUE FIGHTING THE CORRUPTION.

Is there a link that we can use to contact the New York State Board of Elections? We should all demand an investigation into these violations.

[Aquamarine]

God Bless Our Military

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Mama_Bear; Dutchess; Aquamarine; The Mayor, DollyCali and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation's leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult day that faces each of us and our country. Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline....brother-in-law Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son The Mayor........................niece LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.....................nephew ValerieUSA................2 sons Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................activve duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty StarCMC..............brother Kramster.................stepson Atomic Conspiracy............half-brother....niece....nephew TexKat......son.....and stepson ODC-GIRL............active duty cookcounty................son Donaeus..............nephew thumperusn...........active duty katykelly..................son Notwithstanding.....active duty Lakeside................two sons Q6-God and twin brother...active duty cjk................active duty philman_36...........2 nephews Veloxherc.................active duty Its_me_K.E.T...............son mrstank...............husband Conspiracy Guy........two nephews eaglesiniowa...............son Don Simmons............active duty Leofl...............son bjcintennessee....son and niece campfollower...............fiance LakeLady....................nephew ProudAFDad ......................son MontanaCowgirlCop.........brother misty4jc........................husband mhking................cousin Old Sarge..................active duty Bykrbayb...........son Hope and Glory.............son ak_daddoo .........nephew Zechariah_8_13...brother-in-law and cousin nelibeli....................nephew bigghurtt..........active duty frankiep...............active duty El Gato.................nephew Lone Red Ranger..brother-in-law freema.......son and nephew PreviouslyA-Lurker....brother

Pippin.......niece's husband Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons scubachick......husband gator girl............husband severa................husband, brother Hostel....................cousin MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat........nephew and cousin Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Tiffee4Bob.......boyfriend Diver Dave.......niece, nephew deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort..2 daughters,son-in-law Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn...............2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.................son kimmie7..............brother Spruce..............daughter visualops.................cousin Dubya...................nephew SunflowerGal..........grandson AF_Blue.............active duty Skimask.................son RoseBear...........cousin's husband RepubMommy.................brother Alouette..................son american_ranger..............son auboy..................cousin spotbus1.................husband jamaly............brother-in-law wingnutx........active duty chena....................... son LUV W......................son painter....................... nephew Ladysmith.........nephew and friend's son tina07................soninlaw's friend Katydidnt............son Colorado Slim........ nephew Tapatio..........2 nephews CGblue.....Active Duty sneakers..................son SilentServiceCPOWife.......husband Walkenfree..........3 nephews ... ..2 grandsons, 1 granddaughter ariamne...................2 cousins DirtyHarryY2K......daughter and soninlaw Palladin..............grandson Gonzo....friend's son MississippyMuddy...................sister MississippyMuddy.....2 nephews Socratic...............nephew jkphoto........nephew Jemain...................son Azbushgal .............son No Longer Free State .. active duty

[LadyX]

Through these portals lies one of the most remarkable of America's cities.

St. Augustine, Florida--the oldest continuously-occupied European settlement in the continental United States. Both the fort (Castillo de San Marcos) and the city gate are made of coquina, a unique sedimentary rock composed mainly of shells. These constructions, as well as houses and other buildings in the old town, have stood for over three hundred years. They were built by the Spanish in 1565, more than fifty years after Ponce de Leon discovered the area in his search for the Fountain of Youth.

Castillo de San Marcos is a square fort with diamond-shaped bastions at the corners. For many years it was the northernmost point in the Spanish holdings in the New World. It served as part of Spain's defenses along the route of her ships taking treasure from her colonies back to Spain. For the most part, the Spanish kept the moat dry and during sieges used it as a pen for domestic animals. Or if the fort was attacked by land, the moat could be quickly filled by opening flood gates and allowing in sea water from Matanzas Inlet.

The city gates stood outside the fort at the entrance to the town that was built nearby. Historians say that St. Augustine is perhaps the earliest example of community planning within the continental United States. Its streets are laid out in a pleasing grid, it has a large central plaza, and there are open spaces, patios, and gardens among all the houses.

The city and the fort were occupied by the Spanish for 235 years, after which it was given to Great Britain in exchange for La Habana, Cuba, in the Peace of Paris in 1763. At the end of the American Revolution , Florida was returned to Spain, only to be ceded back to the U.S. in 1821.

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SIMON SAYS:

Things to Do in St Augustine, Florida

Simon says for a long lasting memorable live history lesson put on your walking shoes. Saunter down streets overflowing with heritage and filled with cultural marvels. Visit the oldest house at the corner of Charlotte and St. Francis Street and find out why there are no entry doors on Spanish houses on the street side. Do not pass Go, do not collect 200 dollars - but go directly to jail. While touring the old jail taste the delicious wares offered, without a file baked inside. If the feast at the jail was not enough pluck a pickle from the huge crock at the oldest store museum. Original stock items still line the shelves at the store which is complete with an ornate wood stove. Browse through what was once the world's largest swimming pool and choose a special antique.

Watch the schoolmaster as he teaches his students in a one room building. At this point if those oh-so-comfortable walking shoes have lost a little of the cushion, head for the Fountain of Youth.

Historic St Augustine Narrated Tours

St. Augustine offers a variety of transportation modes besides the feet. A carriage stand is located along the bayfront. Ride in a horse drawn carriage for a narrated 2 1/2 mile tour. An impressive narrated trolley tour starts at the visitor center. It travels through town at designated stops and pick-up points. You can get on and off at your own pace. One can opt to ride the trolley for the complete cycle and check out particular sites and discharge on the second trip. While on the trolley tour you will visit the "Senator," and travel down a street which National Geographic stated as one of the most beautiful streets in America. Limbs are interlocked and form a canopy over the roadway.

St Augustine's Historic Museums

Set your compass toward Flagler College and wonder how it would be to stay in immense building without air-conditioning. Henry Flagler's many landmarks are scattered through the city. Hotels built for the wealthy, hotels built for the not so wealthy and churches built for loved one's. Cross over to King Street and meander through Zorayda Castle. On George Street visit the restored Spanish Quarter Museum and watch the recreation of daily lifestyles of the Spanish soldiers and settlers of the 18th. century.

Simon says take two careful steps backwards when you come face to face with Gomek. And take 219 steps to the top of the Lighthouse Museum. Beware of mirrors at Ripley's Believe It or Not. One never knows what or who is lurking behind that mirror. Is that really Elvis standing next to Henry the eighth? It must be Potter's Wax Museum.

So many choices make the decision "Where do we eat?" extremely difficult. Fast food, seafood, steakhouses, vegetarian, ethnic cuisine, natural foods, coffee houses, delis, bakeries, bar-b-que, pastry shops, and Mom and Pop's buffet are a few of the offerings. A unique restaurant is on the pier where one can watch the dolphins come for their evening meal which is fed to them through the trap door in the floor. Try the Florida Cracker Cafe for coconut fried shrimp and key lime pie. Acoustic guitar played Friday - Sunday at 5:00 pm.

Simon says visit this enchanting, educational, historical and exciting place in suspended time.

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LadyX says:

There are indeed many neat places to eat!
There is an upscale, beautiful restaurant, complete with bakery as you exit to tempt you to indulge.
LOTS of small restaurants in genuine old houses, a chalkboard outside with the 'Fare of The Day' offerings...at most, any wait is well worth it in terms of variety and good food at reasonable prices.
The atmosphere takes you right back into the history of the town!

Across from St. Augustine are separate bridges to a South Beach and a North Beach, with places to stay and get the best of both kinds of vacation!
Walk yourself silly in the center of Old St. Augustine - "shop until you drop," - visit great museums - and then cross over to a beach relax and get away time..:))

[Disclaimer #2 - I do not have any affiiiation with the Florida or St. Augustine Chambers of Commerce - LOL
I am just a Florida born, Florida loving daughter.]

[The Mayor]

I am trying to find a complaint line..
The erie county boe's website is dead and stuck at the 2004 elections.
http://www.erie.gov/elections/

This is the erie county site
http://www.erie.gov/index.html

I just went to the state one and am trying to find a contact point.
http://www.elections.state.ny.us

I am going to have to run out and meet Lenny.
I will get on line when I can, we need to blow the lid off this thing.

[Aquamarine]

Oh wow! Thanks for all the additional info on the area. Will definitely have to spend some quality time there one day checking the town out a little closer....but what to do with Daisy Mae?! :)

[Aquamarine]

That's perfect. Thank You!

[LadyX]

Oh, Julie, I'm so glad you have enjoyed St. Augustine!
The thing is, as you can appreciate, you cannot "do it all" in one trip.
My beloved older sister, Anne, and I a number of times went back together to revisit Our Florida Roots all over the state on both coasts and through the center as well, and on the way back to South Carolina, always stayed in St. Augustine just "one more time" - LOL!!

We took my husband along in 1997, visited my son in West Palm Beach, included as well Orlando, where my grandmother lived (and father as a child) and where she and my parents are buried.

From there on our way back we headed for Daytona Beach; to the absolutely beautiful Bulow Creek State Park (where John James Audoban spent 2 years sketching along its savannahs); and then to St. Augustine to stay.

The morning we left, there was the obligatory restocking at the French Bakery, and Bernie and I went all the way through The Fort.

Anne was not feeling well, and stayed in the car while we moseyed.
Things got horrifying from that point on.
She laid down on the back seat, and we hurried from then on, flying up I-95 as best we could.
Her temperature elevated rapidly and she was throwing up in a large paper cup, and at Savannah, we stopped at a Holiday Inn so we could use the (clean) rest rooms.

She could barely walk with my assistance, and we tried to get her to let us take her to the ER there, but she insisted she wanted to go on toward home.

That seemed the best thing to do, a hospitalization there making her distant from our home, and those of her children in South Catrolina - hard to be with and help her so far away.

We then sped toward Barnwell, asking in every town on the way if we needed to stop at their Emergency Room, but she declined. Reaching Barnwell in the early evenng, finally, we went straight to the hospital here and she was seen and assessed, and a gastroenterology consultant called in.

I was informed she had a VERY serious gall bladder infection, possibly stemming from cancer. I called her daughter in Sumter, who conferred with her siblings, and we all agreed she should be transported to Sumter (the hospital here is limited).
Jessie, a Psychologist, lives in a section where most of the physicians and dentists reside, and is not far from the hospital.

There was a wait here for an ambulance, with the ones available already out on long calls - one was sent from Columbia to haul her screaming through every town on the way.

The outcome was treating the infection - cancer ruled out - and surgery and eventual recovery, with me going to stay with her at her lake house for a while when she was finally released.

[LadyX]

"I have eaten at Seafood restaurants in St. Augustine but have never explored the old town. Was always drawn to the fort with other family members since it was the place that my mother's parents met in the early 1900's at a dance or musical event (not sure what event it was)."

The Old City is phenomenal, Aqua!
(can you get a friend of M to dogsit?!)

You'll need more than one day there, preferably in October or early November when it's cool and not as crowded.

[Aquamarine]

Daiser Dog suffers from an acute fear of being abandoned (again) every time we even think about going somewhere. If we leave her in a kennel it's hard to enjoy ourselves knowing that she's on another one of her hunger strikes and shaking in a corner. She is the most sensitive animal I've ever seen.

[LadyX]

Busy posting replies, I just now have found yours, Rus.

it is so distressing a situation.
Dredges up memories of the Presidential Election of 2000 that dragged on and on with all of us in suspense....hard to adjust your and Jul's life around this wrinkle.

We of course pray for it to be righted, and the true results known.

[LadyX]

Could your Mom stay with Daiser Dawg??

[The Mayor]

Yes it is, I am updating my website with the current numbers and asking people to call the BOE and demand they release the final numbers.

[MEG33]

Hang in there, Mayor..

[Aquamarine]

Could your Mom stay with Daiser Dawg??

That's a possibility now that her sister has gone home to Port Orange after a three month visit. But she lives over an hour away and isn't in the best of shape.

[The Mayor]

I am Meg, I just want the final numbers.