Menéndez
landed in Florida in early August, 1565. Within two months he had established
a Spanish colony, destroyed a French fort near Jacksonville
and massacred its garrison, and started construction of the first of many
forts which would secure the town and protect offshore fleets.
St. Augustine barely survived, its residents grimly clinging to the edge
of a vast unexplored, hostile continent, kept alive by food shipped in
from Havana, by gunpowder and reinforcements from Spain, and by the fortress
that dominated the town and which was St. Augustine's reason for being.
The present Castillo de San Marcos is, by some estimates, the tenth fort
built in the vicinity. The previous nine either burned down accidentally
or were eaten by insects or were destroyed by the forces of wind and waves
during hurricanes.
It was not until 1672 that the walls of the present stone
fort began to rise. It was another 24 years before the present castillo
was substantially finished.
The fort is built of soft coquina rock, composed of tiny sea shells. Once
exposed to air, the coquina gradually hardened although it is still so
soft that the National Park Service warns visitors not to sit on the walls.
The coquina offered an unexpected advantage. An English soldier present
at the siege of 1740 noted that the stone, "Will not splinter but
will give way to a cannon ball as though you would stick a knife into cheese." The
walls are still pockmarked with deep holes.
The earliest houses in St. Augustine were of wood, with palm thatch. They
were also tiny, wet, moldy, and short-lived. Tapia, or "tabby," a
concrete made from ground lime, sand and shell, was tried next. It disintegrated
nearly as fast as the wood. As soon as the stone castillo was finished
and the quarry freed for other uses, the residents rebuilt the town entirely
of coquina rock.
As forts go, the castillo is tiny. But it was enough to secure Spanish
dominion over Florida for 236 years. (Indeed, it will not be until the
year 2057 that St. Augustine will have been an American city for as long
as it was a Spanish city.) The fort was originally covered with a brilliant
white plaster and the towers at the corners were painted scarlet. The red-and-white
motif symbolized the Spanish flag and told all who passed by that the fort
was still in Spanish hands.
The English did their best to change that, attacking the fort several times.
Pirates, too, tried the fort's defenses. At first the townspeople fled
to the fort at each attack, watching from the parapets as the invaders
burned their homes yet again, the last time in 1702. Eventually the garrison
built a moat-and-wall defense around the entire city which kept it secure
from further raids.
In 1763, Spain traded Florida to England in a peace treaty. Most of the
inhabitants vacated the city, to be replaced by English immigrants. A mixed
group of Minorcans, Italians and French stayed on and the town culture
became a mixture of Spanish, Mediterranean, and English societies.
After twenty years of English rule, another treaty gave Florida back to
Spain. Spanish citizens returned, while many of the English remained. Americans,
from the newly-free colonies to the north also began to filter into Florida.
The Americans were a serious nuisance to the Spanish crown, stirring up
the indians, causing civil unrest in the more settled areas, and calling
for their government to forcibly seize Florida. Spain, bowing to the inevitable,
sold Florida to the United States in 1821.
Americans came slowly at first, and wars with the indians and the Civil
War hindered progress. St. Augustine sat the war out, firmly occupied by
Union troops.
After the Civil War, Florida grew swiftly, especially when the railroads
pushed south along the seacoast. St. Augustine became a resort town, and
railroad magnate Henry Flagler built several hotels for the winter visitors.
Today those grand hotels have been turned to other uses. The Hotel Ponce
de Leon is now the site of Flagler College, a private liberal-arts school.
The Cordova Hotel is the St. Johns County Court House, and the sprawling
Alcazar houses the Lightner Museum and some city offices.
Before touring the town it is best to stop at the Visitor Information Center
for brochures, guidebooks, and discounts for many of the attractions. Then
brush up on your history, stopping at the "Dream of Empire" movie,
shown nine times daily. The movie takes one hour and covers the city's
history in quite accurate detail. Next, visit the Lightner Museum in the
Alcazar, and the museum operated by the State of Florida at Government
House (ask any shopkeeper for directions).
Now you're ready to start walking, and you will walk a
lot. A few warnings: There is very little in the way of wheelchair accessibility
in this town.
Comfortable shoes and (in summer) a hat are essential. And, while this
city is totally dominated by its Spanish heritage, there are very few
Spanish-language, or even bi-lingual, directions, information or explanations.
If walking isn't your style, take a train or buggy, or rent a bicycle.
Inquire at the Visitor's Information Center for details. The "trains" also
package short tours which include admission to some events.
The horse-drawn buggies range from larger versions which carry up to
16 people to intimate carriages perfect for that moonlight drive.
Things to see include the Spanish Quarter, a "living museum" which
shows houses of various periods in the city's history. To see more of the
lifestyle of 16th-century colonists, you may visit the Spanish Military
Hospital, a number of religious shrines, including Nombre de Dios, the
site of the first mission (and the site of a current archeological excavation),
the "oldest" house, "oldest" school house, and "oldest" store.
(The town dates from 1565 but remember that, with the exception of the
fort, no standing building predates the English burning of the city in
1702.)
Other attractions include the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, the
Moorish-style Zorayda Castle, and the Museum of Weapons, with cannon
from shipwrecks
and Confederate guns. For more modern gunnery, visit the Portman Firearms
Museum. Potter's Wax Museum bills itself as the nation's oldest wax museum.
For art-lovers, the Florida Portrayed, Museum of Art & History is
interesting, with paintings, prints, maps and books spanning more than
400 years of
Florida history.
You cannot, of course, leave St. Augustine without seeing what Ponce
de Leon came to find when he discovered La Florida. The Fountain of Youth
Archeological park is located just north of the fort and the Ripley's
Museum.
There's even a fountain gushing forth water that might make you youthful—if
you only believe hard enough.
It would take at least two very full days to see only the historic center
of the city. But if history begins to bore you, there are nearby alternatives.
The Whetstone Chocolate factory has tours, and the St. Augustine Outlet
Center offers factory direct savings. Marineland of Florida is just south
of the city on the mainland and the St. Augustine Alligator Farm is across
the Bridge of Lions on Anacosta Island. There are also deep sea fishing,
beautiful beaches, and a number of regularly-scheduled events, ranging
from Founders Day (September 4-5) to the Great Chowder Debate (October
31) to the Grand Illumination parade (December 4). For a list of events,
call the Chamber of Commerce at 904-829-5681.
The Chamber or the Visitor Center can also provide you with listings
of Bed-and-Breakfast lodgings in the historic district. This is the best
way
to relax after a hard day of pounding the 400-year-old pavement. Ask
your landlord for the nearest dinner options, and get very specific directions.
You will have to find your way through dimly-lit narrow alleys to tiny,
but wonderful, restaurants hidden away in old houses. But, as Don Pedro
Menéndez de Avilés might have told you, the destination
will be worth the voyage.
— end —
Copyright,
2005, by Stephen Morrill |
