Black History Month in Florida - Fort Mose Historic State Park

Fort Mose Historic State Park

This is part one of a Black History Month series on key African American heritage sites in Florida.

Fort Mose Historic State Park

Visitors to historic St. Augustine often overlook Fort Mose, which is the focal point of a historic state park on the north side of the city. The park does not offer the towering stone walls of the Castillo de San Marcos or charming streets of America's oldest city, yet it is a historic site of enormous national importance.

Established in 1738 by the Spanish to serve as a first line of defense for the colonial city of St. Augustine, Fort Mose holds distinction as the first settlement ever established for free blacks in the continental United States.

Artist's Conception of Fort Mose

Designated as a National Historic Landmark, the fort was initially occupied by 100 free African Americans, many of whom had escaped from slavery in the Carolinas. The Spanish in Florida, however, offered them freedom if they would adopt the Catholic faith and join the local militia. The policy brought so many escaped slaves across the line into Florida that Fort Mose was established to give them a place to build homes and clear fields of their own. The settlement grew to become a significant part of the St. Augustine landscape.

The fort was the scene of an important battle during the English invasion of 1740, but was rebuilt and provided a home survived as a key settlement for free African Americans until 1763, when Spain surrendered Florida to England at the end of the Seven Years War. The inhabitants of the Fort Mose settlement were evacuated to Cuba, where their descendants live today.

It is truly sad to note that the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) now proposes closing Fort Mose, a site of great historical importance and a landmark of black history, to save money. The DEP is recommending that 56 Florida State Parks be closed to save $6.5 million (out of a total DEP budget of over $1.4 BILLION). Among them are many, like Fort Mose, that are significant to Florida's African American heritage. To voice your opinions on this, please click here to email Rep. Trudi K. Williams, who chairs the subcommittee considering the closure recommendation.

To learn more about Fort Mose, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortmose2.

The park is hosting a special "Flight to Freedom" event to celebrate Black History Month on Saturday, February 12th. Cost of admission is $2 per person and reenactors will recreate life at the settlement with events including drumming demonstrations, cannon fire and more.

Warden Castle (Ripley's Believe It or Not!) - St. Augustine, Florida

The original Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum(R) in St. Augustine, Florida, is a landmark in and of itself. The unique chain of quirky and fun museums spread out from here. But the one in St. Augustine is even more special because of its location, the beautifully designed and supposedly haunted Warden Castle.

During the years after the Civil War, many of the nation's wealthiest families looked to the Southern coast as locations for winter homes. It was during this era that the Millionaire Village grew on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Just down the coast, the historic old city of St. Augustine also attracted the attention of some the country' 19th century rich and famous.

Among these was William G. Warden, a business partner of John D. Rockefeller. Adopting St. Augustine as his winter home, Warden built the Warden Castle there in 1887. Massive in scale and designed in a unique Moorish Revival Style, the huge home hosted many of the nation's most elite business leaders and their families during winter visits to St. Augustine. It remained in the hands of the Warden family until the 1930s.

Warden Castle later became a hotel and was even one of the homes of famed novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. It is also the focus of a number of St. Augustine's best known ghost stories.

To learn more about the unique and historic structure, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineripley.

Mission Nombre de Dios - St. Augustine, Florida

It has because been called "the most sacred acre in America" and Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine has truly earned that honor.

Now a beautiful park setting with a magnificent steel cross facing Matanzas Bay, the restored Chapel of Nuestra Senora de La Leche, historic cemetery and interpretive signs detailing the history of the site, the mission commemorates the planting of the first permanent Christian church in the United States.

On September 8, 1565, a Spanish flotilla commanded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles arrived in Florida's Matanzas Bay. He had been ordered to drive away the French who had built Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River and to plant a permanent settlement that would firmly establish Spain's title to the region. Spotting the Timucuan town of Seloy, Menendez came ashore and quickly established friendly relations with the leaders and inhabitants of the town.

On the same day, the fleet chaplain conducted a Mass of Thanksgiving to thank God for the safe arrival of the settlers in the New World. The Mass marked the firm establishment of the Catholic Church at St. Augustine and its presence has continued there without interruption for nearly 450 years.

Over the years that followed, Mission Nombre de Dios and its Chapel of Nuestra Senora de La Leche served as the mother of a chain of missions that stretched across Florida and up the East Coast as far as Virginia. The stone chapel was bombarded and destroyed by the Spanish themselves to prevent its use by English attackers during the 1700s, but was restored in 1875.

Today the site is open to the public daily and is a major landmark in the history of Christianity in the United States. Please click here to learn more about Mission Nombre de Dios: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nombrededios.

Montiano's Georgia Campaign - A Turning Point in Florida History

One of the least known yet most important events in Florida history took place primary across the line in Georgia.

In 1742, Spanish Governor Don Manuel de Montiano launched a campaign against the English in Georgia and the Carolinas from his capital of St. Augustine, Florida. Montiano was outraged over an attack on St. Augustine carried out two years earlier by English General James Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony. The attack failed when Oglethorpe's army was unable to take the power fort of Castillo de San Marcos.

The unusually named War of Jenkins' Ear was then raging between England and Spain (it took its name from the severed ear of an English sea captain who had been captured by the Spanish), but Spain was equally outraged by England's blatant planting of the Georgia colony on lands claimed by the Spanish since the 1500s.

Anticipating a move against his new colony even before the outbreak of fighting in the Americas, General Oglethorpe had built a military town named Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island in 1736. A powerful fortress on the Frederica River which formed the landward coast of the island, Frederica controlled the inland passage up the Georgia coast. To further protect the island, Oglethorpe had built Fort St. Simons on the site of today's St. Simons Lighthouse. Armed with 18-pounder cannon, it was designed to prevent Spanish ships from entering St. Simons Sound.

In addition, as he had moved down the coast against St. Augustine, Oglethorpe built other forts on Cumberland, Amelia and Fort George Islands. These would provide early warning of a Spanish move up the coast. As Montiano would learn, the English had built at least the appearance of a strong defense.

Over the coming days I will post on some of the surviving sites associated with Montiano's Georgia Campaign and look closer at the dramatic effects of English victory in the fighting that was come. Be sure to check back regularly. Until the next post, you can read more about Montiano's base of operations at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1 and Oglethorpe's base at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortfrederica.

The Fountain of Youth - St. Augustine, Florida

Ok, admittedly its a bit of a stretch, but a popular tourist attraction in St. Augustine has billed itself as Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth for more than 100 years. Millions of tourists have visited the grounds through the years.

What is not a stretch, however, is that this 15 acre park contains some of the most significant historic sites in the United States. While no one knows for sure the precise site of Juan Ponce de Leon's landing in 1539, an old tradition holds that it took place at the Fountain of Youth Park and that he sampled the water from a small spring there. The spring is now enclosed in a picturesque stone building that also features a life-size recreation of Ponce de Leon coming ashore in Florida.

While the legend may or may not be true, archaeologists have uncovered another fact that makes the park one of the most unique in America. Excavations near the waterfront have revealed the remains of the original fort and village built by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565 when he arrived and founded St. Augustine. These archaeological remains represent the founding moments of the oldest city in the United States.

Archaeologists have also discovered the site of the original Mission Nombre de Dios on the grounds. It was the oldest permanent Christian site in the continental United States.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fountainofyouth.

St. Augustine, Florida #8 - Imprisonment of Osceola

The story of the great Seminole warrior Osceola is not as much a part of our nation's memory as it used to be, but it can still be explored in St. Augustine.

School kids across the country once learned the story of Osceola and the great war for survival waged by the Seminoles between 1835 and 1844. The Second Seminole War was waged from the Okefenokee Swamp south to the Everglades and from Walton County in Northwest Florida east to the Atlantic Ocean. In the end, despite repeated announcements of victory by the U.S. Army, the Seminoles of Florida clung to at least part of their lands.

Although he was not a chief, Osceola was recognized by both whites and Indians as one of the key war leaders of the conflict. The Creek and Seminole cultures had always allowed for warriors to rise to positions of distinction based on their prowess in battle, and Osceola was by all accounts a charismatic and competent leader in battle.

Frustrated by their attempts to capture or kill him, U.S. Army officers laid a trap for Osceola near St. Augustine on October 21, 1837. He appeared under a white flag to negotiate with the government, but was seized despite the protection of this flag by order of General Thomas S. Jesup.

Carried to St. Augustine, Osceola was initially imprisoned at the Castillo de San Marcos. He remained there until several other prisoners escaped one night. Concerned that he might repeat the feat engineered by the other Seminoles, the army moved Osceola to Fort Moultrie in South Carolina. He died there of sickness a short time later.

The story of the warrior's imprisonment in St. Augustine is interpreted today at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineosceola.

St. Augustine, Florida #7 - Ghost Hunting

Looking for ghosts has turned into big business in the nation's oldest city. St. Augustine, in fact, may have more alleged ghosts per block than any city in America.

Probably the best known haunting in the old city involves the St. Augustine Lighthouse. On July 10, 1873, a tragic accident took place during the construction of the lighthouse. Five children were riding a cable car of sorts that was used by workers to move construction materials from the beach up to the work site. Something went terribly wrong and and the children were flung into the water. Although two were rescued, three little girls died. It is said that their spirits still haunt the lighthouse, along with several other ghosts.

There are many other alleged ghosts in St. Augustine. The grounds of Fountain of Youth Park are said to be haunted by the spirits of early Native Americans. A Spanish soldier has been seen walking about the Castillo de San Marcos after dark. A lonely women is sometimes spotted at the Old City Gates. Warden Castle, now the home of Ripley's Believe it or Not, is said to be haunted by a murder victim. And there are many others scattered throughout the old city.

Numerous tour operators offer nightly ghost tours. Some are done by tram, others involve walking to some of St. Augustine's most famous haunted spots. To learn more about the ghosts of St. Augustine, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineghost.

St. Augustine, Florida #6 - Historic District

The St. Augustine Historic District is one of the most remarkable heritage destinations in Florida.

Stretching out for blocks in three directions from the city's Plaza de la Constitucion, the district includes a massive collection of colonial structures. Although St. Augustine dates back to 1565, it took on its current appearance following a devastating attack by English forces under Governor James Moore of South Carolina in 1702. Moore tried unsuccessfully for 52 days to batter his way into the Castillo de San Marcos. When he finally admitted that he was unable to do so, he retaliated by burning the civilian areas of the city to the ground.

The citizens rebuilt on the ashes, creating the city that visitors see today. Because so much damage from Moore's attack resulted from the fact that most of St. Augustine's early homes were built of wood, the citizens rebuilt using masonry. Coquina rock was quarried from nearby Anastasia Island and other location and use to build almost fireproof floors and walls. As a result, numerous structures in the city dating from the early 1700s survive to this day.

When St. Augustine passed into British hands after the French and Indian War, English settlers added wooden second floors to many of the old Spanish homes and buildings. Many of these second stories can still be seen today, including at the Nation's Oldest House.

A favorite part of the district is the section that lines St. George Street, where entire blocks have been either restored or reconstructed. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinedistrict.

St. Augustine, Florida #5 - Plaza de la Constitucion

I was watching the History Channel the other day and noticed that a New England state claims to be the home of the oldest public park in the United States. I have never really understood why much of the rest of the country seems to forget that St. Augustine, Florida, was settled 55 years before the first Pilgrim waded ashore at Plymouth Rock.

In fact, the oldest public park in the United States is not in the Northeast. It is the Plaza de la Constitucion in downtown St. Augustine.

This beautiful tree shaded park was established by Spanish Royal Ordinances in 1573, just eight years after St. Augustine was founded and 47 years before settlers arrived in New England. The ordinances required that the plaza be established for public uses in the center of the city, oriented to the principal compass points with a length equal to one and one-half times its width. It maintains these coordiantes to these days.

The Spanish officials and citizens of St. Augustine built many of the public structures of the city so that they would face the plaza. Among those still standing are the restored Goverment House, built in 1706-1713, and the magnificent Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine, a National Historic Landmark built in 1793-1797.

The cannon seen today on the Plaza de le Constiticion were once part of the armament of the nearby Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine's massive Spanish fort. The plaza also includes the only public memorial in the United States to a foreign constitution. It honors, in part, a Spanish constitution enacted when Florida was still a Spanish colony.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineplaza.

St. Augustine, Florida #4 - St. Augustine Lighthouse

I am convinced that the most spectacular view anywhere on the Atlantic Coast is the one from the top of the historic St. Augustine Lighthouse.

The beautiful old tower was completed in 1874 to replace lighthouses that had stood near its site since shortly after St. Augustine was founded in 1565. It soars high above the Atlantic Ocean and Matanzas Bay and provides a stunning view of the nation's oldest city.

The lighthouse was maintained by keepers who lived in a cottage on the grounds until 1955, when the light was automated. Over the years that followed, the lighthouse and adjacent structures deteriorated badly without the daily care that the keeper and his assistants once provided. The sad state of the historic structure touched the hearts of many local residents and a drive to restore and preserve the lighthouse soon began under the auspices of the Junior Service League of St. Augustine.

It took eleven years of work and fundraising, but the League finally achieved its goal of saving and restoring the beautiful old lighthouse. It is now operated as a historic site and is open daily for self-guided tours (as long as lightning isn't in the area!). The former Keeper's Cottage features outstanding historical exhibits on the lighthouse and surrounding area and the gift shop offers a wide assortment of lighthouse memorabilia.

And if you like good ghost stories, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is one of the nation's most famous "haunted" locations. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinelighthouse.

St. Augustine, Florida #2 - Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, the historic Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine was begun in 1672 and took more than 23 years to complete.

Authorized by the Queen of Spain to protect the nation's oldest permanently occupied settlement in the face of growing English and French settlements in the New World, the castillo was the most powerful fortress ever built by Spain to defend her coloney of La Florida.

Built of coquina, a unique natural rock formed of shell concretions and found in the St Augustine area, the massive fort was used as an active military post for more than 200 years and never fell to an enemy attack. Governor James Moore of South Carolina bombarded and laid siege to it in 1702. Governor James Oglethorpe of Georgia tried again in 1738, but also failed. Revolutionaries backed by the U.S. Army tried in 1812 but also failed to dent the walls of the massive Castillo de San Marcos.

The fort passed peacefully into the hands of the United States in 1821 and was renamed Fort Marion. It was a key post during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842) and the great Seminole leader Osceola was confined there briefly after he was taken prisoner while negotiating under a white flag.

Both Union and Confederate forces occupied the fort at different times during the Civil War and it was used as a prison for Apache, Kiowa, Comanche and other Indians during the years after the war. In 1898, 200 men were housed there after they tried to desert during the Spanish American War.

Fort Marion was declared a national monument in 1933 and its original name was restored by the U.S. Congress in 1942. Now the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, it is open to the public daily. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/castillodesanmarcos1.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part One

This post begins a new series on beautiful and historic St. Augustine, Florida.

The oldest permanently occupied settlement in the continental United States, St. Augustine was already more than 40 years old by the time the English arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, and had been a thriving community for 56 years when the first Pilgrim set foot on Plymouth Rock. The number of "oldests" and "firsts" in the historic city is truly amazing.

Among them are the nation's oldest house, oldest masonry fort, oldest public park and oldest wooden schoolhouse. The Catholic Church has been active in St. Augustine since 1565, making it the oldest active religious organization in the United States.

Founded in 1565 by the Spanish military leader Pedro Menendez de Aviles, the city initially served as a fortified outpost against French expansion along the Atlantic seaboard. Soldiers from St. Augustine destroyed the French settlement of Fort Caroline at present-day Jacksonville, putting its garrison to the sword. Those who escaped the slaughter were captured near Fort Matanzas National Monument a short time later and were also massacred.

With the French presence in Florida thus exterminated, the Spanish settled into a centuries long effort to colonize Florida and built the city of St. Augustine.

Beginning with the next post, I will explore some of my favorite historic sites in the old city. Until then, you can learn more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1.

Civil War in St. Augustine, Florida

Civil War activity in Florida is often overlooked because it was of smaller scale that the massive campaigns and battles fought at such places as Chickamauga, Gettysburg, Petersburg, etc.

Even so, there was critical Civil War activity in the Sunshine State, much of it centered around the state's important towns and seaports. Among these in 1861 was old St. Augustine, an Atlantic Coast port and the oldest city in United States (or the Confederacy, in this case).

State troops seized the Castillo de San Marcos (then called Fort Marion) without firing a shot on January 7, 1861, three days before Florida officially voted to leave the Union. Built by the Spanish in the 1600s, the old stone fortress was still an active military post that had been strengthened by the filling of its waterfront dry moat and the addition of a battery of heavy artillery there. When it was taken by Florida troops, the fort contained 20 pieces of heavy artillery, including four 8-inch Columbiads and sixteen 32-pounders. An additional six complete batteries of field artillery were also stored in the fort, along with a number of antique Spanish cannon.

Confederate troops occupied the Castillo until March of 1862 when they withdrew ahead of a planned Union effort to occupy St. Augustine. The U.S.S. Wabash arrived off St. Augustine on March 11, 1862, and sent a small boat into the harbor in an effort to arrange a peaceful surrender. The sailors found a white flag flying from the abandoned fort.

Commodore C.R.P. Rogers met with city leaders and negotiated a peaceful surrender with them. Not everyone, however, was glad to see the Federals. A large group of women went to the St. Francis Barracks and chopped down the flag staff so it couldn't be used to raise the U.S. flag. Mayor Paul Arneau also refused to reveal the location of the hidden lens from the St. Augustine Lighthouse. He was jailed until he gave up the information.

Today there are many sites in St. Augustine associated with the Civil War. The best known, of course, is the Castillo de San Marcos, now a national monument and open to the public daily. On the outside of the fort, the Water Battery in use during the Civil War can still be seen along with a number of cannon from that era. On the Plaza de la Constitucion, where the city was surrendered, several original Civil War era guns from the fort can also be seen. The St. Augustine Lighthouse is now a museum and is also open to the public.

To learn more about historic St. Augustine and Civil War activity there, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1.

Ghost Hunting in St. Augustine, Florida

Looking for ghosts has become big business in America's oldest city.

Spend a little time walking the streets of St. Augustine after dark and you are bound to encounter one of the many ghost tours operating in the city. These guided excursions take visitors out in search of the restless spirits that many claim still roam the streets, cemeteries and buildings of the old Spanish city.

St. Augustine was founded in 1565 and, as you might expect, it has more than its share of ghost stories. There are stories of murder victims, soldiers killed in battle, fever victims and many others.

There are both walking and tram tours offered by several different companies, including Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum.

The Ripley's tour is pretty campy. Guided by costumed narrators, it takes participants to the Fountain of Youth Park for ghost stories, followed by a visit to an old cemetery for more stories. Perhaps the most interesting part of the tour, however, is the chance it offers to roam around a bit inside Warden Castle, the home of the Ripley's museum and an extremely spooky place after dark.

The museum is said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who was murdered there and visitors often report capturing strange effects in their photographs.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineghost.

Plaza de la Constitucion - St. Augustine, Florida

The historic Plaza de la Constitucion in St. Augustine is America's oldest public park.

Established by Spanish Royal Ordinances in 1573, this park was in use for 30 years before the first English settler set foot at Jamestown, Virginia, and nearly 50 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymoth Rock, Massachusetts.

Throughout the Spanish era of St. Augustine's history, the public and government buildings of the city faced the plaza, which still retains the design specified in the original ordinances calling for its establishment. Archaeologists have found the remains of a well dating back to the 1600s in the Plaza de la Constitucion and it is the only known park in the United States with a monument dedicated to a foreign constitution, the Spanish Constitution of 1812.

Today the Plaza remains a popular park in St. Augustine. The shade of its trees cool visitors to the nation's oldest city as they explore the numerous historic attractions of the old Spanish settlement. Among the structures still facing the Plaza is the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine, built in 1793-1797 and the Government House, built in 1706-1713.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustineplaza.

Ancient Walls and Gates of St. Augustine, Florida

The finest place in the United States to explore our country's Spanish colonial history is the beautiful old city of St. Augustine, Florida.

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continually occupied city in the United States. It abounds with beautiful original and restored colonial structures.

I've always found the fact that St. Augustine was a walled city to be fascinating. Visitors often pass the beautiful old stone city gate without recognizing its significance.

The decision to build walls around the city was prompted by an English attack in 1702. Governor James Moore of South Carolina torched and sacked St. Augustine, although he was unable to conquer the massive old fortress of Castillo de San Marcos. Two years later, construction began on the Cubo Line, an earth and timber wall that stretched across the northern end of the city from Matanzas Bay to the San Sebastian River.

Updated over the years, the wall successfully protected St. Augustine from ever being captured again.

The current Old City Gate was constructed in 1808 at the time of the final reconstruction of the Cubo line.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinegate.

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument - St. Augustine, Florida

A few days ago I mentioned Fort Matanzas National Monument near St. Augustine. The "other" fort in America's oldest city, of course, is the Castillo de San Marcos. Now preserved as a national monument, the Castillo or castle is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States.

The Castillo de San Marcos was actually the tenth in a series of fort's built by the Spanish to defend St. Augustine. The previous nine had been constructed of earth and wood. The need for a more solid fort had long been known, but a pirate attack on the city in 1668 and the founding of Charleston, South Carolina, by the English in 1670 spurred the construction of the Castillo in October of 1672.

Built of natural coquina stone quarried on nearby Anastasia Island, the fort took 23 years to complete and is a spectacular example of Spanish colonial architecture.

It was attacked repeatedly by English forces during the 1700s, but never fell. During one bombardment the selection of coquina for the construction of the fort proved its worth as English cannon balls sank into the soft stone walls without shattering the ramparts or seriously damaging the fort.

The fort and all of Florida was turned over to the British in 1763 following the French and Indian War and redcoats occupied the Castillo, which they called Fort St. Marks, during the American Revolution. It served as a base for repeated attacks on Georgia. Returned to Spain after the Revolution, the Castillo continued to serve as a Spanish military post until 1821 when Florida was ceded to the United States. It then served the U.S. and briefly the Confederate armies for nearly 80 more years.

To learn more about the historic and unconquered fort that protected St. Augustine, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/castillodesanmarcos1.

Fort Matanzas - The Other Guardian of St. Augustine

Untold numbers of people have explored the historic stone walls and ramparts of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine over the years, but fewer are aware that another old Spanish fort also stands on the banks of the Matanzas River south of the city.

Fort Matanzas National Monument preserves the unique old structure built by the Spanish in 1740-1742 to guard the southern approaches to St. Augustine. Measuring 50 feet on each side with a 30 foot tower, all built of native coquina stone, it is one of America's most unique forts.

Located on an island near the mouth of the river, the fort is accessible by National Park Service tour boats that cross the river from the visitor center of the park throughout the day during good weather. It is a short voyage well worth taking.

Once on the island, visitors can explore the old fort and even climb up to the top of the tower for a panoramic view of the coastal area.

Fort Matanzas fired its cannon only once in anger, when a British force led by Gen. James Oglethorpe arrived off Matanzas Inlet just after the completion of the fort in 1742. The Spanish artillerymen opened fire on a boat party led by Oglethorpe, but in a unique display of the chivalry of the day, stopped firing after it became apparent that the British boats were in danger of sinking. Oglethorpe retreated to his ships and with just a few shots, the fort had proved itself worth the cost of its construction.

To learn more please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortmatanzas1.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

One of the most beautiful historic sites in Florida is the black and white tower of the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

Although the current lighthouse was completed in 1874, lighthouses have stood in this vicinity since long before English settlers arrived at either Jamestown or Plymouth Rock. The first light here, in fact, was placed shortly after St. Augustine was founded by the Spanish in 1565.

A wooden lighthouse was replaced by a coquina stone structure (coquina is a natural stone found in the St. Augustine area) in 1683. Used as both a lighthouse and fortified outpost, the structure was converted into a full-fledged lighthouse by the U.S. Government during the 1820s.

Darkened during the Civil War, the old lighthouse was in crumbling condition by 1870 when construction started on the current structure.

Still operational, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is the centerpiece of a beautiful historical park that includes the restored keeper's cottage/museum and a visitor's center. Visitors can climb the tower daily (weather conditions permitting).

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinelighthouse.