St. Augustine Day 1, 2, 3
18 April 2012 | Mooring #28, St. Augustine
Dede; weather beautiful!!
We arrived in St. Augustine, FL, on Monday, April 16th... after a beautiful cruise down the ICW...sometimes surrounded by swamp and other times by million dollar property! We picked up a mooring (the dock masters become a little "testy" when requesting a mooring close to the dock!!), went ashore, and immediately became captivated by the city's Old World Charm. I thought I had left my new found love for history back in Georgia, but, alas, St. Augustine dates back to the Renaissance, with European flavor and Spanish-inspired history. It is considered the oldest city in America; on September 8, 1565, this city was founded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles and named St. Augustine because his fleet had reached the Florida shores on the day of the festival of San Augustin. The history of this city, without even mentioning its economic and urban growth in the twentieth century, is simply extraordinary. The story of St. Augustine indeed is the history of the discovery and first successful settlement of North America, the establishment of Christianity and colonial development of what would eventually become the United States. It is a chronicle of more than 4-centuries of community life in the New World.
We have become true tourists as well as historians!! We visited Castillo de San Marcos, located along the shore. It was constructed in the late 17th century in response to repeated raids of the city. The last killed a quarter of the residents in response to a Spanish attack on a British outpost. 85 dead British soldiers lie under the grass-lined banks of the fort; that particular area of grass lies void of any plantings, statues, etc...it simply lays desolate w/the story of the killings being told.
Standard Oil founder Henry Flagler built the Hotel Ponce de Leon , a nearly perfect example of Spanish Renaissance architecture. He built it for his rich and famous friends to visit...and left no stone unturned in its' design and/or materials. In the mid-1900s, it became Flagler College...a small private liberal arts college. I toured it today...and it took my breath away (not exactly like my alma maters of URI or Salve Regina!!). The dining hall houses the largest collection of original Louis Tiffany windows...assessed value unknown to the public but insured for 36 million dollars. It is designed w/3 consistent themes...religion (he was the son of a Presbyterian minister); nautical and Spanish. The lavish woodwork, ceilings, statues, fireplaces, etc, ALL follow 1 of these 3 themes. 11 of the chandeliers are original Tiffany, designed w/Austrian crystal. The original floors were covered in leather. Mr. Flagler, because of his religious upbringing, did not believe anything in this world was perfect; hence, everything he designed has a very small imperfection! I could go on and on but...
"Lincolnville" (formerly the African section) was the site of the 1st Civil Rights demonstration...Martin Luther King spent 17-days protesting here and was arrested twice. At the same site, aptly so, is where the Emancipation Act was 1st announced in Florida.
Not to be outdone, Al Capone had a house here...during the prohibition years...
Jim and I BOTH partook in the Fountain of Youth...I am sure you will notice our youth when we return!!
Jim visited the Lighthouse today...and will blog about that...while I enjoyed the beautiful little brick streets laden w/shops!!
We attended a service this morning at Trinity Episcopal Parish, established in 1821. In 1783, when Spain regained possession of Florida, the Anglican Church ceased to exist in the city as an organized religion. It would be another 38 years before a protestant denomination would again take hold in St. Augustine. The church has a spectacular Tiffany window in its' chapel; and, a gorgeous "Dove" round window (a replica of the window in the Basilica in Italy) above its' entrance.
There is still so much to do and see...we have only skimmed the surface!! The weather is not favorable for the next several days (a cold front is coming thru w/some strong winds) so with our desire to do more exploring, and our discussions w/the local immigration officers as well as the minister (yes, we have made some influential friends!!), we will stay in this charming city until at least next Monday. So stay tuned...