Ponce de Leon StatueJuan Ponce de León sailed along the Atlantic coast searching for gold and the Fountain of Youth; he landed near St. Augustine on April 3, 1513 and took possession of the region for Spain. After 6 unsuccessful attempts to colonize “La Florida”, in 1565 King Phillip II of Spain sent Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to drive out the French Huguenots who had established Fort Caroline (now Jacksonville, Florida). Sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Menéndez reached Florida with 5 ships carrying 500 soldiers and 200 sailors. They made their second landing on September 8, 1565, the feast day of St. Augustine and named the new settlement in his honor. The French fleet, Fort Caroline and most of the Frenchmen were soon destroyed.
St. George Street Tourists stroll by restored, typical Spanish houses, with walled patio gardens, their lower floor converted into a shop or cafe. La Florida generally remained free of foreign (non-Spanish) colonists until early in the 17th century. Jamestown was established in 1607, Quebec in 1607, Plymouth in 1620, the Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1630. By the time the Dutch city of New Amsterdam was named “New York”, St. Augustine was 100 years old. Another 20 years passed before Philadelphia was founded by the Quakers. The closest foreign settlement, Charles Town (Charleston) appeared in 1670 to challenge Spain’s control of the southeastern coast of the continent.
George’s Treasure tempts tourists
Window of the oldest wooden schoolhouse in America, built of cypress and cedar wood about 1755
Scribe demonstration in Colonial Spanish Quarter(entrance fee $5.50 for seniors)
Home-made toys in Colonial Spanish Quarter house
Roof of Sabal or Cabbage Palm fronds, reconstructed shelter in Colonial Spanish Quarter
Coquina BlocksAbout 1671 soft shell-stone quarrying began on Anastasia Island. The natural deposits were cut into blocks, loaded on ox-drawn carts, and barged across Matanzas Bay to build the Castillo, City Wall and substantial town buildings.
Coquina wall, St. George street
