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This small Florida town holds a lot of history and is a good example of early town planning in North
America. It is designed with the fort (el castillo) at
the north end and a grid system of streets extending
south to the Plaza de la Constitucion. Here are some
places you should see while in the city.
Public Burying Ground: Some call it the Huguenot
Cemetery, but it was the graveyard for any
Protestants, not just French immigrants.
City Gate: Cross the street from the burying ground
and you will see one this gate, which is one of the
original entrances to the town since 1718. The wall
was made of earth, palm logs, coquina stone, cactus
and the sharp pointed Spanish bayonet plants.
Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse & Spanish Quarter Village:
Plan to spend extra time in the museum because it
involves a complex of buildings and gardens where
costumed interpreters explain how life was lived in
old St. Augustine. Two cultures are represented in
this presentation. First, the workaday world of the
Spanish settlement in the 1740s. Second, at the Peso
de Burgo-Pellicer House, you'll see how farmworers
from Minorca lived. In 1777 about 600 settlers left
the plantations about 75 north of St. Augustine and
came to this village. Here they plead with the
governor for their freedom. Three original houses
remain in this area.
St. Photios National Shrine: Here you can see the
flags of the United States and Greece. The shrine
shows how Greeks settled in this area with the
Minorcans.
De Pena-Peck House: The house was named after the two
owners. The first floor was built in the 1740s by the
royal treasurer of the Spanish colony. It was enlarged
a centry later by a British doctor, Seth Peck.
Basilica Cathedral of St. Augustine: In existance
since the 1600s, but rebuilt is 1797, the classic
missionary church facade is at odds with the tower. It
is part of a local man's beautification project.
Plaza de la Consitucion: A public marketplace since
1598, this was the site of one of Martin Luther King
Jr's rallies for civil rights in 1964. A statue of
Juan Ponce de Leon stands at the cneter of the plaza,
with his raised arm pointing towards the sea.
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument: The star
shaped fortress has guarded St.Augustine for more than
300 years. It cost so much to build that the King of
Spain said the walls must have been built with silver.
In fact, the 12 foot thick walls woere made of a
limestone product called coquina.
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