St. Augustine, Florida - America's Oldest City
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The Oldest City In The United States Of America
Many people do not know that St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States. I live in Florida and I did not know the history of St. Augustine, until I visited. The tours are a fantastic learning experience!
The Spanish established St. Augustine 42 years before the English colonized Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
And the history does not stop there! There are many more fascinating figures and events that occurred throughout it's existence.
The photo shown above was taken at "The Fountain Of Youth" during my first visit to the city of St. Augustine.
Take a tour of this amazing city!
While on our tour we learned all about the history of this beautiful city. If you visit St. Augustine I highly recommend both the horse and carriage ride and the trolly tour.
The photo shown is our beautiful horses from our carriage ride.
How did St. Augustine get it's name?
The Fountain Of Youth - 1513
Drink the water and stay young forever!
(Photo from my visit.)
Near the spring lays a stone cross. The cross has 15 stones on the long side and 13 stones on the short side. The cross is said to be laid out by Ponce de Leon and his men. The number of stones is said to represent the year in which they came ashore (1513).
Timucuan Indians and Ponce de Leon
Life Size Diorama
(Photo from my visit.)
(My bottle of water.)
- The Fountain Of Youth Spring
The water from the spring is available for visitors sample. Warning to those who have never had Florida water, it does not taste so good. However, you should do it anyway. The water is also available for purchase by the bottle. You can see my bottle above.
Castillo De San Marcos - 1672
The oldest masonry fortress in the United States
Photo from my visit.
The Castillo De San Marcos was built with coquina. Coquina translated in Spanish literally means "tiny shell". When you visit the fort you can see the tiny shells in the structure. Coquina was the only stone available to build with at the time. Though initially this was not thought to be the best building material, it proved to be a surprisingly better than granite or brick.
Do you believe in spirits?
The Castillo De San Marcos is also known as one of the most haunted sites in St. Augustine.
Visitors can capture "orbs" on camera. These orbs are believed by some, to be spirits.
The photo on the right is from our visit. To see more photo's of the orbs we captures click on the image.
- Haunted St. Augustine
- List of haunted sites in St. Augustine, Florida.
America's Most Sacred Acre - 1565
Nombre de Dios Mission
The Site Of The First Mass In America
If you look off in the distance from the fort you will see an enormous cross (photo's below). This cross marks the spot of America's most sacred acre. This is my favorite place to visit.
On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; September 8, 1565, the very first Mass was celebrated by Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales. This event was the beginning of the Cathedral parish in St. Augustine. America's first parish. The first Mass took place in what is today the Mission Nombre de Dios "Name of God". Read more about America's Most Sacred Acre.
(Photo from my visit.)
Cross off in the distance from the fort. (Photo from my visit.)
The Old Jail
Built in 1891
This was the creepiest of all of the sites I have visited in St. Augustine. Just the thought of all of the people who were executed and the way they were executed. Not my cup of tea. However it was interesting to see.
Our jails today are like resorts compared to this one. Very tight and I would imagine unbearably hot.
(Photo from our tour.)
Outside you are greeted by a prisoner. (Photo from my visit.)
Video Tour of the history of St. Augustine!
On YouTube
This video is similar to what you would here on a tour of St. Augustine. There is so much more than this though. I will be adding more to this page soon so check back!
- St. Augustine Tours | Old Town Trolley Tours | St. Augustine, Florida
- St Augustine Tours with Old Town Trolley Tours is the best sightseeing adventure with 22 stops and more than 100 points of interest!
About Me
Welcome to my Squidoo! I am an artist, a wife & a mom of 3 girls. I became addicted to Squidoo in November 2009! Since I have received: LotD twice and 8 Purple Stars. I am a Giant 100 club member, a RocketMom and a Squid Angel for the Art History neighborhood. My lens collection features: my original artwork,free clip art I have created, my travels and several other topics I like to write about. To view my original paintings & sculptures you can visit my website @ ARTBYMICHELLECOLLINS.COM!
Have you ever visited St. Augustine?
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maddydidit
Jan 27, 2012 @ 4:17 pm | delete
- I came across your lens via google yesterday while helping my little cousin find a picture of the fountain of youth for a school project. We were excited to finally be able to find a picture or photograph that she could use, as many of the images hosted online contain nudes, and we were reluctant to send in one of those. Thank you for hosting a family friendly image of Ponce de Leon and St. Augustine!
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artbymichelle Jan 27, 2012 @ 5:06 pm | delete
- No problem! I have lot's of pics from our St. Augustine visits. I will be updating this series of lenses and adding more images when I have time. There is just so much there ... it is an amazing place to visit!
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poutine
Jan 23, 2011 @ 6:54 am | delete
- It sounds like a very interesting place to visit.
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emmalarkins
Sep 26, 2010 @ 11:28 pm | delete
- I love the pictures! Great information about this interesting place!
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- Ghosts & Orbs St. Augustine Florida
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- The First Parish In The United States Of America
- The earliest Christian settlement in what is now The United States of America, took place in the city of St. Augustine, Florida.On the feast of the Nativity
- St. Augustine, Florida - History - Hauntings & Beauty
- I have visited St. Augustine twice and would go back 100 times more! St. Augustine is packed full of history, beauty and things to do.This lens features lin
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Welcome to my Squidoo! I am an artist, a wife & a mom of 3 girls. I became addicted to Squidoo in November 2009! Since I have received: LotD twice... more »
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