SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

Our visit to St. Augustine was very interesting.  Our guide, Gary is a historian and gave us some history on the area including the fact that it predates Jamestown, VA as the oldest city in the U.S.  by at least 50 years.  St. Augustine was founded in 1565 as a Spanish settlement while Jamestown was English.  It is also the site of the first Catholic mass in the new world.  Of course since it is the oldest city it makes sense that it is the site of the oldest house, the oldest school and the oldest street; and we visited them all. 

The site of Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth is an archeological park where they have found the walls of the first city.  The native inhabitants were the Timucuan Indians but, unfortunately there are no more of them living.

More modern history includes the fact that Henry Flagler (co-founder of Standard Oil with John D. Rockefeller) made it the winter home of the "rich and famous" in the late 1800's by building 3 hotels to house his millionaire friends during the cold winter months.  One remains a hotel, one is the Lightner Museum and one now houses Flagler College. He also built the Memorial Presbyterian Church as a memorial to his daughter who died as a result of childbirth.  The family is interred in the crypt.

OUR GUIDE GARY

SAINT AUGUSTINE LIGHT HOUSE

REPLICA OF A SPANISH GALLEON

RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

SITE OF THE FIRST CATHOLIC MASS IN THE NEW WORLD

A CHAPEL ON THE MISSION GROUNDS

CAN YOU SEE THE GHOST AND WHO DOES IT LOOK LIKE

ALL SPANISH CITIES HAVE A PLAZA

MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

LISTENING TO THE DOCENT IN THE CHURCH

ENTRANCE TO THE FLAGLER FAMILY CRIPT

THE CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS

THE FORT AT SAINT AUGUSTINE (CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS)

ST. GEORGE ST (THE OLDEST STREET)

RAY TAKING A BREATHER

BOB TAUGHT HERE. YES HE IS THAT OLD

SITE OF THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

KATHY GETTING THAT FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH WATER. DOES SHE REALLY NEED IT

A NATIVE AMERICAN (TIMUCUAN) DEMONSTRATION

AT THE LIGHTNER MUSEUM

THE OLDEST HOUSE