Explorations of the colonial side of one of the the oldest European-settled cities in the United States!
St. Augustine, Florida, was founded all the back in 1565 (then known as San Augustín). The Spanish basically held onto the city for another 200 years. Then a bit of back and forth with the British and then to ceded to the United States in 1819. It became the vacation destination it is today back in the late 1800s.
Quite a bit of the old European settlement survives, which is not normal for Florida. Some original buildings still exist, along side, some recreations. Has the downtown area been a little Disneyfied? Yes, but is there really anything wrong with that? Not at all.
I visited St. Augustine twice, in June and November 2024. Pictures are from both visits and not in the order I visited them.
This is part 1 of 2 on St. Augustine. I’m starting off with colonial St. Augustine in this one, and other sights in the second part.
Jana Irving Best place to start is the old city gate. The gate was first built through the city defenses in 1739. The current coquina pillars are from 1808. Coquina is a type of sedimentary rock made of shells.
Jana Irving On my second visit, I wandered around the historic district before everything opened up.
Jana Irving The historic district has pre-1763 Spanish Buildings, 1763-1784 British buildings, 1763-1821 Spanish buildings, followed by Early American buildings. It’s a bit of a mix.
Jana Irving The Rodriguez-Avero-Sanchez House, built before 1761. The ground floor is made of coquina walls. A second wooden story were often added to the original stone walls as time passed. The second story of this house was built between 1761 and 1834.
Jana Irving The historic district is very adorable.
Jana Irving The biggest colonial remnant in St. Augustine is the Castillo de San Marcos, now a national monument.
Jana Irving The fort was constructed in the 17th century by the Spanish out of coquina blocks.
Jana Irving The fort is surrounded by a dry moat.
Jana Irving The Castillo looks much bigger than it looks from the outside.
Jana Irving The casemates are very dark.
Jana Irving The bell tower on the northeast bastion with a view over the Matanzas River. St. Augustine is separated from the open ocean by a barrier island, Anastasia Island. That’s where all the coquina came from.
Jana Irving View of the parade ground from above.
Jana Irving Most colonial Spanish towns had a central town square. The Plaza de la Constitución is surrounded by three sides by buildings, like these, and open to the river at one end.
Jana Irving Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. The city’s parish church was usually on the town square.
Jana Irving The current church was constructed in the 18th century. It has had a bit of a remodel since then since it caught on fire in the late 1800s.
Jana Irving I don’t know how I feel about the updates.
Jana Irving Heading down Aviles St.
Jana Irving The Ximenez-Fatio House. Built around 1798 for a merchant, Andres Ximenez, who used it has a general store, tavern and family residence.
Jana Irving Very cute.
Jana Irving The González–Álvarez House, also known as the Oldest House. Built in 1723, it is believed that the building is the oldest surviving building in town. It was originally a one story stone house. The second floor was added later, along with other additions.
Jana Irving The original first floor would have been a bit sparse in the furniture department, typical of the Spanish period.
Jana Irving The staircase from the later addition, including some new walls.
Jana Irving Little store room.
Jana Irving The second floor is a bit more airy.
Jana Irving It’s decorated to the early 19th century after the Americans showed up.
Jana Irving Next to the Oldest House is the Tovar House. It’s currently used as an exhibition space for the Oldest House museum.
Jana Irving North of the city center, is the Mission Nombre de Dios, founded in the 16th century. The original chapel was destroyed by a British bombardment in 1728. It wasn’t rebuilt until much later.
Jana Irving There’s also a cemetery on the grounds.
Jana Irving Closer to the historic center are two small cemeteries originally founded during the Colonial period. Tolomato Cemetery is named for the Native American village that once stood here.
St. Augustine has a very rich colonial past somehow still preserved. Thankfully, it is a very pedestrian friendly town and easy to explore.
Check out my next update where I explore even more of St. Augustine!
or
Check out other places I’ve wandered!
