A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida
By Doug Gelbert
()
About this ebook
There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.
Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.
Juan Ponce de Leon poked around this coast in 1513 and claimed the land for Spain. Afterwards both the French and Spanish attempted colonization in Florida but nothing took hold until 1565 when Spanish King Phillip II dispatched Pedro Menendez de Aviles to establish a base from which to attack the French. Menendex arrived in Florida on the feast day of St. Augustine of Hippo and named his landing site after the saint. From that day on the town has been continuously occupied, establishing St. Augustine as the oldest city in America.
It was not without struggle. The town was sacked by pirates and under regular threat or attack, especially as the English colonies began spreading down the American coast in the 1600s. As such St. Augustine evolved as a military post more than as an economic and cultural center. After the town was attacked and plundered by English privateer Robert Searle in 1688 the Spanish began in 1672 the construction of a more secure fortification, the Castillo de San Marcos, which still stands today as the nation's oldest fort.
As part of the Treaty of Paris ending the French and Indian War in 1763 the British received Florida in exchange for relinquishing control of occupied Cuba. Almost all of the more than 3,000 Spaniards sailed away, mostly to Cuba. The British were energetic stewards but the territory was ceded back to Spain by the United States in 1783 as recognition for their assistance in the American Revolution. Many of the St. Augustine exiles returned but by this time Spain was struggling to retain its distant colonies and it was only a matter of time before Florida would become a United States territory. It happened peaceably in 1821 by way of the Adams-Onis Treaty.
St. Augustine's military heritage continued under American rule. The town played a role in the Seminole Wars and the War Between the States and the old fort was a military prison during the Spanish-American War. Only in 1898, after more than 200 years as an active fort under five different flags was the Castillo de San Marcos deactivated.
Henry Flagler, a failed salt miner, went into the oil refining business with John D. Rockefeller in 1867 and they built the biggest business empire in the world. Although Rockefeller's is the name most associated with Standard Oil, he always gave the credit to its success to Flagler. On a wedding trip to Florida with his second wife in 1881 the Flaglers visited St. Augustine where they were charmed with the town's Old World Spanish flavor. In short order Flagler gave up day-to-day operations at Standard Oil and set about developing St. Augustine as "the Newport of the South." His vision would soon extend down the peninsula, however, extending his railroad and development all the way to Key West by 1912. What Flagler started in St. Augustine with a 540-room hotel would grow into a personal bet of $50 million on the future of Florida.
Over the years St. Augustine has tried to maintain that Spanish charm that bewitched Henry Flagler 130 years ago and to see how they've succeeded we will begin at the busy Visitor Center...
Read more from Doug Gelbert
Look Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Balboa Park Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Miami Beach, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Aiken, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Jacksonville, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Virginia Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Look Up, Salem! A Walking Tour of Salem, Oregon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Savannah! A Walking Tour of Savannah, Georgia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of The New Orleans French Quarter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greensboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bordentown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Uniontown, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Meadville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of New Bern, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Tampa, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Beaufort, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper East Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Toledo! A Walking Tour of Toledo, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Oakland! A Walking Tour of Oakland, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper West Side Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wilmington, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pittsburgh's Business District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Phoenix, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Phoenix, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Georgetown, South Carolina Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Look Up, Boise! A Walking Tour of Boise, Idaho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida
Related ebooks
Look Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Downtown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA History Lover's Guide to Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pensacola, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Santa Fe! A Walking Tour of Santa Fe, New Mexico Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKey West Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Look Up, Astoria! A Walking Tour of Astoria, Oregon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCape Coral Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrince William County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLost Cincinnati Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings14 Fun Facts About the Grand Canyon: A 15-Minute Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Haunted Posey County Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Haunted Joliet Prison Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrommer's New York City 2023 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVanished Houston Landmarks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHidden History of Boston Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tucson Hiking Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Flaming Ship of Ocracoke and Other Tales of the Outer Banks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWicked St. Augustine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlue Ridge Parkway: A Road Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrommer's EasyGuide to Alaskan Cruises and Ports of Call Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTouring Western North Carolina Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bizarre London: Discover the Capital's Secrets & Surprises Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fodor's Utah: with Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef, and Canyonlands National Parks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAdirondacks & Catskills Adventure Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe WPA Guide to Illinois: The Prairie State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlagstaff Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSanta Fe Secrets Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe White Planet: The Evolution and Future of Our Frozen World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Haunted Door County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States Travel For You
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Assassination Vacation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dakota: A Spiritual Geography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Solace of Open Spaces: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Huckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Side of Disney Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Looking for Alaska Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Humans of New York: Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: A Memoir of Learning to Believe You’re Gonna Be Okay Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rockhounding & Prospecting: Upper Midwest: How to Find Gold, Copper, Agates, Thomsonite, and Other Favorites Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet Pocket Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Anne Rice's Unauthorized French Quarter Tour: Anne Rice Unauthorized Tours Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida - Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida
a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com
by Doug Gelbert
published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 by Cruden Bay Books
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Juan Ponce de Leon poked around this coast in 1513 and claimed the land for Spain. Afterwards both the French and Spanish attempted colonization in Florida but nothing took hold until 1565 when Spanish King Phillip II dispatched Pedro Menendez de Aviles to establish a base from which to attack the French. Menendex arrived in Florida on the feast day of St. Augustine of Hippo and named his landing site after the saint. From that day on the town has been continuously occupied, establishing St. Augustine as the oldest city in America.
It was not without struggle. The town was sacked by pirates and under regular threat or attack, especially as the English colonies began spreading down the American coast in the 1600s. As such St. Augustine evolved as a military post more than as an economic and cultural center. After the town was attacked and plundered by English privateer Robert Searle in 1688 the Spanish began in 1672 the construction of a more secure fortification, the Castillo de San Marcos, which still stands today as the nation’s oldest fort.
As part of the Treaty of Paris ending the French and Indian War in 1763 the British received Florida in exchange for relinquishing control of occupied Cuba. Almost all of the more than 3,000 Spaniards sailed