|
Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States. Forty-two years before the English colonized Jamestown and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, the Spanish established at St. Augustine this nation's first enduring settlement.
In 1586 St. Augustine was attacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake. In 1668 it was plundered and pilferaged by pirates. Most of the inhabitants were killed.
 
In 1763, the Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian War and gave Florida and St. Augustine to the British. St. Augustine came under the British rule and served as a Loyalist colony during the American Revolutionary War. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 gave the American colonies north of Florida their independence, and ceded Florida to Spain in recognition of Spanish efforts on behalf of the American colonies during the war.
Florida was under Spanish control again from 1784 to 1821. During this time, Spain was being invaded by Napoleon and was struggling to retain its colonies. Florida no longer held its past importance to Spain. The expanding United States, however, regarded Florida as vital to its interests. In 1821, the Adams-Onís Treaty peaceably turned the Spanish colonies in Florida and, with them, St. Augustine, over to the United States.
Florida was a United States territory until 1845 when it became a U.S. state. In 1861, the American Civil War began and Florida seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Days before Florida seceded, state troops took the fort at St. Augustine from a small Union garrison (January 7, 1861). However, federal troops loyal to the United States Government quickly reoccupied the city (March 11, 1862) and remained in control throughout the four-year-long war. In 1865, Florida rejoined the United States.
Spanish Colonial era buildings still existing in the city include the fortress Castillo de San Marcos. The fortress successfully repelled the British attacks of the 18th century, served as a prison for the Native American leader Osceola in 1837, and was occupied by Union troops during the American Civil War. It was removed from the Army's active duty rolls in 1900 after 205 years of service under five different flags. It is now the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.
In the late 19th century the railroad came to town, and led by northeastern industrialist Henry Flagler, St. Augustine became a winter resort for the very wealthy. A number of mansions and palatial grand hotels of this era still exist, some converted to other use, such as housing parts of Flagler College and museums. Flagler went on to develop much more of Florida's east coast, including his Florida East Coast Railway which eventually reached Key West in 1912.
 
The city is a popular tourist attraction, for the rich Spanish Colonial Revival Style architectural. In 1938 the theme park Marineland opened just south of St. Augustine, becoming one of Florida's first themed parks and setting the stage for the development of this industry in the following decades.
The St. Augustine Visitor Information Center should be your first stop when you visit Our Nation's Oldest City. There is plenty of parking and thorough information on all the area's attractions, museums, accommodations, restaurants and events. Start your visit here whether you plan to stay a few hours, a day, or an entire week.
Start your tour and see what St. Augustine has to offer by clicking on the links in the directory to your left. Explore our city, plan your trip, come visit old world charm, "The Oldest City in the Nation", St. Augustine, Florida.
Information courtesy of Wikipedia Encyclopedia (The Free Encyclopedia)
|