Florida Day 4

The campground was mostly quiet last night. There was a baby crying and the sound of cars reaching us from the main road, but once I popped in my ear plugs all I heard were the cicadas. We got up early this morning so that we could all take showers before our morning walking tour of St. Augustine. Kati was surprised when I said visiting St. Augustine was one of the things I was most looking forward to on this trip. But I really am excited to learn more about the history and see the historical buildings and points of interest.

Our free (gotta love anything that’s free when traveling) walking tour started at ten near the town’s visitor center. I had hoped it was going to focus the on the early days of St. Augustine’s history while hitting the major historical landmarks. While the guide did talk about the Spanish, the tour touched more broadly on all of St. Augustine’s history. It was cool to hear about more recent events, but I would have preferred more in depth and detailed stories about a more concentrated history. But I am a history nerd. Most people on vacation are not.

The city, as I mentioned yesterday, was found by Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1565. When he and his men arrived, they encountered the Timucua people. Many people associate Florida with the Seminole tribe, but the Seminole were not indigenous to Florida. The word Seminole means runaway, which seems fitting since the Seminole were from various tribes further north who were escaping first British colonies and then American states. The Timucua lived along the Florida coast and sustained themselves by fishing, hunting, and cultivating the tree sisters: corn, beans, and squash.

Even though Menendez was the first European to settle Florida, he was not the first to visit. That designation belongs to Ponce del Leon. Historians debate where exactly he landed in his alleged search for the fountain of youth, but St. Augustine seems not to care what the official record says. They lay claim to him with a statue that declares he landed “somewhere near” the very spot his statue stands. “Somewhere near” is extremely vague, and if you keep things vague enough I suppose they aren’t exactly wrong.

Along with the fountain of youth, Spanish explorers were searching for gold. They never found it. There was never any gold to begin with. However, they did discover the Gulf stream which reduced the sailing time back to Spain by three weeks.

In American history, Jamestown and Plymouth get all the credit for being the first. We learn about those settlements ad nauseam, but while they were “permanent settlements,” neither one of them is still in existence today. St. Augustine has had people living here continuously for more than 450 years. The original gate leading into the city is still standing. It was made from coquina which was quarried on Anastasia Island. Coquina looks like Tabby but is different. It’s is a very soft limestone made from fossilized shells. The fort—Castillo de San Marcos—was also built using coquina. The limestone is so soft that when cannon balls struck it, the stone didn’t fracture. Instead, the cannonballs sank into the material, sometimes two feet deep. When that happened, the Spanish dug out the balls and fired them back at the British.

Since St. Augustine predates Jamestown and Plymouth, it claims many firsts and oldests:

1–The first St. Patrick’s Day parade in America in 1601.

2–The oldest wooden school house in America.

3–Aviles Street is the oldest street in America.

4–The first Catholic Mass in America.

5–The Basilica has the oldest congregation in America.

6–Plaza de la Constitucion is oldest public space in America

7–One can legitimately argue that Spanish was the first European language spoken in America and that Spanish speaking people lived here first. Can we discuss that historical reality more in school and society?

St. Augustine was Spanish until the Seven Years War ended in 1763. That’s when the Spanish essentially traded St. Augustine for Cuba. The British held Florida through the tumultuous years leading up to the Revolution  and then during the war. But the colony remained completely loyal, unlike the rebels to the North. However, after the war, Britain surrendered Florida back to the Spanish. At the time, Florida was technically two colonies—East Florida and West Florida. They did not come into US possession until 1821 when Spain sold Florida to America for five million dollars. The Adams—Onis Treaty that finalized the deal was negotiated by John Quincy Adam’s.

When I think of the Civil Rights movement and Martin Luther King, I think of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, not Florida. However, in 1964 Martin Luther King was in St. Augustine and he went to the Monson Motor Lodge where he ordered lunch. They asked him to leave but he refused. Later, he encouraged more protesters to join him at the lodge. They all went into the pool which was only open to white folk. When they were told to get out, King again refused. Angry at their audacity, the owner of the lodge poured muriatic acid into pool. It’s just one more things the history book neglected to share.

The tour ended at Flagler College, easily the most beautiful college I’ve ever seen. It was named after Henry Morrison Flagler, John D.

Rockefeller’s business partner. During his lifetime, he opened several hotels in Florida and was responsible for establishing Florida as a tourist destination.

Following the tour, we went to O. C. White’s Restaurant to meet my cousins and their spouses for lunch. I had not seen my cousin Brian since my grandmother died fourteen years ago. I had not seen my cousin Kerry since her mother’s wedding thirty-four years ago. That means the last time I saw her, I was roughly the age G3 is now. It was an extremely pleasant and enjoyable lunch. I am glad we got to see them and catch up, but I wish Dad was still alive because I really would have liked to have called him to tell him about it. He would have been happy.

After lunch, Kati went in search of air conditioning and G3 and I meandered through the streets of the historic section of St. Augustine. We visited the cathedral and I gave him money to light a candle. Mom would have been disappointed if I didn’t. We strolled past the oldest house in St. Augustine and visited Castillo de San Marcos. G3 grumbled about having to visit the fort because, “Haven’t you seen enough forts? They’re all the same.” They really aren’t. Similar yes, but definitely not the same. G3 had fun wandering into various gift shops. He was hoping to find a store that sold Spanish swords because he wanted to buy a rapier. He did find a few swords but not the one he was hoping for. But, he did find a really cool Conquistador helmet which he bought.

When it cooled down ever so slightly, Kati joined us and she and I popped into the local cidery for a tasting . Many of the samples were good, but I am a purist. I like the plan apple the best.

Dinner was a stop at…anyone want to guess? Yep, you got it. We went to Culver’s for side dishes. I do love that they have broccoli on the menu. it helps balance the greasiness of the cheese curds.

Back at the campground G3 wanted to stop at the beach. It was late and exceptionally windy so we did not go swimming. A storm was raging out at sea. The sky was black and the waves intense. I had fun watching a piping plover run through the surf.

We ended the day at our campsite. We didn’t have a fire. It’s way too hot. But we did sit on our chairs and chat for while. G3 tossed a tiny rock at me in the dark and it hit me in the head. He and Kati laughed because they said it sounded like the rock hit something hollow. I did not find that funny, but they thought it was hilarious.

I apologize if there are more errors or typos than usual. It is late and I was fighting sleep as I typed.