CASTLE SAN MARCOS
So, where is the oldest continually occupied European settlement in the United States? Nowhere else, but here in Florida!!!
Everyone knows that Columbus discovered the New World in 1492. But just 73 years later, a Spaniard, Pedro Menendez, founded St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. That’s 461 years ago! His mission was to drive out the French Huguenot settlers at Fort Caroline to the north and claim Florida’s land and resources for Spain. But of course, Indians had lived in Florida for thousands of years prior to the European settlements. The area around St. Augustine was inhabited by the Timucua people.
In the late 1400’s and early 1500’s, many European nations were beginning settlements in the New World – England, Spain, France, Portugal, Netherlands, etc. They were searching for resources in the newly discovered continent to trade and raise money to pay for military items in their almost never-ending wars with each other on the European continent.
The British began settlements further north on the Atlantic coast, and the French focused primarily even further north in what we now call Canada. And of course, conflicts arose between the settlements over natural resources that they could harvest and trade. Just 21 years after the Spaniards settled St. Augustine, an Englishman, Sir Francis Drake, raided and burned the town in 1586. The British repeatedly attacked St. Augustine out of their settlements in the Carolinas. So, the Spaniards built a huge fort out of coquina, a unique local shell stone. And that fort still stands today!
The Spanish regained control after the French and Indian War, but ceded Florida to the British in 1763. Florida became a US territory in 1821, and then Florida became a state in 1845. Railroad magnate Henry Flagler arrived in the 1880’s and loved the town; his railroad stretched all the way South to Key West. This railway was the catalyst for new settlements on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, and Florida becoming the tourist destination it is today.
So, what is St. Augustine like now? It’s surprisingly a pretty small town, with only 16,000 in population, but millions of visitors arrive every year to see its stunning Spanish colonial architecture and history museums. One of the most beautiful features of St. Augustine is that in Wintertime, the city transforms into one of the most dazzling holiday spectacles in the US. There are literally millions of white lights in the downtown area, providing a spectacle of festive beauty. This display formally began in 1995 and was inspired by a Spanish custom of placing a white candle in their windows on December 8th (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception date) to guide the Virgin Mary to shelter on a cold night. So, St. Augustine adopted this custom and it’s become the amazing celebration each winter now.
You can walk downtown streets to experience the lights or take a horse-drawn carriage ride for a more romantic experience. There are also sightseeing trains with narrated tours and boat cruises along the Matanzas River.
How about a Travel Club visit this Winter to see this beautiful display?
