Saint Augustine Florida

St. Augustine conjures up images of Spanish architecture, a massive fort, splashes of color against a backdrop of river and ocean, and always, always the omnipresent tourist. This ancient town, established along the banks of the Matanzas River in 1565, is the oldest city in America. Founded to protect Spains trade route from South and Central America to Europe, this colorful community was thriving years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and decades before Jamestown was settled. No other place in the United States embodies more charm than this hallowed city. Within these pages, images taken from the St. Augustine Historical Societys archives will educate, enthrall, and entice history buffs, tourists, and residents alike. These vintage photographs will link readers to the past and transform them into more than mere spectators visiting a popular tourist attraction. Rediscover the Spanish connection and see how early settlers built their homes, harvested their crops, educated their children, and protected their land. Walk the same worn and winding paths that the towns forefathers trod and acknowledge both the good and the bad times of life before modernday conveniences. St. Augustine conjures up images of Spanish architecture, a massive fort, splashes of color against a backdrop of river and ocean, and always, always the omnipresent tourist. This ancient town, established along the banks of the Matanzas River in 1565, is the oldest city in America. Founded to protect Spains trade route from South and Central America to Europe, this colorful community was thriving years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and decades before Jamestown was settled. No other place in the United States embodies more charm than this hallowed city. Within these pages, images taken from the St. Augustine Historical Societys archives will educate, enthrall, and entice history buffs, tourists, and residents alike. These vintage photographs will link readers to the past and transform them into more than mere spectators visiting a popular tourist attraction. Rediscover the Spanish connection and see how early settlers built their homes, harvested their crops, educated their children, and protected their land. Walk the same worn and winding paths that the towns forefathers trod and acknowledge both the good and the bad times of life before modernday conveniences.

Historic St. Augustine Research Institute William L. Proctor Award "Gaze at the buildings and read the accounts of the people who walked the same streets more than 450 years ago; you will be transformed into a time traveler."--Thomas Graham, author of Mr. Flagler's St. Augustine "Grab this book--you will never find this information on a travel website."--Kathleen Deagan, coauthor of Fort Mose: Colonial America's Black Fortress of Freedom In 2013, National Geographic Traveler chose St. Augustine as one of "20 must-see places and best trips in the world." But while tourists take in the fort and stroll the cobblestone streets, few visitors are aware of the remarkable history of this oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States. Walking St. Augustine fuses illustrated history and intimate handbook. The author, Elsbeth "Buff" Gordon, one of the city's most highly regarded historians, is also a resident and offers insider tips for exciting adventures. Gordon divides the colonial village into sections, all easily walked in a single day. She guides visitors through Plaza de la Constitucion, the oldest public park in America, and down the same avenues walked by the first Spanish settlers. She vividly retells landmark events, highlights areas of architectural or historic interest, delves into the genealogy of the multicultural families that have made St. Augustine home, and offers human stories and heritage recipes passed down through the centuries. With this vibrantly rendered, easy-to-use, and color-coded guide, visitors can walk the seldom-visited south end of the city, which includes the earliest residential area with streets dating back to 1572, and stop in at the Flagler College complex, its more recent history illuminated by its architectural perfection. Gordon suggests visiting the Colonial Quarter Living History Museum, and for those looking to venture beyond walking distance, the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, Anastasia Island, and Fort Mose, the nation's first legally free black settlement. Walking St. Augustine opens the doors to a spellbinding city, allowing visitors to discover five centuries of gripping history.

Thirteen-year-old Joey Johnson has a problem. He hears voices, only he can't find the people who belong to them. His curiosity leads him on a quest where he learns more than just history about "the Nation's Oldest City." He discovers he has a special connection to the past -- something that changes his life forever.

When Pedro Menéndez de Avilés founded St. Augustine in 1565, his New World survival kit included gambling, liquor and ladies for hire. For the next four hundred years, these three industries were vital in keeping the city financially afloat. With the cooperation of law enforcement and politicians, St. Augustine's madams, bootleggers and high-rollers created a veritable Riviera where tourists, especially the wealthy, could indulge in almost every vice and still bring the family along for a wholesome vacation picking oranges and gawking at alligators. Join historian Ann Colby's tour of spots not on the standard tourist map to discover hidden-in-plain-sight bordellos, speakeasies, casinos and the occasional opium den.

The tale begins over three-hundred years ago, when the Fair People—the goblins, fairies, dragons, and other fabled and fantastic creatures of a dozen lands—fled the Old World for the New, seeking haven from the ways of Man. With them came their precious jewels: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, pearls... But then the Fair People vanished, taking with them their twelve fabulous treasures. And they remained hidden until now... Across North America, these twelve treasures, over ten-thousand dollars in precious jewels, are buried. The key to finding each can be found within the twelve full color paintings and verses of The Secret. Yet The Secret is much more than that. At long last, you can learn not only the whereabouts of the Fair People's treasure, but also the modern forms and hiding places of their descendants: the Toll Trolls, Maitre D'eamons, Elf Alphas, Tupperwerewolves, Freudian Sylphs, Culture Vultures, West Ghosts and other delightful creatures in the world around us. The Secret is a field guide to them all. Many "armchair treasure hunt" books have been published over the years, most notably Masquerade (1979) by British artist Kit Williams. Masquerade promised a jewel-encrusted golden hare to the first person to unravel the riddle that Williams cleverly hid in his art. In 1982, while everyone in Britain was still madly digging up hedgerows and pastures in search of the golden hare, The Secret: A Treasure Hunt was published in America. The previous year, author and publisher Byron Preiss had traveled to 12 locations in the continental U.S. (and possibly Canada) to secretly bury a dozen ceramic casques. Each casque contained a small key that could be redeemed for one of 12 jewels Preiss kept in a safe deposit box in New York. The key to finding the casques was to match one of 12 paintings to one of 12 poetic verses, solve the resulting riddle, and start digging. Since 1982, only two of the 12 casques have been recovered. The first was located in Grant Park, Chicago, in 1984 by a group of students. The second was unearthed in 2004 in Cleveland by two members of the Quest4Treasure forum. Preiss was killed in an auto accident in the summer of 2005, but the hunt for his casques continues.

The spirited story of Mary Evans, an extraordinary woman from colonial Charles Town who finds a place for herself in St. Augustine after Spain relinquishes Florida. In this captivating tale, Eugenia Price paints a vivid picture of the tumultuous historic and political events that shaped the life of Mary Evans, a remarkably independent woman in the colonial south. Born in Charles Town, South Carolina, Mary, a skilled midwife, accompanied her first husband, British soldier David Fenwick, when his regiment fought the Spanish in Cuba. When Spain agreed to give all of Florida in exchange for the city of Havana, Mary (who became known as Maria) and her husband were forced to relocate to the new British garrison town of St. Augustine, Florida. Maria exposes challenges that would unnerve a less resourceful woman, but she made a name for herself—developing and enhancing her position with influential citizens of St. Augustine. Eventually marrying three times, Maria proved herself to be an extraordinary woman, for any day or time.

The unique and often turbulent history of St. Augustine, America's oldest city, has spawned more than four hundred years' worth of ghosts.