May 29, 2015

Castillo de San Marcos

There’s a lot going on this photo of the Castillo de San Marcos. At far left is the Baluarte de San Agustin or St. Augustine’s Bastion. (This is the only “small” tower on the gun deck which you can step inside . . . the others are closed to visitors). At left is the “shot furnace” whose cannonballs were once used to set wooden ships ablaze. At center is the Baluarte de San Carlos and its watchtower, San Marcos. (Yes, the large tower has its own name. Not sure why). At far right, Matanzas Bay and a few of the cannon in the Water Battery can be seen.

Fountain of Youth

One of the park’s relatively new additions is the mission church built after the style of a church constructed in 1587. Unfortunately, the last time I visited the building was condoned off during roof repairs, but I had the opportunity to visit the previous year. This cypress church really evokes the 16th century and is similarly historical on the inside. The setting is beautiful and quite peaceful, not so different from the grounds at Mission Nombre de Dios (except at Nombre de Dios you won’t have peacocks sneaking around and possibly scaring the daylights out of you as you might have at the Fountain of Youth Park).

(c) 2015 St. Augustine Fridays

May 22, 2015

Mission Nombre de Dios

Folks who have visited Mission Nombre de Dios invariably notice that it’s not just a peaceful attraction but also a cemetery of sorts, marked by the more than 100 graves scattered throughout the grounds. Five markers can be seen on this photo. The grave at far left is that of William Andreu (1826 ~ 1891). In the left foreground is the marker of Arthur Blanchard (1890 ~ 1892). The large white cracked stone at left memorializes Rosa L. Snowden (1862 ~ 1889). The middle stone in the background is that of Hattie Snowden (Jan 1889 ~ Aug 1889, daughter of Rosa and her husband J. D.) Not only is this a reverent place, but the lagoon and bridge also provide a beautiful backdrop.

 

St. George Street

This old-fashioned view is actually of a bedroom inside the De Mesa-Sanchez House, part of Colonial Quarter on St. George Street. The house is decorated to look much as it did in the 1830s (the bottom part of the home dates from before the 1760s while the top floor was built and enlarged throughout the 1700s and 1800s).Take note of the rope-bed (“sleep tight” indeed) and the unique wooden door. Out in the hallway is a design painted on the floor to resemble a rug. The De Mesa-Sanchez House is a terrific side trip if you love history, and fascinating even if you don’t.

(c) 2015 St. Augustine Fridays

May 15, 2015

Castillo de San Marcos

I love cannon. I love 350-year-old forts constructed during the Golden Age of Piracy. I love blue skies. And of course, I love St. Augustine. So naturally I gravitate toward the Castillo de San Marcos, and in all honesty, if left to my own devices, I could probably spend hours here with no problem. Boredom certainly wouldn’t be a concern. Here we’re standing in a room once used for subsidy supply storage. I can just imagine burly Spaniards heaving supplies off the ships at the harbor and carrying them up hill to the fort where they would be kept in one of many rooms set aside for storage.

Fountain of Youth

As I’ve said before, the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park offers something St. Augustine’s other historical and commercial attractions don’t: peace and relaxation. How can you stand on a bright sunny day and look at an aesthetically-pleasing, rippling pond without feeling your pulse slow and your mind turn to delightful mush? Even without the critters that used to reside in the pond, it’s still a great place to take in nature, to appreciate Florida beauty without any gimmicks. Just in this photo alone, you’ve got palm trees, a reconstructed thatch dwelling, and a replica of a 16th century Spanish mission church. Doesn’t get any better than this. (At least if you’re a history nerd, which I unabashedly consider myself to be . . .)

(c) 2015 St. Augustine Fridays

May 08, 2015

Tolomato Cemetery

  

This old cemetery dates from the 1700s and is one of St. Augustine’s fascinating historic burial grounds. Because I really enjoy studying such places, I thought it would be interesting to pick a random handful of people buried at Tolomato and breathe their names to life again. Let’s remember Antonia M. Sabate Arnau (born 20 Sep 1788, died 28 Aug 1829), Lucas Creyon (an Irishman, born 1785, died 21 Oct 1821), Sebastián Étien (French, born 1736, died 09 Dec 1787), Catherina Babbes Llambias (born 1728 in Spain, died 1800), Bartolo A. Masters (born 15 Sep 1825, d. 06 Dec 1865, a Civil War veteran), and Christianna Bradford O’Sullivan (born 18 Mar 1816, died 05 Oct 1841). If you have a moment, maybe you could try and learn something about these folks.

St. George Street

There are so many ways in which old St. Augustine shows it charm; this is just one of them. This beautiful fountain is located at the “back” entrance to St. George Street, near St. George Inn. The old clock in the background is nice too. Imagine just sitting here with some Whetstone’s Chocolates, enjoying the warm sea breeze, listening to the seagulls overhead . . . trust me, even if you’ve just returned from vacation, you’ll want to go again, like, now. And that bench in the left background looks pretty inviting too . . . 

(c) 2015 St. Augustine Fridays