Fountain of Youth
You’ll see
many beautiful things on a stroll at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park,
and this is one of them: stunning, metallic, bright-feathered peacocks perching
on benches, decorative fountains, railings, and whatever else they can find.
(Notice the bird at far right is shy; he won’t even show his head). And to
think I’d just paused for a routine stop at the restroom! Not only are the
birds a wonderful sight, but the palms in the background add to the tropical
scene. If you’re lucky you might see the males open and spread their feathers
to attract the attention of any nearby females. And their cry! You’d have to
hear it to really appreciate it.
Mission Nombre de Dios
Here’s an
interesting fact about the Mission Nombre de Dios grounds that most people
probably don’t know: it’s also a cemetery of sorts, with tombstones of various
dates scattered here and there. This cluster is for the Mickler family. In the
foreground is Civil War veteran Cpt. John H. Mickler of Co. F, 11TH
South Carolina Infantry, born 1831 and died 24 Jul 1885. (The stone directly
behind it is an older marker to Cpt. Mickler).
In the
back center is a stone for “Little Lillian Mickler.” Find-A-Grave says she was
“aged 1 yr 7 mos” and was the “daughter of Robert & Lillian.” The stone at
far right is for Margaret Mickler, born 1839 and died 31 May 1886. Ancestry.com
research reveals that Margaret was probably the daughter of Jacob Mickler III
and Manuela Hilary de Mier. She married John Henry Mickler and had two children,
John Henry born 1865, and Camilla born 1868. There is also a Margaret “Maggie”
Mickler who was the daughter of William and Mahala Mickler, which may make more
sense since she would be Cpt. John Mickler’s sister.
(c) 2015 St. Augustine Fridays
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