The Oldest City in America, St. Augustine, Florida
Friday, February 7, 2020
Today we arrived in St. Augustine, FL. We got settled in, and I began some chores. While sweeping, three large turkeys strolled passed the front door. I don't know where they were going or from where they had come. Next, I went to the laundry house to wash the first load of laundry since we left home. I ran into a delightful, retried law-enforcement lady named Nancy from Ohio. Amazing the intimate talk we had about relationships and life over a few $2.00 loads of laundry. She and her current husband had lost their first spouses to long-term illnesses. She said second marriages are much different when there are no divorces in the mix; it's okay to talk about the absent spouse and what you miss about them. I'm not sure how that conversation started or ended, but I'm sure glad I got to talk to her. I left with a warm load of laundry and a warm heart on a day when it was unseasonably cool for this part of Florida.
Craig and I ventured downtown and found Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth and Archeological Park! Closing time was in 1.5 hours, and we were pre-warned; many of the exhibits and demonstrations were closed, but we were welcomed to tour, for the full price, of course. The park by Craig's description was a bit hokey and touristy, but I found it delightful. Peacocks were a significant feature and were everywhere. Did you know peacocks scream and squawk like monkeys? They do. Since the place was mostly deserted, we had a lot of fun watching the animals that seemed accustomed to being regularly fed from the .25 cent feed dispenser. Before leaving, we got a chance to see a cannon-shooting demonstration by one faithful park employee that had not already clocked out. Even though I knew what we were watching, the cannon still took me by surprise. Let's see if it scares you! We've included a video below.
What We Learned: Don Juan Ponce de Leon was Puerto Rico's first governor. He later lost that position to Christopher Columbus' son, Diego. Dejected and not having much else to do, he decided to explore more of the Caribbean Sea. It is believed now that he was not in search of the Fountain of Youth, but rather, thought he had found it when landed in what is now Florida and met with the tall, muscular Timucuan Indians who were an average of 6'2" tall. (Spaniards were an average of 4'10".) • In the commissioning records from King Ferdinand, there is no mention of the Fountain of Youth being a voyage goal. There is, however, speculation that the king may have wanted Ponce de Leon to find one since he had recently married a woman 35 years younger than himself!
Saturday, February 8, 2020
There is a lot to see in St. Augustine, so we got an early start. The first stop was the Old Jail Museum. The tour includes an in-character "sheriff" and "warden" that "books" you and tells you what your life will be like now that you're in jail. It was very animated (or Craig would say, "hokey"), interesting, and awful hearing about the conditions in which the prisoners lived. The most notable things about the jail are that Henry Flagler financed its construction and operation so he could have a say in its affairs. He had it fashioned as a Victorian home on the outside so it wouldn't look unpleasant to the tourists he wanted to attract. Flagler commissioned P.J. Pauley Jail Company to build the jail interior inside the lovely "home." The workmanship was of such quality that the Pauley Jail Company would later be responsible for constructing Alcatraz in San Francisco.
What We Learned: Our visit at Old Jail was just the beginning in learning about the Father of Palm Beach and Miami, and pretty much the father of Florida. Henry M. Flagler was John Rockefeller's business partner and founder of Standard Oil. When Flagler's wife became ill, they were advised to go south where it was warmer. In Jacksonville, Flagler loved the land but found lodging and amenities subpar for America's upper class. Two years after his wife's death, he remarried and traveled to St. Augustine for his honeymoon, and his idea began for this area to be a haven for wealthy vacationers. About ten years later, the exquisite 540-room Ponce de Leon Hotel opened, and it was an instant success. He built the impressive Alcazar Hotel across the street as an overflow hotel. This hotel featured the largest indoor pool of the time and amenities for nearly any recreational activity one could imagine. These projects were the beginning of many extravagant hotels and play-places built by Flagler throughout the east coast of Florida, and why the rich and famous still come here today. He also built the railroads to the hotels in Palm Beach and West Palm and later developed Miami and Key West. Many streets in all these cities are named for him.
We walked to the Ponce de Leon Hotel and took some pictures. Since the Ponce de Leon is presently home to Flagler College, much of the area was closed to the public. We saw enough to be thoroughly impressed, though. Just across the street, the Alcazar Hotel (Spanish palace) is now the Lightner Museum. Otto Lightner was best known as the publisher for Hobbies, The Magazine for Collectors. And he collected everything. Much of his collection is here, including a taxidermy-ed lion given (alive) to Winston Churchhill as a gift.
Since our friends Rob and Tracy don't live too far away, they came and joined us this afternoon for sightseeing on St. George Street. This street is the walking-only heart of St. Augustine's Historic District. Here we had great fudge and saw many of the original buildings of St. Augustine, which are now shops and restaurants. If ever I pass through here again, I will return to Kilwin's Chocolates for more salted caramel fudge.
After many years of hearing about it, I finally got to see the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. The school opened in 1885 and is still recognized as one of the top schools for the deaf and blind in the nation. Ray Charles went here, but of more interest to me, my grandmother, Rachel Bright, attended here when she was a young girl. She had measles in her ears at age three and became completely deaf. I grew up signing with her and her sister, Leila, who also was deaf for an unknown reason. They both passed when I was in my early twenties, but my family still resorts to sometimes signing when it's not appropriate to talk out loud. Craig also knew Granny, and Leila and knows enough sign language to sign things that are inappropriate to say out loud, like "ugly," "bad," and "Let's go!"
Running out of time, we quickly visited Spanish Fort National Park, and the four of us had dinner at St. Augustine's oldest restaurant, Salt Water Cowboys. Our Grant Park neighbor, Jack, told us he enjoyed it 35 years ago and "If it's still there you should go!" It was great! Thanks, Jack!
After a jam-packed few days, we're looking forward to the next couple of stops that will get us back to nature again.
