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A photo of The Alcazar, taken in the 1890s by photographer William Henry Jackson

St. Augustine's History

Discover the stories of St. Augustine’s past.

Founded by the Spanish in 1565, St. Augustine is the "Oldest Continuously Occupied European Settlement in America" or simply "The Ancient City". Trace the threads between the people and places that make up the tapestry that is St. Augustine’s history. Browse Resources to uncover this centuries-long story.

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A black and white illustration of a cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida. Several obelisks tower above an iron fence, surrounded by scraggly trees. Two coquina pyramids on the left honor US "victims" of the Seminole War.

"The Ancient City" — Harpers Monthly Magazine 1874

Peek into 1870s St. Augustine with this article, which is part fiction / part travel guide.

111 Lincoln Street. One-story green slatboard house with brick path out front.

111 Lincoln Street

One of Lincolnville's oldest buildings, built in 1885.

Grey one-story slatboard house with a large front porch, greenery and ACCORD Freedom Trail marker in the foreground.

120 DeHaven Street

Home of Mrs. Rena Ayers, Civil Rights Housemother.

Green one-story cement block home with white details and screen porch. In the foreground, the 156 MLK ACCORD Freedom Trail Marker.

156 M. L. King Avenue

Home of nurse Mrs. Janie Price.

Yellow one-story cement block home with sea green details. In the foreground, the 177 Twine ACCORD Freedom Trail Marker.

177 Twine Street

Home of Loucille Plummer, unwavering activist.

A one-story blue house with a tin roof and white details. An ACCORD Freedom Trail Plaque in front of hedges to the left.

33 Bernard Street

Historically Black Street in North City.

Tan one story ranch house with an ACCORD Freedom Trail historical marker out front.

56 Park Place

Home of the Reddicks, local leaders.

North-facing side of 57 Chapin St., a light green house with a screened-in porch and ACCORD Freedom Trail plaque out front.

57 Chapin Street

Former residence of Willie Galimore.

Blue wood slat house backed by greenery, an ACCORD Historical Marker in the foreground.

570 Christopher Street

Home of Reverend and Mrs. Halyard, community leaders.

64 Washington Street

Former SCLC headquarters.

Brown one-story cement block home surrounded by greenery. ACCORD Freedom Trail marker in the foreground.

8 Dr. R.B. Hayling Place

Home of local civil rights leader.

Tan brick church with arched windows and a bright blue side staircase. ACCORD Freedom Trail marker in foreground.

Trinity United Methodist Church

Oldest congregation in Lincolnville.

A one-story cement block building with a sign that reads "Corner Market" in eclectic text. The storefront's entrance is a red door with barred windows on either side.

97 M. L. King Avenue

Previously the Lincolnville Public Library.

Collage with red patterned background. Pencil portrait of a Black woman in Spanish colonial garb in the foreground.

Luisa de Abrego

First documented Christian bride in the United States.

Front porch of the ACCORD Museum at 79 Bridge Street.

ACCORD Museum

Florida's first Civil Rights museum.

This monument, made granite, bronze, and coquina, stretches over 25 ft of sidewalk in the Plaza de la Constitución.

Andrew Young Crossing

Commemorates the night of June 9, 1964.

The entry of Best Richardson African Diaspora, Literature, and Cultural Musuem

Best-Richardson Museum & Bookstore

This African-American owned bookstore focuses on the literature of the African diaspora.

Collage over a red textured background. An illustrated portrait of General Jorge Biassou, a Black man in a colonial hat and military uniform.

Jorge Biassou

Florida's first Black general.

Collage with red patterned background. B&W bust photo of Frank Butler in foreground.

Frank B. Butler

Entrepreneur and founder of historic Butler Beach.

B&W a group of young Black women pose in front of a building, mural and sign that reads "Butler's Beach, Bath House." An older couple leans out the window to smile for the camera.

Butler Beach

Resort founded during Jim Crow Era.

Illustration of a African American man in Seminole garb folding his hands at a table.

John Caesar

Leader during the Second Seminole War.

The Castillo de San Marcos looking north, with the Matanzas Bay to the right and the sea wall stretching through the foreground.

Castillo de San Marcos

Center of defense and heritage.

B&W illustration of a Black man dressed in Seminole garb.

John Cavallo

The most prominent Black Seminole leader.

Frederick Douglass photographed in 1862

Frederick Douglass

Writer, abolitionist, and political leader.

A two story cement block building. Ground floor is painted bright purple, second story painted white. "ELKS" in all caps above the entrance.

Elks Rest

Lincolnville hub during Civil Rights Movement.

The exterior of the Father Miguel O'Reilly House Museum

Father Miguel O'Reilly House Museum

One of the city's oldest structures.

Historical B&W, a male and female student stand under the archway of Florida Memorial College, circa 1930s.

Florida Memorial College

Historically Black College that once stood in St. Augustine.

The historic Fort Matanzas guards the southern waterway approach to St. Augustine

Fort Matanzas Handbook

The National Parks Service's official guide to Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Experience the untold history of the nation's oldest city.

Fort Mose Historic State Park

The original destination of the Underground Railroad.

Looking upwards, grassy lawn with three delapidated brick steps leading to a historical marker.

Gault Street Steps

All that remains of 167 Gault Street.