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Three men, garbed in 16th century clothing and gear

Political History

Studying the past of St. Augustine through the lens of the city's political movements and leaders can help us to better understand the full history of the 'Ancient City'.

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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.

Front porch of the ACCORD Museum at 79 Bridge Street.

ACCORD Museum

Now a Civil Rights Museum, this building was originally a dentist's office.

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

Jorge (Georges) Biassou

African slave, Haitian revolutionary, Spanish general, and Florida's only black caudillo. When Jorge Biassou arrived in St. Augustine in 1796, he was already a legend in his own time.

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.

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.

A colored image of Dr. R. B. Hayling, circa 2014. He is an old Black man with white hair and perceptive eyes.

Dr. Robert B. Hayling

Leader of the St. Augustine Civil Rights Movement.

Shoulders-up B&W portrait of Dr. King gazing into the camera.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Orator, Reverend, and iconic Civil Rights activist.

The historical marker for the Lincolnville Historic District.

Lincolnville Neighborhood

Historic District founded by freed people in 1866.

A black and white photograph of a street in St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1915. In the foreground is a coquina wall that runs parallel to the street, which is sand. In the middle of the image is a row of historic houses. Power lines can also be seen. On the top border of the image, the words MOTOR AGE is superimposed over the sky in a serif font.

St. Augustine — Patriarch of American Cities

1915 Motor Age Magazine article about St. Augustine's history.

St. Augustine Under Three Flags front cover

St. Augustine Under Three Flags: A Pictorial History of Fort Marion

A 1925 article about the history of the Castillo de San Marcos

The Stono Rebellion at a Glance

What was the Stono Rebellion? Discover a South Carolina Freedom Struggle