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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.

The ACCORD Civil Rights Museum houses a collection of items and photos from Dr. Martin Luther King's visit to St. Augustine in the 1960s.

ACCORD Freedom Trail

Visit and learn about Civil Rights destinations in St. Augustine

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 statue of Henry Flagler, located outside the main entrance of Flagler College in St. Augustine.

Henry Flagler

A railroad and oil magnate who laid claim to Florida's east coast.

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

Hailed as the 'father' of St. Augustine's Civil Rights Movement, Robert B. Hayling was a dentist, activist, and father. His dental office had the first integrated waiting room in the city.

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