On the last day of January Randal and I went on a day trip. Our first stop at 10:30am was to buy diesel for the truck at $3.89/gal at Walmart near the KOA.
Not having any set destination and after I looked on a map to see that St. Augustine had some interesting Historical Sites, we headed in that direction. A 100 km East on Highway #16 would take us to the Atlantic coast.
We drove past the round Kingsley Lake. There were many large homes near it and a Military base there.
We past through Green Cove Springs, a small town, over Trout Creek and St Jame's River. The bridge was a long one and there was a cruise ship sitting at a dock in the distance. We drove under I-95 to arrive at St. Augustine.
Randal paid for a couple of hours. We looked for a tourist information center but found only historical venues that would cost us to tour. Instead we walked along St. George Street. There were no cars aloud and was lined with souvenir shops and restaurants.
It was getting on to noon and we were getting hungry so we stopped at Florida cracker Cafe for a bowl of clam chowder and deep fried mozzarella sticks, that hit the spot.
Randal checked the GPS, putting in “walking mode” so we could walk to the Oldest House in the US.
We came across the Cathedral Basilica and stopped in. From the early 1500's the Spaniards constructed cathedrals of the material available and however were burnt down by the British when they took over this area. In 1793 the beginnings of the Cathedral of St. Augustine as we know it today was started and finally reached completion in August 1797. It is the longest running in the parish’s history.
We continued on along the Sea Wall which gave us a good view of the sailing ships sitting in the harbour. As our parking time was almost up and we decided to return to the truck. We had a few minutes to spare so we walked over to the fort beside our parking lot.
The Castillo De San Marcos Fort, the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Located on the shore of Matanzas Bay, St Augustine, FL. construction began in 1672, 107 years after the city's founding by the Spanish when Florida was part of the Spanish Empire. After Britain gained control of Florida in 1763, St. Augustine became the capital of British East Florida, and the fort was renamed Fort St. Mark until the Peace of Paris in 1783 when Florida was transferred back to Spain. In 1819 Florida became a state of the United States in 1821 and the fort became a US Army base which was renamed Fort Marion, in honour of American Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion. In 1942 the original name, Castillo de San Marcos, was restored by an Act of Congress and was declared a National Monument in 1924 and after 251 years of continuous military possession, the fort was deactivated in 1933. Castillo de San Marcos was twice besieged, first by English colonial forces led by Carolina Colony in 1702, and then by Georgia in 1740. Possession of the fort has changed six times, all peaceful, amongst four different governments: the Spanish Empire, Great Britain, Confederate States of America and United States of America.
On each hour there was a demonstration of firing of a canon.
Back in the truck we drove to The Gonzalez-Alverez House, the Oldest House in the US and took a tour at the senior rate of $5.00.
The house history dates back 400 years, when the first Spanish house was built in early 1500's, burnt down by Sir Francis Drake in 1565. Archaeologist found who occupied the house from 1600's and what materials were used to make it.
The first house was built of Palm thatching and logs. An other early structure on the site, built of these materials were burnt in the 1702 fire. New construction could be more substantial, for royal permission was granted to use 'Coquina' the native shell stone from across the bay on Anastasia Island.
The oldest house had two rooms and the floor was built of mixture of lime, shell and sand. The walls were made of 'Coquina' and it had a flat roof. The Gonzalez family rebuilt it in early 1700's and lived in it for forty years.
When England took over in 1763 and the Spanish moved to Cuba. In 1775 a British officer purchased the house and started the chain of alterations which made the little house what it is today. When the Spaniards regained control of Florida in 1783 and the British officer died, his widow remarried a young man who squandered of her money. The house went up for auctioned.
The next owner was a newly arrived Spaniard, Alvarez. He and his descendants lived in the house from 1790 to 1882. Finally for the next four decades the house was passed to other owners. The latest owners opened it to the public for tours because of it's history.
So remember to “Discover It and Live It”.
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