St. Augustine, Florida--City of History and Mystery

The Oldest City in the United States

St. Augustine, Florida, located along the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of Florida, is a city steeped in history. It is the site of The Fountain of Youth near the location where Ponce de Leon first set foot on the North American continent in 1513. Visitors today can still take a drink of the water that springs up in that area and see the beautiful gardens surrounding it.

Early European settlers landed and founded St. Augustine in 1565. A year later the first baby of European descent was born in St. Augustine. Now the oldest city in the U.S., the population is around 13,000.

In 1586 much of the burgeoning city was burned by British invaders led by Sir Francis Drake, and in 1668 pirates killed most of the city's inhabitants. To aid in defending their shores, the besieged St. Augustinians decided to build a fort. Made of coquina, which literally translates to little shells, it took 23 years to build and was finally completed in 1695. Known as the Castillo de San Marcos it still stands today and welcomes visitors year round. On the top of the fort, soldiers in historical dress perform daily re-enactments of the cannons being fired out over the harbor.

Two lighthouses have stood in succession on the site of an old Spanish watchtower on the north end of Anastasia Island to help ships find their way. The first lighthouse was built in 1824, was 52 feet tall and, just like the fort, was constructed of coquina. When this lighthouse deteriorated, a new one was built at the same location and completed in 1874. Much taller than its predecessor, the new lighthouse stands 165 feet high and is made of brick. The first lighthouse eventually fell into the Atlantic in 1880.