On the corner of St. George Street (Calle Real) and Treasury Street (Paniagua Lane) is the Peña-Peck House (Treasurer's House), which is how the street got its name. The Treasury building was originally located either next to the home or across the street (Treasury). There is evidence that originally this street was called Paniagua Lane, although this was slightly unconventional for the Spanish, as they did not name their streets in the traditional sense, but based on landmarks. 

There is a legend that Treasury Street was built narrow so burglars could not carrying off the city's gold from the treasury building because the road was not wide enough for a horse and carriage. However, pre-1850s, most of St. Augustine's streets were this narrow. The section of Treasury Street from Charlotte to Bay streets has never been widened so it is original to serve as an authentic piece of St. Augustine’s colonial history.]]> The Spanish]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (1883/1885): Knibloe, Walt. F. Schneur's Illustrated Guide and History of St. Augustine, Fla. St. Augustine, FL: Chas. F. Schneur, 1883/1885.

Photograph 2 (1888): Witteman, A. A Souvenir of St. Augustine. New York: A. Wittemann, 1888.

Photograph 3 (1891): Bierstadt, Edward. Sunlight Pictures Saint Augustine. New York: The Artotype Publishing, 1891.

Photograph 4 (c.1920s): St. Augustine. Kansas City, MO: Van Noy-Interstate, c.1920s.

Photograph 5 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Treasury Street Intersection with Charlotte Street." June 3, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Gordon, Elsbeth “Buff.” Walking St. Augustine: An Illustrated Guide and Pocket History to America’s Oldest City. Univ. of Florida Press, 2015.

GovernorsHouseLibrary. “Fact or Fiction: Treasury Street.” Governor’s House Library: Explore St. Augustine’s History. February 8, 2018. https://governorshouselibrary.wordpress.com/2018/02/08/govhouselibrary-treasury-street/.]]> The eastern terminus of Treasury Street is on Avenida Menendez.]]> The Peña-Peck House is on this street.]]>
Don Juan McQueen
Goldon Sorrow
Grandmother in Cellophane
Reckless Endeavor
Voices in the Fire: A Novel]]>
During the British Period (1763-1783), this street was named George Street after King George III. On a 1764 map by Don Juan Josef Elixio de al Puente to record Spanish property in the different blocks of the town, St. George Street is a prominant, unnamed, feature running from the northern (surviving) City Gates to what is today called St. Francis Street.

After the reinsitution of Spanish rule in 1783, the street was translated to Calle Jorge. By the 1793 census, streets had stanardized names and Calle Jorge had become Calle de San Jorge. It is not conclusive why the "San" (Saint) was added at this time.

Once St. Augustine became part of the Florida Territory, the street name was translated to St. George Street in the early 1830s. 

In 1958, the route of St. Augustine's first Easter Parade was down St. George Street. In the 1960s, in an attempt to restore Colonial St. Augustine, St. George Street was altered for imitation colonial buildings that would feature tourist-y shops. In the mid- to late-1970s, the northern part of St. George Street became pedestrian-only. The southern part remains residential and a vehicular road. There are many historically preserved locations along St. George Street that are both homes, businesses, and restaurants. The pedestrain-only portion of St. George Street is one the most acclaimed locations to visit for visitors and locals alike.]]> The Spanish]]>
Photograph 1 (c.1897): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 2 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of St. George Street." March 11, 2023.

Photograph 3 (c.1900): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 4 (c. 1970): Van Campen, J.T. St. Augustine: Florida’ Colonial Capital. 3rd printing. St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Historical Society, 1971.

Photograph 5 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of Buildings on St. George Street." March 11, 2023.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

GovernorsHouseLibrary. “What’s in a Name? St. George Street.” Governor’s House Library: Explore St. Augustine’s History. November 9, 2017. https://governorshouselibrary.wordpress.com/2017/11/09/govhouselibrary-st-george-street/#:~:text=The%20British%20were%20the%20first,reigning%20monarch%2C%20King%20George%20III.

Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1980.

Nolan, David. The Houses of St. Augustine. Pineapple Press, 1995.

]]> Bull and Crown Publick House is on St. George Street.]]> The Bunnery used to be on St. George Street.]]> The Cathedral Basilica is on the corner of Cathedral Place and St. George Street.]]> The Casa del Hidalgo is on the corner of Hypolita and St. George streets.]]> The Casa Monica is located on the corner of Cordova and King streets.]]> Colonial Quarter St. Augustine is on St. George Street.]]> Cuna Street intersects St. George Street.]]> Florida Cracker Cafe is on St. George Street.]]> The Governor's House is on the corner of St. George and King streets.]]> Lake Maria Sanchez borders St. George Street.]]> The Magnolia Hotel used to be on the corner of St. George and Hypolita streets.]]> Milltop Tavern is on St. George Street.]]> The Old City Gates are now the northern terminus of St. George Street but would have continued onto Shell Road during the Colonial Period.]]> The Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse is on St. George Street.]]> Orange Street intersects St. George Street.]]> The Peña-Peck House is on the corner of Treasury and St. George streets.]]> The Plaza de la Constitucion borders St. George Street.]]> Savannah Sweets is on St. George Street.]]> The Spanish Bakery is on St. George Street.]]> The St. Francis Inn is on the corner of St. Francis and St. George streets.]]> The St. George Tavern is on St. George Street.]]> St. Joseph's Convent is on St. George Street.]]> The Taberna de Gallo is on St. George Street.]]> Trinity Episcopal Church is on the corner of King and St. George streets.]]>
After Dark
Breed
Body Shop
The Bones of the Holy
The Butterfly Game
Chasing Shadows
Deadly Listings
Down South
The Eagle and the Rose
First Discoveries
A Florida Enchantment
Florida Is Closed Today
A Golden Sorrow
Grandmother in Cellophane
Gullible's Travels
I'll Be Home for Peacemas
In a Dark Garden
La Vida Vampire
Last Vampire Standing
Love and Honors
Love Insurance
Matanzas Moon
Matanzas Moon Ablaze
The Minorcan Quarter
The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms
Mystery of the Missing Candlestick
One Happy Winter
One Summer in the Old Town
Pablo's Search
Papa and the Gingerbread Man
The Picolata Road
The Reaper of St. George Street
Redfish Oak
The Relic
River in the Wind
Rosie, the Oldest Horse in St. Augustine
The Seminole Trail
Slingshot
Stepping Off a Cliff
Sugar Cage
Tales from the Oldest City
There Were Two Pirates
Three Vassar Girls at Home
Yella Gal: Queen of the Montclair
The Vessel Tinaja
White Moccasins
Wicked Rich]]>
Between 1889 and 1892, St. Francis Street was one of the streets that was paved with wood blocks. After 1892, asphalt began to be used to pave St. Augustine's streets.]]> The Spanish]]>
Map 1 (c.1770s): Reynolds, Charles B. The Standard Guide: St. Augustine, East Coast, Indian River and Lake Worth. St. Augustine, FL: C.B. Reynolds, 1895.

Map 2 (1884): Bloomfield, Max. Bloomfield’s Illustrated Historical Guide, Embracing an Account of the Antiquities of St. Augustine, Florida (with map). To Which is Added a Condensed Guide of the St. John’s, Ocklawaha, Halifax, and Indian Rivers. St. Augustine, FL: Max Bloomfield, 1884.

Map 3 (1952): Vollbrecht, John L. St. Augustine’s Historical Heritage as Seen Today…With Historical Notes on the Oldest House. Photography by J. Carver Harris. Foreword by David R. Dunham. St. Augustine, FL: The Record Press/J. Carver Harris, 1952.

Photograph 1 (1883/1885): Knibloe, Walt. F. Schneur's Illustrated Guide and History of St. Augustine, Fla. St. Augustine, FL: Chas. F. Schneur, 1883/1885.

Photograph 2 (1882): Glaser, Louis, fec., St. Augustine. New York: Wittemann Brothers, 1882.

Photograph 3 (c. 1893): Pollack, Deborah C. Felix F. de Crano: Forgotten Artist of the Flagler Colony. Lightner Museum, 2014.

Photograph 4 (c. 1920s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Roaring Twenties. Acadia Publishing, 2012.

Photograph 5 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "St. Francis Street." June 20, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Graham, Thomas. Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine. Univ. of Florida Press, 2014.

Reynolds, Charles B. The Standard Guide St. Augustine; The Florida East Coast. St. Augustine, FL, C. B. Reynolds, 1895.]]> St. Francis Street and Avenida Menendez merge at the northeast corner of the St. Francis Barrack's.
]]> The western half of St. Francis Street is Lincolnville.]]> The Oldest House Museum Complex is located on St. Francis Street.]]> The St. Francis Inn is located on St. Francis Street.]]>
A Golden Sorrow
Gullible's Travels
Redfish Oak]]>
In 1737 the Spanish replaced the most recent of the wooden watchtowers with a new watchtower made of coquina that was 30 feet tall. In 1763 Florida came under British rule after the French and Indian War. The British built an additional 30 feet onto the Spanish watchtower by building a wooden extension. It became a true lighthouse during this time.

In 1783 Florida was returned to the Spanish and they removed the wooden extension on the tower that the British constructed. After St. Augustine became part of the Florida Territory, the Americans lighted  the watchtower with lamps and reflectors. These was not visible at sea, so in 1852 the tower was raised by 10 feet. In 1853 it received a fourth order Fresnel Lens. It was powered by an oil lamp that used whale oil. During the American Civil War the lens was removed and hidden to make it harder for Union ships sailing nearby. Eventually the location of the lens was revealed and the tower was relit in 1867.

One resident of the old Spanish Watchtower and lighthouse keeper's home was local Minorcan, Maria Andreu. Her husband, Joseph Andreu, also a local Minorcan, was named lighthouse keeper in 1854, and more than likely she and her eight children helped care for the light and keeping it lit. Tragically in 1859, while whitewashing the now-60 foot high tower, Joseph Andreu slipped, fell, and died. Maria Andreu became the first lady lighthouse keeper in the U.S., serving in that position until 1862 when at age 61, she moved away from St. Augustine.

In 1871 it was becoming obvious that the old coquina tower was coming to an end due to erosion. Construction on a new lighthouse further inland was started in 1871 and finished in 1874. The lighthouse was lit for the first time on October 15, 1874 by William R. Russell with a light specially designed for this lighthouse.

Unused by 1970, twenty-four years of grassroot efforts were necessary to save the keeper's house. In 1981, the Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1991, the Coast Guard replaced the light with an airport beacon. And in 1994, the Maritime Museum was opened full-time. In 2017, the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum joined the prestigious American Alliance of Museums.]]> The Spanish]]>
Photograph 1 (c.1850s-1871): Waterbury, Jean Parker, ed. The Oldest City: St. Augustine, Saga of Survival. St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Historical Society, 1983.

Photograph 2 (c.1890): Tellier, Mark. St. Augustine’s Pictures of the Past: The Second Discovery. 1st edition. Published by the author, 1979.

Photograph 3 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of Foundation of Original Watchtower/Lighthouse [1]." February 25, 2023.

Photograph 4 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of Foundation of Original Watchtower/Lighthouse [2]." February 25, 2023.

Photograph 5 (c.1920s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Roaring Twenties. Acadia Publishing, 2012.

Photograph 6 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of the St. Augustine Lighthouse." March 5, 2023.

Photograph 6 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "St. Augustine Lighthouse." October 24, 2025.

Photograph 7 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "St. Augustine Lighthouse Plaque." October 24, 2025.

Photograph 8 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Sentinels of the Coast." December 19, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Harvey, Karen. Daring Daughters: St. Augustine's Feisty Females, 1565-2000. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 2002.

St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. "History."  2023. https://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/get-involved/about-mission-uvp/history/.

Winsberg, Morton D., compiler. Florida’s History through Its Places: Properties in the National Register of Historic Places. Institute of Science and Public Affairs/Florida State Univ., 1988.]]> ]]> Anastasia Island.]]>
Always the Vampire
Candledancer
Cracker Cop
Down South
East Coast Toast
First Discoveries
Frank Merriwell's Life Struggle
Ghost Squad
In the Wilds of Florida
A Jolly Fellowship
The Land Where the Sun Dies
Mandie and the Seaside Rendezvous
My Mother Is a Violet Woman
Mystery of the Missing Candlestick
St. Augustine A to Z
St. Augustine's Spirits in Our Midst
Storm and the Mermaid's Knot
Things That Hang from Trees]]> https://www.staugustinelighthouse.org/.]]> St. Augustine, FL 32080]]>
In 1774-1775, the British repaired the seawall using stone rather than coquina like the Spanish before and the Americans to come.

According to Mr. Thomson (House of Representatives) for the Committee on Military Affairs in 1835, the seawall extended from Fort Marion to the St. Francis Barracks and so must have been extended at some point in the previous sixty years. He also reported that officers stationed at the Barracks had dismantled part of the Spanish-built seawall to build a wharf, and the resulting wave action threatened to undermine the walls of Fort Marion. The result of the damage also meant the town was inundated during storms or at high tide.

Prior to the January 7, 1835 request for $44,181.94 by Mr. Thomson to repair Fort Marion and the seawall, $20,000 had been earmarked in 1833 for repairs, but the funds were embezzled. As a result of the report, the early U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (recent West Point graduates) were brought in to rebuild the wall to ten feet high at low tide on a seven-foot base tapering to three-feet wide at the top. The seawall wrapped around the basin at the plaza where boats moored. The total rebuilding effort lasted from about 1833 to 1844 using coquina rock capped with New England granite, and costing $100,000. The rebuilding of parts of the seawall as well as repairs to Fort Marion were among the first Federal projects in the Florida Territory. Just two years after the improvements were completed, a hurricane battered the wall and parts of it collapsed.

Sporatic efforts in the next 150+ years were done to fix the wall although part of the wall was removed in the 1950s to widen Bay Street. After Tropical Storm Fay in 2008, the City of St. Augustine and the Federal Emergency Management Agency set aside around $7 million to build a new seawall. Completed in 2013, a new concrete and steel reinforced wall was built twelve feet further east and the space between the old and new walls filled in. Over the top of the space between the two walls, an improved public walkway is now available as a sidewalk with streetlights and landscaping.

An assessment in 2023 showed that parts of the seawall are again deteriorating. Starting in 2026, the wall will be repaired and raised as water comes over the current wall during hurricanes, King Tides, or heavy rainstorms that hit at the same time as high tide. The National Park Service and the Florida Department of Transportation will spend millions on this project, with a focus on the seawall around the Castillo down to the Bridge of Lions.]]> The Spanish]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Map 1 (c.1770s): Reynolds, Charles B. The Standard Guide: St. Augustine, East Coast, Indian River and Lake Worth. St. Augustine, FL: C.B. Reynolds, 1895.

Photograph 1 (1882/1885):Knibloe, Walt. F. Schneur's Illustrated Guide and History of St. Augustine, Fla. St. Augustine, FL: Chas. F. Schneur, 1883/1885.

Photograph 2 (1888): Wittemann, A. A Souvenir of St. Augustine. New York: A. Wittemann, 1888.

Photograph 3 (1895): Reynolds, Charles B. The Standard Guide: St. Augustine, East Coast, Indian River and Lake Worth. St. Augustine, FL: C.B. Reynolds, 1895.

Photograph 4 (1904): Art Work of Florida. Part 1, 5, 7, or 11. Introduction by George F. Fairbanks. Racine, WI: Art Photogravure Co., 1904.

Photograph 5 (1920s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Roaring Twenties. Acadia Publishing, 2012.

Photograph 5 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Seawall North of the Bridge of Lions." June 10, 2025.

Photograph 6 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Sewall South of the Bridge of Lions." June 10, 2025.

Photograph 7 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Florida Historical Marker for the Seawall." June 10, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Bloomfield, Max. Bloomfield’s Illustrated Historical Guide, Embracing an Account of the Antiquities of St. Augustine, Florida (with map). To Which is Added a Condensed Guide of the St. John’s, Ocklawaha, Halifax, and Indian Rivers. St. Augustine, FL: Max Bloomfield, 1884.

Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Roaring Twenties. Acadia Publishing, 2012.

City of St. Augustine, Est. 1565. “Avenida Menendez Seawall.” https://www.citystaug.com/357/Avenida-Menendez-Seawall.

Edwards, Virginia. Stories of Old St. Augustine. St. Augustine, FL: C.F. Hamblen, Inc., 1973.

Florida-Fort Marion and Sea-Wall. Rep. No. 39, House of Representatives. 23rd Congress, 2nd Session. (January 7, 1835).

Gordon, Elsbeth “Buff.” Walking St. Augustine: An Illustrated Guide and Pocket History to America’s Oldest City. Univ. of Florida Press, 2015.

Historic Picturesque St. Augustine Florida. Jacksonville, FL: Duval News Co., [1933-1937].

Johnson, Scott. “Project to Rebuild St. Augustine’s Seawall Aims to Mitigate Flooding, But Some Worry It Will Hurt the Aesthetics.” New4Jax, September 24, 2025. https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2025/09/24/project-to-rebuild-st-augustines-seawall-aims-to-mitigate-flooding-but-some-worry-it-will-hurt-the-aesthetics/.

National Park Service: Castillo de San Marcos. “Second Public Meeting on Seawall Rehabilitation Project.” August 15, 2024. https://www.nps.gov/casa/learn/news/08-15-24-seawall-project.htm.

Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. The History Press, 2007.

Reynolds, Charles B. The Standard Guide: St. Augustine, East Coast, Indian River and Lake Worth. St. Augustine, FL: C.B. Reynolds, 1895.

West Point Society of North Florida and the Florida Department of State. “St. Augustine Sea Wall.” Historic Marker. St. Augustine, Florida.

]]> Avenida Menendez.]]> Bridge of Lions extends out of the seawall.]]> Castillo de San Marcos.]]> Matanzas Bay.]]> A gangway over this wall is used to access the St. Augustine Municipal Marina.]]>
Chasing Shadows
Down South
Elsie in the South
Frank Merriwell's Life Struggle, or, A Bluff That Did Not Work
A Golden Sorrow
Horace Chase
The Other Side of Free
Posie, or, From Reveille to Retreat
Romance of a Kentuckian in St. Augustine
Tales of St. Augustine
Three Vassar Girls at Home
A Trip to Florida for Health and Sport]]>
Built in 1598, the Plaza de la Armas is the oldest public square in the United States. An earlier plaza was in roughly the same place in 1586 when the Drake raid put the whole town to the torch. The beginnings of modern St. Augustine were laid out in 1598.

The Plaza was originally intended for government, religion, military and a general public space. The western end of the Plaza contains the Governor’s House, where state officials would often appear on the balcony overlooking the Plaza. The Cathedral Basilica and the Trinity Episcopal are located across from each other on the Plaza. The Plaza was also used for public meetings, markets, and as a military parade ground. On one map, the Plaza is even called “The Parade Ground,” due to the frequent parades of the United States troops through the Plaza after Florida's transfer. At the conclusion of WWI and WWII, the Plaza was a site for celebration, dancing, and patriotic showcases complete with fireworks.

The thirty-foot-tall Constitución monument located in the western section of the Plaza was erected in 1812-1813 to celebrate Spain’s short-lived constitutional government, which only lasted until 1814. From the monument, came the current name, renamed at the tme.

The Old Slave Market, also known as the Old Spanish Market, the Old Market, and the City Market, is located in the eastern section of the Plaza, near where the harbor was before the Bridge of Lions was built. 

In the 1870s or early 1880s, one Holmes Ammidown did a public work of improving the Plaza for the use and pleasure of the populous.

Separated from the rest of the Plaza by Charlotte Street at the eastern end of the Plaza stands a statue of Juan Ponce de León. Although Ponce de Leon was buried in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Plaza contains a replica of the statue that marks his grave. This Memorial was erected in 1923.

Four artillery pieces are located in the Plaza, dating to the Mexican War and Civil War periods. Other markers or memorials to military men have/are in the Plaza including a monument first erected in 1946 to those who died in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam wars, the Confederate Monument, and a Monument to the Patriots imprisoned at the Castillo during the American Revolution.

The gazebo was erected in 1914 and has been used as a venue for public events. In 1921 the Anderson Fountain was added. At some point, the monument to Felix Vales Morales was added.

In 1970, the Plaza was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Five years later, archaeologists reconstructed the Spanish Public Well, which was originally built in the Plaza during the First Spanish Period. In 1995, a second Spanish well was found within the confines of the Plaza.

In the 2010s, two monument to the Foot Soldiers and others of the Civil Rights Movement and a Memorial to Andrew Young were added to the Plaza.

The Plaza continues to be used as a public space, most notably as the center of festivities for the Night of Lights celebration, which occurs each November through January. Public marchers or parades also begin at, end at, or go through or around the Plaza.]]> The Spanish]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (pre-1887): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Charleston, SC: Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 2 (1888): Wittemann, A. A Souvenir of St. Augustine. New York: A. Wittemann, 1888.

Photograph 3 (1904): Art Work of Florida. Part 1, 5, 7, or 11. Introduction by George F. Fairbanks. Racine, WI: Art Photogravure Co., 1904.

Photograph 4 (c.1920): St. Augustine. Kansas City, MO: Van Noy-Interstate, c.1920s.

Photograph 5 (2015): Owens, Katherine. "Plaza during Nights of Lights." January 28, 2015.

Photograph 6 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Plaza de la Constitución." July 18, 2025.

Photograph 7 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Plaza de la Constitución." July 18, 2025.

Photograph 8 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Plaza de la Constitución." July 18, 2025.

Photograph 9 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "War Monument for: WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan." October 20, 2025.

Photograph 10 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Foot Soldiers Monument." October 20, 2025.

Photograph 11 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "POWs of the American Revolution." October 20, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Adams, William R., and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.

Adams, William R. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Historical Guide. Pineapple Press, 2009.

Bloomfield, Max. Bloomfield’s Illustrated Historical Guide, Embracing an Account of the Antiquities of St. Augustine, Florida (with map). To Which is Added a Condensed Guide of the St. John’s, Ocklawaha, Halifax, and Indian Rivers. St. Augustine, FL: Max Bloomfield, 1884.

Gordon, Elsbeth “Buff.” Walking St. Augustine: An Illustrated Guide and Pocket History to America’s Oldest City. Univ. of Florida Press, 2015.

Lee, Howard. The Story of Old St. Augustine. St. Augustine, FL: Florida Souvenir Company, 1971.

Murray, James R. “The St. Augustine Foot Soldiers Monument.” HMdb.org: Historical Marker Database. October 9, 2019. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=74381.

Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. The History Press, 2007.

Reynolds, Charles B. The Standard Guide: St. Augustine, East Coast, Indian River and Lake Worth. Published by the author, 1895.

Waterbury, Jean Parker, ed. The Oldest City: St. Augustine, Saga of Survival. St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Historical Society, 1983.

Visit St. Augustine. “Plaza de la Constitucion.” https://www.visitstaugustine.com/thing-to-do/plaza-de-la-constitucion.]]> Constitucion Obelisk is located in the Plaza.]]> The Old Slave Market is in the Plaza.]]> The Our Confederate Dead Monument used to be in the Plaza.]]> The Plaza de la Constitucion is located between St. George Street and Charlotte Street to the west and east, and Cathedral Place and King Street to the north and south.]]> The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this historic site as a location:

A Bone in Her Teeth
The Bones of the Holy
Boscobel
The Devil's Own Dear Son
Don Juan McQueen
East Angels
A Fair Maid of Florida
The First Gentleman of America
The Florida Snow Party
Forcing Change
A Golden Sorrow
Horace Chase
In Search of Mademoiselle
The Land Where the Sun Dies
Love Insurance
Margaret Tudor
Maria
Matanzas Bay
The Minorcan Quarter
The Minorcan Yoke
Mystery of the Missing Candlestick
One Summer in the Old Town
Papa and the Gingerbread Man
Patriot Silver
The Picolata Road
Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Perpetual Youth
Posie, or, From Reveille to Retreat
Redfish Oak
The Relic
Rosie, the Oldest Horse in St. Augustine
Sand Crabs and Sharks
Savage Heart
Secret Missions
The Seminole Trail
Sliding Beneath the Surface
Sugar Cage
Tales from the Oldest City
Tales of St. Augustine
There Were Two Pirates
Three Vassar Girls at Home
A Trip to Florida for Health and Sport
White Moccasins

]]> 1 Cathedral Place
St. Augustine, FL 32084]]>
The Treasurer's House was one of the 18th century "pretentious" homes of St. Augustine, having been built using what is called the Wing Plan with only 26 homes in this layout listed on the 1788 de la Rocque map. As a result, during the British period, this house was used as the home for two British governors; Lieutenant Governor John Moultrie, who lived at the house while building Bella Vista Plantation on the west bank of the Matanzas River; and Patrick Tonyn, who was the final British govenor in the United States staying in power after the Revolutionary War's Treaty of Paris to facilitate the city's transfer back to the Spanish.

After Tonyn left, Francisco Xavier Sanchez and his family lived in the house from 1791-1821. The house was bought by Dr. Seth S. Peck in 1837 for his family's home, his medical practice and for a general store. From 1834 to 1837, the Peck family lived at Mrs. Whitehurst's boarding house (the Ximenez-Fatio House). Prior to Dr. Peck's ownership, the roof of the Treasurer's House had remained flat, but Dr. Peck had the second floor and balcony constructed during his ownership. An entire wing of the house was removed at some unspecified date and reconstructed between 1968 and 1970.

Dr. Peck's granddaughter, Anna G. Burt was one of the local women hired in the 1870s to provide an education for the Plains Indians incarcerated in Fort Marion. In the mid- to late-1890s, Felix F. de Crano, selected Miss Burt's home as one of his subjects for painting the character of St. Augustine. Her long-time and trusted servant, Emmeline Warren, was honored by inclusion in the painting of the house.

The building remained within the Peck family until 1931 when Anna G. Burt willed her home to the City of St. Augustine, who made an agreement with The Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine in 1932 to maintain and manage the house, and open it up to tours. The Peña-Peck House is one of the sites in St. Augustine to be added to the Historic American Buildings Survey published March 1, 1941. The building was restored using funds from the St. Augustine Restoration Foundation, Inc. in the 1960s. The Women's Exchange still maintains the gift shop and gives tours of the house.]]> The Spanish]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations: 

Drawing (c.1750 - 1837): Waterbury, Jean Parker. “The Treseurer’s House.” El Escribano: The St. Augustine Journal of History. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 1994.

Photograph 1 (1890s): Pollack, Deborah C. Felix F. de Crano: Forgotten Artist of the Flagler Colony. Lightner Museum, 2014.

Photograph 2 (n.d.): Bowen, Beth Rogero. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2008.

Photograph 3 (1932): Bowen, Beth Rogero. St. Augustine in the 1930s and 1940s. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2019.

Photograph 4 (1994): Nolan, David. The Houses of St. Augustine. Pineapple Press, 1995.

Photograph 5 (2024): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Modern House." September 26, 2024.

Photograph 6 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Original Historical Marker." June 3, 2025.

Photograph 7 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "New Historical Marker." June 3, 2025.

Photograph 8 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Florida Historic Places Plaque." October 2, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Adams, William R., and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.

Gordon, Elsbeth “Buff.” Walking St. Augustine: An Illustrated Guide and Pocket History to America’s Oldest City. Univ. of Florida Press, 2015.

Manucy, Albert C. The Houses of St. Augustine: (Notes on the Architecture from 1565 to 1821). St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 1962.

Nolan, David. The Houses of St. Augustine. Pineapple Press, 1995.

Waterbury, Jean Parker. “The Treasurer’s House.” El Escribano: The St. Augustine Journal of History. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 1994.

WEx at the Peña-Peck House Gift Shop & Historical Museum. “Discover The Peña-Peck House: A Living Piece of St. Augustine’s History.” 2025. https://penapeckhouse.com/.

]]> St. George Street and Treasury Street.]]> Federation of Women's Exchanges.]]>
The Relic]]>
The Women's Exchange operates the Peña-Peck House as a house museum limited days of the week. For more information, please visit the WEx at the Peña-Peck House website.]]> 143 Saint George Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084
https://penapeckhouse.com/]]>
Whether Orange Street dates back to the 16th century cannot be determined definitively, because Orange Street is also the northern edge of the "Restoration Area of St. Augustine," a six-block section of the northern part of the colonial city. This part of St. Augustine was settled following the construction of the Castillo de San Marcos in 1672.

Posing for pictures in front of the Old City Gates on Orange Street was long a must for tourists to St. Augustine.

Between 1889 and 1892, St. Francis Street was one of the streets that was paved with wood blocks. After 1892, asphalt began to be used to pave St. Augustine's streets.]]> The Spanish]]>
Map 1 (1884): Bloomfield, Max. Bloomfield’s Illustrated Historical Guide, Embracing an Account of the Antiquities of St. Augustine, Florida (with map). To Which is Added a Condensed Guide of the St. John’s, Ocklawaha, Halifax, and Indian Rivers. St. Augustine, FL: Max Bloomfield, 1884.

Map 2 (1952): Vollbrecht, John L. St. Augustine’s Historical Heritage as Seen Today…With Historical Notes on the Oldest House. Photography by J. Carver Harris. Foreword by David R. Dunham. St. Augustine, FL: The Record Press/J. Carver Harris, 1952.

Photograph 1 (c.1910s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 2 (1993): Adams, William R., and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.

Photograph 3 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Orange Street." June 20, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Adams, William R. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Historical Guide. Pineapple Press, Inc., 2009.

Adams, William R., and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.

Graham, Thomas. Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine. Univ. of Florida Press, 2014]]> City Gates are located on the intersection of San Marco Avenue and Orange Street.]]> Cordova Street deadends onto Orange Street.]]> The Orange Street School is located on Orange Street.]]> San Marco Avenue/S. Castillo Drive intersects with the eastern terminus of Orange Street.
]]> The northern end of St. George Street deadends onto Orange Street.

]]>
Always the Vampire
A Golden Sorrow
One Summer in the Old Town]]>
First built in 1739, its purpose was to help protect the City of St. Augustine from invaders by land. In 1808, two coquina towers were added by Manuel de Hita, which are all that remains today. There had been a drawbridge that could be raised during attacks built in 1827, but was soon damaged. Repairs to the drawbridge occurred in 1879. However, at some point in the 20th century the moat was filled and leveled.

The City Gates are one of the sites in St. Augustine to be added to the Historic American Buildings Survey published March 1, 1941. In c.1960-1966, the National Park Service spent $1 million on restoration of the Castillo and the City Gates in preparation for the 400th anniversary of St. Augustine's founding.]]> The Spanish]]>
Photograph 1 (c.1858): Fairbanks, George R. The History and Antiquities of the City of St. Augustine, Florida Founded A.D. 1565: Comprising Some of the Most Interesting Portions of the Early History of Florida. 1st ed. New York: Charles B. Norton, Agent for Libraries, 1858.

Photographs 2 (1904) & 3 (post-1908): Rogero, Beth, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 4 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Picture of Old City Gates." March 5, 2023.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1980.

Ruppenstein, Andrew, editor. "This Gate Opened in 1739." With contributions by Cosmos Mariner. HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database. March 18, 2019. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=127892.

San Agustin Antiguo: The Restoration of Old St. Augustine, 1960-66. St. Augustine Historical, Restoration and Preservation Commission and St. Augustine Restoration, [1967].]]> St. George Street on Orange Street.]]>
The Bones of the Holy
The Case of the Deadly Diary
The Devil's Own Dear Son
An East Coast Romance
Elsie in the South
A Fair Maid of Florida
First Discoveries
Florida Roundabout
"Frank Merriwell's Life Struggle"
A Golden Sorrow
Grandmother in Cellophane
I'll Be Home for Peacemas
Love Insurance
The Minorcan Quarter
The Minorcan Yoke
The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms
One Happy Winter
The Other Side of Free
Pablo's Search
Papa and the Gingerbread Man
Posie
The Relic
Ringwood the Rover, A Tale of Florida
A Slice of Moon
Sugar Cage
The Sword of Justice
There Were Two Pirates
Three Vassar Girls at Home
The Triplets Go South
Two Florida Boys and the Red-Haired Pirate
When the Land Was Young
White Moccasins]]> St. Augustine, FL 32084

GPS coordinates: 29° 53.871′ N, 81° 18.814′ W]]>
In 1587, the first chapel was built. Spanish settlers established on this property the first shrine to the Virgin Mary in 1603 when they brought their devotion and a statue of Madonna and Child to La Florida, Nuestra Senora de la Leche y buen parto (Our Lady of Milk and Happy Delivery). Three years later, Bishop Altamirano of the Diocese of Cuba travelled to La Florida to visit all the missions. 

The 1587 church was replaced by a sturdier stone church in 1678, and was burned down in the 1702 siege by the South Carolinians on December 26, 1702. It was rebuilt and when John Palmer attacked St. Augustine in 1728, the new  shrine/mission was again burned.

The next rebuilt church then functioned as a hospital for the British, but was eventually abandoned. From 1856-1891, part of the land around the deteriorating church became a cemetary. In 1874, this church was rebuilt, but was badly damaged in an 1878 storm, loosing the roof and two walls.

Today, a small chapel sits in the middle of what is referred to as "the sacred acre." The current chapel, designed in the Mission Revival style, was rebuilt between 1914-1918 of coquina by Bishop Michael J. Curley, bishop of St. Augustine, with the interior furnished in 1925 by Mrs. Amelia Hardin in memory of her husband, General Martin D. Hardin.

Destructive Hurricane Dora made landfall between Jacksonville and St. Augustine on September 10, 1964. On October 30, 1966, a 208-foot-tall and seventy-ton steel cross marked the landing site of Pedro Menendez on the Mission de Nombre de Dios property. Named the Beacon of Faith, this cross is the tallest cross in the Western Hemisphere and was erected to celebrate the 400-year anniversary of St. Augustine. St. Augustine has not received a direct hit since the installation of this cross; even the eye of Hurricane Matthew in 2016, projected to be a direct hit, remained far enough offshore to spare the town the worst impacts.

Also in 1966, the Prince of Peace church was built and in 2015, it was enlarged as part of the improvements to the property.  In the 2010s, Bishop Felipe Estevez of the Diocese of St. Augustine worked to improve the visitor's experience and turn the Shrine into a proper pilgrimage location. In 2012, the Vatican approved October 11th as the local feastday for Our Lady of La Leche. In 2019, the U.S. Conference of Bishops recognized Our Lady of La Leche as a National Shrine. In 2011, an archaeological excavation behind the current shrine uncovered the foundations of the 1678 or 1687 (depending on source) shrine building.

On October 11, 2021, the Madonna and Child statue in the Shrine received a canonical crowning and enthronment, culminating Bishop Estevez's efforts to elevating the status of the shrine to an important U.S. piligrimage site. Hundreds of Floridians and visitors from around the world attended the three days of celebration.]]> The Spanish]]>
Photograph 1 (1930s): Historic Picturesque St. Augustine Florida. Jacksonville, FL: Duval News Co., [1933-1937].

Photograph 2 (1930s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the 1930s and 1940s. Acadia Publishing, 2019.

Photograph 3 (1980): Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1980.

Photograph 4 (1993): Adams, William R., and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.  

Photograph 5 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche." September 21, 2025.

Photograph 6 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Madonna and Child." September 21, 2025.

Photograph 7 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Our Lady of La Leche Plaque." July 22, 2025.

Photograph 8 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Hardin Memorial Plaque." September 21, 2025.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

“Ancient Spanish Shrine of Nuestra Senora de la Leche.” Plaque. Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, St. Augustine, Florida.

Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the 1930s and 1940s. Acadia Publishing, 2019.

deCoste, Fredrik. True Tales of Old St. Augustine. St. Petersburg, FL: Great Outdoors Publishing, 1966.

Florida Museum of Natural History. “An Archaeological Discovery.” Informational Placard. Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, St. Augustine, Florida.

Historic Picturesque St. Augustine Florida. Jacksonville, FL: Duval News Co., [1933-1937].

National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios; Diocese of St. Augustine. “Our Story.” 2025. https://missionandshrine.org/about/.

“Our Lady of La Leche.” Informational Placard. Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, St. Augustine, Florida.

Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. The History Press, 2007.

Sonnen, John Paul. “America’s Oldest Shrine: Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine, Florida.” Liturgical Arts Journal, June 16, 2023. https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2023/06/americas-oldest-shrine-our-lady-of-la.html.]]> San Marco Avenue.]]> The Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is adjacent to the Shrine grounds.]]>
Above the Fold
Age of Innocence
Best Behavior
The Bones of the Holy
Hilton Head
The Martyrs of La Florida
My Mother is a Violent Woman
The Relic
Siege! The Story of St. Augustine in 1702
There Were Two Pirates]]> Plan Your Visit page.]]> National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at the Mission of Nombre de Dios
101 San Marco Avenue
St. Augustine, FL 32084
https://missionandshrine.org/]]>