The white monument contains a plaque sent from Spain along with orders to rename all Spanish plazas to “Plaza de la Constitución.” Made of coquina and covered in stucco, the amount of money and length of time it took for the local citizenry to build the monument meant that when orders arrived upon the return of the monarchy in 1814, the order was ignored and only the plaque was removed. The plaque was later reinstalled when Spain was once again under a constitutional government in 1818.

This is one of the oldest public monuments in the United States.]]>
Photograph 1 (c.1920): St. Augustine. Kansas City, MO: Van Noy-Interstate, c.1920s.

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

Photograph 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 4 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Constitution Obelisk." October 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, 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.

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

Reynolds, Charles B. The Standard Guide: St. Augustine, East Coast, Indian River and Lake Worth. Published by the author, 1895.]]> Plaza de la Constitution.]]> Plaza de la Constitution, please refer to the list in that record.]]> 1 Cathedral Place
St. Augustine, FL 32084]]> Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Tolomato River, south of what was known as Grant’s Villa in the British Period is a stretch of barrier island that came to be known as North Beach. In 1799, the land was first claimed on a Spanish land grant to Joseph Arnau as White Oyster Bay. But before and after that date, the land was primarily used as a place to fish or hunt rather than for permanent habitation, but imprisoned Native Americans who died at Fort Marion were interned somewhere in the North Beach area from the 1830s-1880s.

Land ownership went down the generations of the Arnau family to Aldolphus Pacetti in 1878 who in the 1890s partnered with The Saint Augustine and North Beach Railway to build a spur line from the St. Augustine and Halifax Railway out to North Beach for the ease of access for visitors to Flagler’s hotels. This North Beach resort offered dining, dancing, horseback riding, bathhouses, and of course ocean swimming near today’s Reef Restaurant. The complex burned down in 1895, but not before the sale of lots in the general vicinity had taken place to establish residences.

In 1900 the Minorcan family of Frank and Catherine Usina moved into one of the abandoned homes and became the first permanent residents of the area. They fished and operated a charter boat to bring tourists over to the island for a day at the beach. Their descendants still operate Aunt Kate’s Restaurant and tour-boat business.

Across from today’s Vilano Beach on the mainland is the Fountain of Youth and in 1901, the MacConnell’s bought up land with the plan for a hotel as an extension of their tourist spot on the mainland. They began construction of a drawbridge from Magnolia Avenue over to the island, but it was taken over by the Hoggson’s who lived on the island.

In 1904, a rival tour-boat company was founded by the Minorcan Paul and Helen Capo family south of the Usina’s with a horse-drawn trolley across the island to a beach they called Surfside and built a Casino. They laid out a plat for North Beach City in 1914 that was sold to the Mario Brothers and renamed the Surfside subdivision in 1926. The Casino remained in operation until the 1960s, and after not being maintained, was torn down in the 1970s.

It was during the 1920s that the name "vilano" began to be used, which means "thistle-burr" in Spanish, and in 1927, August Hecksher built the Grand Vilano Casino, an entertainment hall for beachgoers with a saltwater swimming pool and fine dining. Hecksher purchased the drawbridge being built by the Hoggson’s and improved it to provide vehicular access to the mainland. The casino was built too close to the ocean though and was demolished in 1938 after the actions of the waves made it structurally unsound. Hecksher saved the ornate columns from his casino and donated them to Florida Memorial College. The hamlet of Vilano Beach developed around the casino near the southern tip of the barrier island which is known as Porpoise Point. The area grew substantially between the 1970s and 1990s.

Hecksher’s drawbridge purchase was timed just right to make the bridge part of the new Highway being built by the Federal government down the east coast of Florida, known as the Coastal or Ocean Highway (now A1A) and the connection point from the barrier island over to the mainland just north of St. Augustine. This bridges meant easier beach access for tourists to St. Augustine and in fact, in the 1930s, Kim's Guide listed Vilano Beach as one of the three beaches tourists should visit when in St. Augustine; the others were St. Augustine Beach and Lighthouse Park Beach. Part of the drawbridge burned in 1938, but was rebuilt in 1948 and stood for decades, until being replaced in 1995 with the 65-foot-tall cement bridge named after Francis and Mary Usina. Part of the original drawbridge remains as a fishing pier.

Civic improvements for the residents occupied the 1990s and first part of the 21st century including the introduction of electricity, and improvements to the town center, including building a Publix in 2012. More beach homes have been built up and down Hwy A1A throughout the 21st century, obstructing the one long stretches of ocean views. Vilano Beach though remains a one-traffic light town.

Today, North Beach, Vilano Beach, and Surfside Beach are considered separate. When exiting the Usina Bridge, one enters Surfside Beach. To the south is Vilano Beach, and driving north on HWY A1A part way up to the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve is North Beach. The local attraction, Castle Otttis is in North Beach.

]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (1890): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.

Photograph 2 (1948): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.

Photograph 3 (1995): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.

Photograph 4 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "North Beach." October 2, 2025.

Photograph 5 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Surfside Historic Marker." October 17, 2025.

Photograph 6 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Old Bridge's Dolphins." October 17, 2025.

Photograph 7 (2025): Owens, Katherine "End of the Old Bridge and the New Bridge." October 17, 2025.

Photograph 8 (2025): Owens, Katherine "Vilano Beach Casino Historical Marker." October 17, 2025.

Photograph 9 (2025): Owens, Katherine "Vilano Beach." October 17, 2025.

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

Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.

Florida Vilano Beach Main Street. “History.” https://www.vilanobeachfl.com/history/.

Kim’s Guide to Florida. Anna Maria, FL: Ethel  Byrum Kimball, 1937.

King, Phil. “Vilano Beach ~ Its Time Has Come!” Old City Life Magazine, Inc. December 15, 2012. https://dinestaugustine.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/vilano-beach-its-time-has-come/.

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

St. Augustine Record. “Around the Region: There’s a Lot of History in the Bridges of Vilano.” February 17, 2015. https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/local/2015/02/17/around-region-theres-lot-history-bridges-vilano/16249239007/.

Visit St. Augustine. “Vilano Beach.” https://www.visitstaugustine.com/thing-to-do/vilano-beach.

]]> The GTMNERR is a few minutes north of the North Beach/Vilano Beach section of the barrier island primarily known as Ponte Vedra.]]> HWY A1A runs through North Beach and is the northern edge of Vilano Beach.]]> The Intercoastal Waterway/Matanzas Bay is the western and southern boundaries of the barrier island upon which North Beach/Vilano Beach is located.]]> The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this natural feature as a location:

Colcorton
Flamingo Rising
Florida Is Closed Today
Forbidden Area
Ghosts: Another Summer in the Old Town
A Golden Sorrow
Grace: A Suspenseful Love Story Laced with Intrigue
One Summer in the Old Town
St. Augustine's Spirits in Our Midst
Stepping Off a Cliff

]]> Beach Access website.]]>
In May 1824, future Lieutenant General Edmund Kirby Smith was born in the house. It was also his childhood home. He later joined the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, becoming the highest ranking Confederate officer from Florida. He was the final Confederate officer to surrender upon the conclusion of hostilities. In 1887, Kirby Smith and his sister sold the house and it was turned into a boarding house with offices.

In 1895, John L. and Frances Wilson purchased the house and gave the property to the private organization they were part of that had been providing public library services (for a fee) since 1874 out of two rooms in the U.S. Customs House. They also helped form the St. Augustine Library Association. The St. Augustine Free Public Library was housed in the Sequi-Kirby Smith House until 1987, when the library became integrated into the St. John's County Public Library System and relocated to 1960 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd. 

The Seguí-Kirby Smith House became one of the sites in St. Augustine to be added to the Historic American Buildings Survey published March 1, 1941, listed as "City Library."  In 1984, the St. Augustine Historical Society, etablished in 1883, assumed responsibilty of the property and moved valuable and historic print materials into the former home/library. The St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library became accessible at this location in 1987 from the previously used Dunham Building on 271 Charlotte St. After the move in the 1990s, renovations to the building were done that need to be partially redone in 2024-2025 when the first floor of the southern end of the building was completely remodeled before reopening on June 6, 2025.]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

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

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

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

Photograph 4 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "SAHS Building." March 5, 2023.

Photograph 5 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Florida Historic Marker." October 22, 2025.

Photograph 6 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Old City of St. Augustine Marker." October 22, 2025.

Photograph 7 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "New City of St. Auguine Marker." October 22, 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, 2009.

Blazek, Ron. “The Development of Library Services in the Nation’s Oldest City: The St. Augustine Library Association, 1874-1880. The Journal of Library History (1974-1987) 14, no. 2 (Spring 1979): 160-182. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25540957.

St. Johns County Public Library. “About Us.” 2024. https://sjcpls.org/about/.]]> Artillery Lane and Aviles Street.]]> Ximenez-Fatio House is next to the Research Library.]]>
The Vampirate of Matanzas Inlet
Voices in St. Augustine]]> appointment.]]> 6 Artillery Lane
St. Augustine, FL 32084
https://www.saintaugustinehistoricalsociety.org/research-library/]]> St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission, with assistance from the Florida Medical Association, of the 1791-1821 2nd Spanish Period Hospital on this site. Aviles Street was previously known as Hospital Street. During the 1st Spanish Period, the military hospital was across the street from the current structure.

One of the original buildings was the home of William Watson, originally from Scotland and dated to the 1st Spanish Period as a private home, then a stable, and reconverted in 1766 to a home by Watson. In 1779, he converted all or part of his home into a 'convalescant house' (home for the elderly or people recovering from illness). Please note that there is documentary evidence that the building were built over an earlier cemetery specificially for men and women of Florida's tribes.

During the 2nd Spanish Period, the hospital was not limited to the access of only the military, but for all persons in St. Augustine, and had expanded to three wooden structures, each dedicated to a different branch of medical science as it was known then. The current footprint is over the area for recovery. The 1st Spanish Period military hospital across the street burned down in 1818, but the rest of the hospital operated until 1821 when Florida became part of the United States and their functions as a pharmacy, hospital, and convelescent home were moved to other locations in the city. The buildings fell into disrepair and were demolished 1880. Between 1880 and 1966, several structures were on this lot that served a variety of purposes.

In the late 1970s into the 1980s, this building also served as a artists' showroom. The Spanish Military Hospital Museum is one of the important sites for St. Augustine's ghost tours.]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (1980): Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1980.

Photograph 2 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Spanish Hospital." March 5, 2023.

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. “18th Century Surgery in a 20th Century Musuem.” Governor’s House Library: Explore St. Augustine’s History. January 2, 2018. https://governorshouselibrary.wordpress.com/2018/01/02/govhouselibrary-mannequins/.

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

San Agustin Antiguo: The Restoration of Old St. Augustine, 1960-66. St. Augustine Historical, Restoration and Preservation Commission and St. Augustine Restoration, Inc., [1967].]]> Aviles Street.]]>
One Summer in the Old Town
St. Augustine's Spirits in Our Midst]]> Spanish Military Hospital Museum's website.]]> 3 Aviles Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084
Spanish Military Hospital Museum]]>
The name Rattlesnake Island came about in the 1916 during dredging along the Matanzas River/Intracoastal Waterway was begun by the United States Corps of Engineers and/or restoration work of the fort. The name is speculated to have been taken from a nearby fishing camp, or, more likely, because of the large population of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes who live on the island. 

A major restoration project occured in 1916 by the Army Corps of Engineers. On October 15, 1924 under Calvin Coolidge, the War Department declared Fort Matanzas to be a National Monument. Then, on June 10, 1933, the Department of Interior also declared it a National Monument and both Rattlesnake Island and the remains of the fort were transferred to the care of the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. In the late 1930s restoration work began again that lasted until the mid-1940s, some which included structural shoring up of the island itself. A refresh was done in 1966 and then work was done off and on through the 1970s.

Two 1st Spanish Period middens have been located on Rattlesnake Island. Archaeological digs authorized by the National Park Service but undertaken by professors affiliated with either St. Johns River Junior College (1966) and Florida State (1975) have occured. These digs show evidence of cohabitation of Spaniards and Natives side-by-side, but no substantial evidence of pre-Spanish usages by the Timucuan or other Florida tribes.]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:


Map 1 (March 1979): The Fort Matanzas Stabilization Team. “Historic Structure Report for Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Johns County, Florida.” Denver Service Center Southeast/Southwest Team, Historic Preservation Branch, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, November 1980.

Map 2 (June 1979): The Fort Matanzas Stabilization Team. “Historic Structure Report for Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Johns County, Florida.” Denver Service Center Southeast/Southwest Team, Historic Preservation Branch, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, November 1980.

Photograph 1 (c.1875): Slade, Clement, comp., and D. Webster Dixon. Historic Florida: A Closer Look at the Photographs of a Century Ago in Three-Dimensional Realism. Melbourne, FL: The Kellersberger Fund, 1982.

Photograph 1 (1947): The Fort Matanzas Stabilization Team. “Historic Structure Report for Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Johns County, Florida.” Denver Service Center Southeast/Southwest Team, Historic Preservation Branch, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, November 1980.

Photograph 3 (1980): The Fort Matanzas Stabilization Team. “Historic Structure Report for Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Johns County, Florida.” Denver Service Center Southeast/Southwest Team, Historic Preservation Branch, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, November 1980.

Photograph 4 (2025): TBA

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

The Fort Matanzas Stabilization Team. “Historic Structure Report for Fort Matanzas National Monument, St. Johns County, Florida.” Denver Service Center Southeast/Southwest Team, Historic Preservation Branch, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior, November 1980.

National Park Service: Fort Matanzas. “Eastern Diamondback.” June 11, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/foma/learn/nature/eastern-diamondback.htm.

National Park Service: Fort Matanzas. “Frequently Asked Questions.”  June 6, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/foma/faqs.htm.

]]> Fort Matanzas is located on Rattlesnake Island.]]> The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this natural feature as a location:

Bad Latitude: A Jack Rackham Adventure

]]> Fees & Passes - Fort Matanzas National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).]]> Rattlesnake Island
9300 A1A S
St. Augustine, FL 32080
Fort Matanzas

GPS Coordinates: 29.698861 (North), -81.2300656 (West)]]> **There has been a long historical debate over whether or not slaves were ever sold in the old market. There are vocal proponents on both sides with some people who say no, stating that in the late 19th century, photographers of souveniers started labeling this structure as 'the old slave market' as a marketing ploy to sell more pictures/postcards. There is no photographic evidence to prove or disprove either claim. Slaves are known to have been sold in public markets across the south alongside other goods for sale. There is no known historical evidence regarding exactly what was sold in St. Augustine's market, leading many authors to write cautiously about whether "Old Slave Market" is an appropriate name. As this is how the structure is popularly known and labeled on tourists maps of St. Augustine, it is the name the structure is better known by today.**

The establishment of a public market as part of the plaza for St. Augustine dates back to 1598 when Governor Gonzalo Mendez de Canzo arrived after the 1585 Sir Francis Drake raid. Canzo's mission was to rebuild St. Augustine, not just the fort. The 1573 Leyes de Las Indies by royal authority dictated how cities in the New World would be created. The central feature was a plaza with a public market ringed by a church and government buildings. With Canzo, the city plan of St. Augustine and the original streets first took shape with the town growing and expanding in the following centuries. While Canzo's fingerprints are still visible today, actual structures have been burned or flooded out many times and have been rebuilt, including the marketplace.

It is thought that the first structure at this location, to serve as the marketplace, was built sometime in the 1700s of coquina. After La Florida was transferred to the Americans, the essence of the current structure was built in 1824. The flooring is masonry. It has fourteen square coquina pillars topped by a wood gable roof and square cupola. The wooden roof has been replaced multiple times due to fires. The Old Market was rebuilt in 1888 after the 1887 fire.

Starting in 1878, the structure no longer served as a public market although auctioneers in the past and artists today set up temporary stalls to sell items. During the British Period and then again at unspecified times in the last 200 years, this location and/or structure have also served as a guard house. Until the 1920s when dredging filled in a small boat harbor for the building of the Bridge of Lions, this structure was much closer to the water. During the 1950s and 1960s Civil Rights struggles, speakers would stand inside or near the building to address crowds of listeners.]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (1882): Glaser, Louis, fec., St. Augustine. New York: Wittemann Brothers, 1882.

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

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

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

Photograph 5 (c.1940): Historical Old St. Augustine Florida. St. Augustine, FL: Florida Souvenir Company.

Photograph 6: Augusty, Jean-Marc. "The Market." April 2, 2023.

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

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

Eubanks, Gerald. The Dark Before Dawn: From Civil Wrongs to Civil Light. iUniverse, 2012.


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

“Old Slave Market, St. Augustine, Fla.” PC07740. Located on Florida Memory: State Library and Archives of Florida. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/259909#:~:text=On%20this%20site%20a%20market,or%20the%20Old%20Slave%20Market.

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.


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.

]]> Plaza de la Constitucion.]]> Charlotte Street.]]>
Frank Merriwell's Life Struggle
Once to Every Man 
Posie, or From Reveille to Retreat
Seminole
Sugar Cage]]>
The creek became a lake when Henry Flagler started the construction of the Hotel Ponce de Leon by dredging sand from the current Fort Mose Historic State Park to fill in the northern reaches of the creek. The work was overseen by Captain Frederick W. Bruce and Franklin W. Smith.

After the 1880s, it has had a succession of at least three names: Maria Sanchez Lake, Maria Sanchez Creek Water Park, and Lake Maria Sanchez. In the early 20th century, a dam was built by the City of St. Augustine by South Street. This feature is located in Lincolnville, a historic neighborhood in St. Augustine.]]>
Photograph 1 (c.1885): Graham, Thomas. Mr. Flagler’s St. Augustine. Univ. of Florida Press, 2014.

Photograph 2 (1910): Harvey, Karen. St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, VA: The Donning Company, 1980.

Photograph 3 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "A View of Maria Sanchez Creek." March 11, 2023.

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

GovernorsHouseLibrary. “From Creek to Lake: The Maria Sanchez.” Governor’s House Library: Explore St. Augustine’s History. June 16, 2021. https://governorshouselibrary.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/from-creek-to-lake-the-maria-sanchez/.]]> Lincolnville.]]> This natural feature borders St. George Street.]]>
The Vessel Tinaja
The Picolata Road
Three Vassar Girls at Home
The Relic]]>
GPS Coordinates: 29.8856° N, 81.3116° W]]>
As the 19th century progressed, Lincolnville was planned from its 1866 beginnings to be a full-functioning separate town south of King Street complete with businesses, churches, schools, and farm plots and a visitor in 1885 would have seen the success of that plan.

During the period of legalized segregation, Lincolnville grew with St. Augustine, encompassing not just the historically black areas but also adjacent white residences that sprouted along with it. Due to restrictive laws during the Jim Crow era, a definitive end to black political participation in Lincolnville came in 1902, when resident John Papino was shot after winning the election for city council. No black officials would be elected to city government again until 1973.

A notable resident of Lincolnville, Frank Butler, was instrumental in making sure that black citizens had a place to enjoy the beach (Butler Beach), otherwise excluded from whites-only beaches by segregation laws.

The Civil Rights Movement brought many demonstrations to Lincolnville, and it became a center for civil rights involvement in St. Augustine. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Reverend Andrew Young led a night march from Lincolnville to the Plaza de la Constitucion in 1964, facing violent opposition. Two monuments to this walk remain, including brass footsteps at the Andrew Young crossing and a bronze Foot Soldiers memorial in the Plaza, which serves as a reminder of not just the most famous march, but everyone who served in peaceful protests during the 1960s. 

Today, Lincolnville still contains the largest concentration of late Victorian era buildings, most of which remain private homes. The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center on Martin Luther King Avenue works to educate vistors about the 450-year history of the empires of West Africa, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, colonial Florida, and Lincolnville. The Lincolnville Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. In early 2025, part of the British defensive breastworks, specifically a redoubt for the Tenaille defense line, were found south of Bridge Street, helping to match modern St. Augustine to 18th Century maps.]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (c.1904): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Roaring Twenties. Acadia Publishing, 2012.

Photograph 2 (c.1925): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Roaring Twenties. Acadia Publishing, 2012.

Photo 3 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Lincolnville." July 22, 2025.

Photo 4 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Lincolnville Plaque." July 22, 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, 2009.

Cross, Brandon D. “Lincolnville Historic District.” Edited by Bill Pfingsten. HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database. January 2, 2019. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=102736.

Florida Memory: State Library and Archives of Florida. “The Forgotten History of Lincolnville.” August 8, 2016. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/322317.

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

St. Augustine Ponte Vedra. “The Story of Lincolnville.” https://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/blog/the-story-of-lincolnville/.

Viti, Lucia. “18th Century British Ramparts Are Discovered in St. Augustine’s Lincolnville.” St. Augustine Record, February 6, 2025. https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/environment/2025/02/06/archeologists-unearth-evidence-of-a-british-fort-in-st-augustine/78281629007/.

Waterbury, Jean Parker, ed. The Oldest City: St. Augustine, Saga of Survival. St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Historical Society, 1983.]]> Bravo Street is in Lincolnville.]]> Freedom Trail sites are located throughout Lincolnville.]]> Maria Sanchez Lake is the eastern boundary of Lincolnville.]]> Riberia Street is in Lincolnville.]]> St. Francis Street is Lincolnville.]]>
Cracker Cop
Once to Every Man
One Summer in the Old Town
St. Augustine's Spirits in Our Midst
Sugar Cage
Tales of St. Augustine]]>
The first version of a road/railline from Tocoi Landing to St. Augustine was built in 1859 by Dr. John Westcott. It was upgraded in 1860, but damaged during the Civil Ware. Repairs were made in 1866. Before the 1860s, a  regular bridge was built over the San Sebastian River to connect with King Street to create another east-west entry point to St. Augustine (the  older one being the Picolata Road/SR-16).

In 1871, the St. John's Railroad under the auspicious of William Astor began operations, but as a mule-drawn streetcar before being upgraded to locomotives. This was in time for President U.S. Grant's visit in 1879, but the depot was on the west side of the San Sebastian and eyewitness accounts of his visit indicate he came into town on a new bridge in a carriage, down tree-lined King Street. Henry Flagler purchased the railline in 1888.

After filling in Maria Sanchez Lake to widen the street and build his hotels, Henry Flagler described King Street as a “broad handsome thoroughfare” that linked the downtown of St. Augustine to St. Augustine’s newer west side and later extended the connection all the way to Anastasia Island. During the construction of the Ponce de Leon Hotel from 1885-1887, American architects Carrere and Hastings decided to widen the once narrow King Street to account for the increased traffic between the Ponce de Leon and Alcazar.

Following the construction of the hotels, existing concerns about health increased, due to waste and the disease-breeding sandy streets prompted action by Henry Flagler himself to improve King Street. In 1886, King Street became the first street in St. Augustine to have a sewer line when Henry Flagler and other property owners installed a twelve-inch sewer pipe at their own personal expense. Henry Flagler continued to improve the health and appearance of King Street by asphalting the section of King Street in front of the Ponce de Leon Hotel, hoping the city would follow this example and pave the rest of St. Augustine’s streets, but the city could not afford more than chords of wood starting in 1889.

Between 1886 and 1890, Flagler convinced his friend, Dr. Andrew Anderson to part with the front of his property along King Street so that Flagler could widen the street from the Hotel Ponce down to the railroad station. For several years, the trees Mrs. Anderson had planned years earlier along the front of the property were an island in the middle of the road. He also tried to have the name of the street changed to Alameda, but the City Council had agreed to change the names of Tolomato and Bronson and therefore refused to change another street name to please Flagler. In the 1895 Standard Guide though, King Street is called Alameda.

In 1895, a wooden bridge called the Matanzas River Bridge was built from King Street to Anastasia Island. Flagler did not want his new street marred by a trolley, but in 1906, a trolley line was installed down the center of King Street.]]>
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.

Photograph 1 (1870s): Van Campen, J.T. St. Augustine: Florida’ Colonial Capital. 3rd printing. St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Historical Society, 1971.

Photograph 2 (2025): Owens, Katherine. "Tocoi Landing Today." September 6, 2025.

Photograph 3 (1878): Tellier, Mark. St. Augustine’s Pictures of the Past: The Second Discovery. 1st edition. Published by the author, 1979.

Photograph 4 (1891): Biestadt, Edward. Sunlight Pictures: Saint Augustine. New York: The Artotype Publishing, 1891.

Photograph 5 (1906): Pollack, Deborah C. Felix F. de Crano: Forgotten Artist of the Flagler Colony. Lightner Museum, 2014.

Photograph 6 (1907): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 7 (1940s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the 1930s and 1940s. Acadia Publishing, 2019.

Photograph 8 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "Photograph of King Street." June 10, 2025.

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

Graham, Thomas. The Awakening of St. Augustine: The Anderson Family and the Oldest City, 1821-1924. St. Augustine, FL: Saint Augustine Historical Society, 1978.

Graham, Thomas. “Flagler’s Magnificent Hotel Ponce de Leon.” Florida Historical Quarterly 54 (July 1975).

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

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

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

Van Campen, J.T. St. Augustine: Florida’ Colonial Capital. 3rd printing. St. Augustine, FL: St. Augustine Historical Society, 1971.

]]> A1A Aleworks is on this street.]]> Anderson Cottage is located on this street.]]> The Bridge of Lions is at the end of this street.]]> Casa Monica Hotel is on the corner of King Street and Cordova Street.]]> The Governor's House is located on this street.]]> The Hotel Granada used to be on this street.]]> The Lightner Museum is located on this street.]]> Markland House is located on this street.]]> Plaza de la Constitucion is on the north side of St. George Street between St. George Street and Charlotte Street.]]> Both Ponce Hall for Flagler College and the FEC Dorms are located on this street.]]> The St. Augustine Police Headquarters is located on this street.]]> Trininty Episcopal is located on this street.]]> The Villa Zorayda is located on this street.]]> The former Woolworth's Department Store is located on this street.]]>
Always the Vampire
The Belle of Camden County
Blinding Tide
Body Shop
The Devil's Own Dear Son
Eustis: A Novel
A Florida Enchantment
Florida Is Closed Today
Ghosts: Another Summer in the Old Town
Horace Chase
The Ladies' Juggernaut
Matanzas Bay
One Summer in the Old Town
The Picolata Road
The Reaper of St. George Street
Salt Run
St. Augustine A to Z
Tales of St. Augustine
There Were Two Pirates
The Two Salomes
Yella Gal: Queen of the Montclair
The Vampirate of Matanzas Inlet
Wicked Rich]]>
Opening in 1926-1927, as Atlantic Boulevard, it was frequently referred to instead as the Coastal Highway, but also, State Road 1, becoming the primary route to the south, delivering goods to the northern states and offering tourists the luxury of a warm winter vacation in the Sunshine State. By 1929 the Coastal Highway extended from Maine to Miami and was all but complete. By the 1930s, A1A had different local names and highway numbers dependent on whether you drove the stretch north or south of St. Augustine.

In 1945, the highway (SR-1) was renamed, A1A in order to curb confusion with the nearby US-1. In 2024, the road name was changed to Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. The Florida Legislature unanimously passed this name change into law and was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in June 2024.]]> The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Map (c.1929): Ponce de Leon Celebration First Week in April: St. Augustine, Florida. City Commission of St. Augustine on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, Printed by The Record Company, [1929].

Photograph 1 (1946): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.

Photograph 2 (1995): Browning, Vivian C., Sallie L. O’Hara, John T. Pilechi, and Vilano Beach Main Street. Images of America: Vilano and the North Beaches. Acadia Publishing, 2015.

Photograph 3 (2025): Kozlowski, Beata. "Florida Scenic Highway A1A Sign North and South." July 1, 2025.

Photograph 4 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "A1A South." July 25, 2025.

Photograph 5 (2025): Zufelt, Holly. "A1A North." October 24, 2025.

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

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

Kim’s Guide to Florida. Anna Maria, FL: Ethel Byrum Kimball, 1937.

Kleinberg, Eliot. “Florida History: A1A Is Arguably the Most Romantic Road in Florida.” The Palm Beach Post, July 30, 2020. https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/history/2020/07/30/florida-history-a1a-is-arguably-most-romantic-road-in-florida/112604154/.

Overdeep, Meghan. “Florida Historic A1A Officially Named After Beloved Music Legend.” Southern Living, September 6, 2024. https://www.southernliving.com/florida-a1a-jimmy-buffett-8707956.

Ponce de Leon Celebration First Week in April: St. Augustine, Florida. City Commission of St. Augustine on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, Printed by The Record Company, [1929].

Real Estate Reporter. “The Story of Florida’s Famous HWY A1A & Its Impact on Volusia County.” Grizzard Real Estate, August 31, 2018. https://blog.eragrizzard.com/hometalk/the-story-of-floridas-famous-hwy-a1a-its-impact-on-volusia-county.]]> Anastasia Island.]]> Anastasia State Park is bordered to the west by HWY A1A.]]> The Bridge of Lions is part of Highway A1A.]]> The east and west parts of Butler Beach are divided by HWY A1A.]]> Capo's Bathhouse used to be accessed from Bay Street.]]> Castillo de San Marcos is on the San Marcos Avenue stretch of this road.]]> Crescent Beach.]]> The eastern terminus of Cuna Street deadends into S. Castillo Drive.]]> HWY A1A runs through the GTMNERR conservation lands.]]> Harry's Seafood Bar and Grille is on Avenida Menendez.]]> Huguenot Cemetery is on San Marco Avenue.]]> Avenida Menendez intersect with the eastern terminus of Hypolita Street.]]> The King's Road used to be part of the Shell Road (the San Marco Avenue Street of this road).]]> Highway A1A splits the Marineland property.]]> Highway A1A crosses the Matanzas River/Bay/Intercoastal several times.]]> HWY A1A borders the western boundary of Micker's Landing.]]> The National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche/Mission Nombre de Dios is bordered by the San Marco Avenue stretch of road.]]> HWY A1A runs through North Beach and is the northern edge of Vilano Beach.]]> O.C. Whites is on Avenida Menendez.]]> The Old City Gates would have merged St. George Street and the S. Castillo Drive section of this road before St. George Street stopped at Orange Street and the Old City Gates became a tourist landmark.]]> The Old Jail Museum is located on the San Marco Avenue stretch of HWY A1A.]]> HWY A1A runs through Ponte Vedra Beach.]]> Ripley's Believe It or Not! is on the San Marcos Avenue stretch of this road.]]> Highway A1A merges with San Marco/Castillo Drive/Avenida Menendez for several miles through town.]]> The Seawall borders all of the Avenida Menendez stretch of this road.]]> The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is bordered by HWY A1A on the eastern side.]]> Summer Haven.]]> The eastern terminus of Treasury Street is on Avenida Menendez.]]> The Visitor Information Center and the Old Spanish Trail Zero Marker are both on San Marco Avenue where the San Marco Hotel had been.]]> The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this historic site as a location:

Forbidden Area
Stepping Off a Cliff
Sugar Cage]]>