Davis Shores

Davis Shores

1925-1927

This area is an unincorporated community.

D. P. Davis, an established land developer of the early 20th Century, announced his purchase of northeastern acres of Anastasia Island in October of 1925. Davis had just completed Davis Islands in Tampa, Florida and with the funding of A. Y. Milam, a business associate, he planned to expand north. Due to the waterfront area's topography, Davis had to dregde and fill the land to make it fit for habitation and all of his construction endeavors. He stated he would put in $60,000,000 and the Shores would include a hotel, yacht club, Roman pool, and many other luxuries. This plan would not be completed.

After the "Land Bust of 1926," there was barely a margin for breaking even because the buyers were only paying a tenth or less of the cost of the land orginally. Additionally, Davis Shores was a motivator for the building of the Bridge of Lions. The land only had eleven houses built on it and did not turn profitable until after the Second World War. Today, this land is an unincorporated community on Anastasia Island and is still referred to as Davis Shores. It is located on the northern tip of Anastasia Island across from downtown St. Augustine's bayfront.

Anastasia Island, City of St. Augustine

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

Photograph 1 (1926): Bowen, Beth Rogero. Bridge to a Dream: Building the Bridge of Lions and Davis Shores, 1925-27. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2010.

Photograph 2 (1926): Bowen, Beth Rogero. Bridge to a Dream: Building the Bridge of Lions and Davis Shores, 1925-27. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2010.

Photograph 3 (1926): Bowen, Beth Rogero. Bridge to a Dream: Building the Bridge of Lions and Davis Shores, 1925-27. St. Augustine, FL: The St. Augustine Historical Society, 2010.

Photograph 4 (c.1945): Views Along the Line of the Florida East Coast Railway from Jacksonville to Miami: The Scenic Ocean Shore Route. Denver, CO: The Smith-Brooks Printing Company, 1945.

Photograph 5 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "Davis Shores Sign." February 25, 2023.

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

Kite-Powell, Rodney. “Davis Shores in St. Augustine.” Davis Island Civic Association. https://dicivic.org/davis-shores-in-st-augustine.

Taylor, George Lansing, Jr. “Davis Shores Marker, St. Augustine, FL.” UNF: University of North Florida; Digital Commons: George Lansing Taylor Collection Main Gallery. July 3, 2011. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/historical_architecture_main/3057/.

Flagler College’s Rare Books, Floridiana & Institutional Repository are neither the original nor current copyright owner for the photographs. Please contact the publisher or source cited for each photograph to obtain a copy and/or permission to reproduce these items.

The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this historic site as a location:

The Indian Pilot, or, The Search for Pirate Island

This record was last updated on May 21, 2025.