Spanish Military Hospital Museum

Spanish Military Hospital Museum

1966

This building is a museum.

This building dates to 1966 as a reconstruction by the 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.

For information on access, please visit the "Rates" page on the Spanish Military Hospital Museum's website.

Spanish Military Hospital Museum
3 Aviles Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084
Spanish Military Hospital Museum

This building is located on Aviles Street.

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. “18^th Century Surgery in a 20^th 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].

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 building as a location:

One Summer in the Old Town
St. Augustine's Spirits in Our Midst

This record was last updated on June 3, 2025.