First U.S. settlement was in Georgia?

St. Augustine, Florida

An array of cities and communities lay claim to being the "first" settlement or "oldest city" in the continental United States.

St. Augustine and Pensacola, both in Florida, engage in a bit of friendly rivalry over which is the nation's oldest city. The first settlement at Pensacola Bay, the remains of which have yet to be found, was planted by Tristan de Luna in 1559. The colony was a disastrous failure and was soon abandoned, with the modern city of Pensacola dating from a second more successful attempt in 1699. St. Augustine, meanwhile, was founded by Pedro Menendez in 1565 and has been there ever since. At 450 years old, the historic old city has been occupied for about 134 years longer than Pensacola.

Fort Caroline
Reconstructed French fort in Jacksonville, FL

Other communities also claim to be the "first." Paris Island, SC, for example, was first settled by France in 1562, the same nation that built Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, FL, two years later.The first English settlement in the United States was Sir Walter Raleigh's Roanoke in North Carolina, but its population disappeared in a mystery that has never been solved.

 Finally there is Jamestown. Established in 1607 it was the first permanent English settlement in the United States. The Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock were latecomers among early settlers, not arriving in Massachusetts until 1620.

The Georgia Coast

While each of these settlements has its own claim to fame and while St. Augustine is without doubt the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States, none of them was the actual first.

There were American Indians here for thousands of years before the arrival of the first European explorers, of course. Others believe that Vikings visited New England or even made it as far inland as Minnesota and Oklahoma!  There is a popular old legend in Alabama and other states that Prince Madoc of Wales explored and planted settlements long before Juan Ponce de Leon discovered the land that would become the United States in 1513.

Savannah River

With due respect to all of these claims and communities, the actual first recorded European/African settlement in the continental United States was in Georgia.

Named San Miguel de Gualdape, the colony was founded by Spanish explorer and slave trader Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon some four decades before either Pensacola or St. Augustine.

Ayllon had heard glowing reports of a wonderful land somewhere northwest of the Bahamas that was ideal for settlement and populated by American Indians of giant stature that would make desirable slaves for the Spanish. He sent an exploring party of two ships to find this land and report back. The scouts sailed north from Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas and reached land on June 24, 1521, at a place they called the Jordan River.

Coxspur Lighthouse with Tybee Island in the distance

No one knows exactly where the Jordan River was located. Some have speculated that it was either the Santee or Waccamaw Rivers in South Carolina, with the latter appearing most likely. The explorers captured 60 Indian slaves and took them back to the Spanish settlements in the Caribbean where they told fantastic stories of a marvelous new land.

Lucas Vazquez de Ayllon signed a contract with the King of Spain in 1523, agreeing to settle this new land. He second a second exploring party out in 1525 as he assembled the people, livestock and materials needed to found a permanent colony.

San Miguel was somewhere in the marshes
and islands of the Georgia coast.

The major expedition assembled by Ayllon consisted of 6 ships, 600 colonists (including women and children), cows, sheep, pigs and around 100 horses. The colonists included African slaves. Owned by Ayllon and other wealthy participants in the venture, they became the first slaves introduced into North America by Europeans.

The ships set sail in mid-July 1526 and reached land on August 9. The flagship Capitana immediately ran aground and went to the bottom, taking with it vital supplies for the success of the colony.

Ayllon was disappointed with the true appearance of the coast, which differed dramatically from the glowing descriptions provided by his exploring parties. Quickly deciding that the Jordan River was not suitable for permanent settlement, the conquistador sent out additional scouting parties to find a better place. Based on the reports of these explorers, he ordered a move south to the coast of what is now Georgia.

Looking downstream toward Sapelo Sound at Darien, Georgia.

There in September 1526, the Spanish established the city of San Miguel de Gualdape. The exact site has not been found but most scholars believe it was either on Sapelo Sound or Tybee Roads.

The situation quickly became desperate. The loss of so many supplies in the sinking of the Capitana doomed the colony and the settlers were stalked by hunger and disease. The local Guale Indians decided they didn't like the Spanish and soon started to attack them. The African slaves joined in, staging uprisings and setting fire to the homes of colonists. Ayllon died of an unknown illness and the town descended into chaos.

Unable to feed themselves or withstand the cold winter, the colonists gave up. They began to evacuate San Miguel in late October and the last of them sailed away in November 1526. The city of San Miguel de Gualdape, the first Spanish settlement in the continental United States, lasted only two months.

The site that caused such difficulty for Ayllon and his colonists is somewhere in the coastal islands and marshes of Georgia. The entire coast is now a major tourist destination that is noted for its historic sites, beautiful vistas and eco-tourism opportunities. Savannah and the islands of the Georgia Coast are widely regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the world.

To read more about some of the locations mentioned in this post, please follow these links:

• St. Augustine, Florida
• Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine, Florida
• Pensacola, Florida
• Fort Caroline in Jacksonville, Florida
• Ribault Monument in Jacksonville, Florida
• Savannah, Georgia
• Tybee Island, Georgia
• Golden Isles of Georgia
• Jamestown, Virginia
• Heavener Runestone in Heavener, Oklahoma

National Naval Aviation Museum & 100 Years of Naval Aviation

World War II Aircraft

2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the year that the U.S. Navy first took to the air.  That entire span of history can be viewed at the outstanding National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.
Located on board Naval Air Station, Pensacola, the museum preserves aircraft and artifacts from all eras of Naval Aviation. Exhibits range from displays of the earliest types of aircraft flown by the U.S. Navy to the reconstructed deck of an aircraft carrier to artifacts from the exploration of space. It is a little known fact that the first American in space, Alan B. Shepard, was a naval aviator.

Jet Fighters

The museum offers a chance for visitors to get up close to some of the most powerful weapons of war ever created. Fighter planes from all eras of the 20th century are on display, along with trainers and other aircraft. From jet fighters that saw service around the world to World War II planes recovered from the deep and even the biplane trainer flown by President George H.W. Bush, the aircraft displays are remarkable and fascinating.

Visitors to the National Naval Aviation Museum can also experience what it is like to fly in some of the U.S. Navy's top aircraft thanks to MaxFlight 360 flight simulators. These remarkable simulators offer the chance to "fly" in 3D and feel what it is like to be in air to air combat.

The museum also preserves and displays artifacts and exhibits that tell the stories of heroism exhibited by some of America's finest pilots and crews in conflicts including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East campaigns.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/navalaviationmuseum.

Fort Pickens - Santa Rosa Island, Florida

Fort Pickens

Battered over the years by hurricane, war and even a massive accidental explosion, the old brick walls of Fort Pickens continue to defy man and the elements at the western end of Florida's beautiful Santa Rosa Island.

Surrounded by the most beautiful beaches in the world, the brick walls of the historic fort stand in stark contrast to the gleaming white sands that attract millions of visitors to Northwest Florida each year. It is a little known fact that Fort Pickens was almost the spot where the Civil War began 150 years ago.

Aware that state troops from Alabama and Florida were gathering to seize the fortifications at Pensacola Bay, Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer of the U.S. Army moved his tiny garrison across the bay from Fort Barrancas on the mainland to Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island in January of 1861. With fewer than 100 men, he held the fort and refused three demands that he surrender from Colonel William H. Chase, who commanded the growing force of Southern troops arrayed against the fort.

Fort Pickens

Built in 1829-1834, the huge five-sided fort was designed to sweep the entrance to Pensacola Bay with the fire of hundreds of cannon. With Fort McRee across the channel and Fort Barrancas on the mainland, it presented a formidable defense against any attack by a foreign navy. In Union hands, however, the fort also bottled up the entrance to Pensacola Bay preventing Southern forces from making use of the harbor there and the outstanding navy yard captured from Federal forces.

With more than 1,000 men at his disposal, Colonel Chase was moving in the direction of storming the fort and taking it from its small garrison when, unexpectedly, President James Buchanan agreed to the so-called "Fort Pickens Truce" on January 29, 1861. The truce provided that Federal forces would not try to reinforce the fort so long as Southern troops did not move against it. The agreement halted militia forces in their tracks and prevented the looming battle at Fort Pickens from taking place. Bloodshed was averted, but Fort Pickens would remain in Union hands throughout the war and Pensacola as a port was of no use to the Confederacy.

To learn more about Fort Pickens, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpickens1.

Historic Pensacola Village - Pensacola, Florida

The Historic Pensacola Village is a unique large scale exhibit of historic sites, structures and museums in downtown Pensacola, Florida. It provides visitors the opportunity to walk back in time through numerous eras of Gulf Coast history.

The structures preserved in the village and open for guided tour include homes dating back to the Colonial era. The LaValle House, for example, is a French Creole home that was built in 1805 when Florida was still a Spanish colony. Inside, visitors can see how Pensacola residents lived during that era.

Nearby stands the Julee Cottage, the home of a free black woman named Julee Panton during the years before slavery was abolished. It is one of the few places in America where visitors can learn about the lives of free African Americans during the slave years.

Other highlights of the village include Old Christ Church, built in 1832 and used as a stables by Union soldiers during the Civil War; the 1871 Dorr House and the Folk Victorian style Lear-Rocheblave House. Pensacola's Colonial Archaeological Trail also passes through the historic village, providing exhibits and other information on ruins dating from the colonial era that have been uncovered by archaeologists in the downtown era.

To lear more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pensacola2.

Pensacola Lighthouse - Pensacola, Florida

Rising 160 feet above the waters of Pensacola Bay, the beautiful old Pensacola Lighthouse has been a Florida landmark since 1859.

Built under the supervision of John Newton, who later became a major general in the service of the Union during the Civil War (he commanded the "Iron Brigade" at Gettysburg after the death of General John Reynolds), the lighthouse has a long and colorful history.

Seized by Confederate forces just two years after it was finished, the light was darkened and its lense removed to prevent Union ships offshore from using it to assist in navigation. Southern troops constructed an artillery battery at the base of the tower and it figured prominently in the massive bombardment that took place at Pensacola in November of 1861. Union gunners across the bay at Fort Pickens targeted the tower and it withstood the shock of at least six direct hits by heavy cannonballs.

After the Confederates evacuated Pensacola in early 1862, the lighthouse was repaired and its lens was replaced. It remains in operation today, although it was automated some years ago.

Numerous stories surround the historic structure, including local tradition that it is haunted by several ghosts. In fact, the tower was featured this week on the popular SyFy Channel program "Ghost Hunters."

To learn more about the historic Pensacola Lighthouse and to see additional photographs, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pensacolalighthouse.

Road Access restored to historic Fort Pickens, Florida

After years of work by the National Park Service, historic Fort Pickens at Pensacola, Florida, can once again be reached by car.

Hurricane Ivan destroyed the only road leading down the 7 mile stretch of Santa Rosa Island to the fort and it has taken years for park service employees to work their way through a tangle of regulatory and funding issues to repair the road. It finally reopened to vehicular traffic at the end of May and can once again be used to access the historic fort.

Built during the 1830s, Fort Pickens played a vital role during the Civil War. One of three Southern forts held by Union troops throughout the war (the others were Fort Tayler and Fort Jefferson, both also in Florida), the troops in the fort participated in major artillery battles with Confederate forces on the mainland in November of 1861 and January of 1862. The outer camps of Fort Pickens were also a target of Confederate troops during the Battle of Santa Rosa Island in October of 1861.

Now part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, Fort Pickens is open to the public daily from 8 a.m. until sunset. In addition to the historic fort, the Fort Pickens section of the national park includes concrete fortifications dating from 1898-1945, 7 miles of pristine white sand beaches, a historic cemetery, the site of the Battle of Santa Rosa Island, picnic areas, trails, campgrounds and more. The entrance fee is $8, which is good for a full week.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpickens1.

Memorial Day, Part Two - Barrancas National Cemetery, Florida

Continuing our Memorial Day series, we focus today on Barrancas National Cemetery near Pensacola, Florida.

One of the oldest national cemeteries in the Deep South, this burial ground dates back to the early 1800s. The cemetery was established shortly after the United States took possession of Florida and was designated to serve as a final resting places for soldiers, sailors and workers engaged in building the Pensacola Navy Yard and Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas, Fort McRee and the Advanced Redoubt.

Buried here are the men and women who served our country over a time span of nearly 200 years. Some of these men bear names recognizable from the battles against the British during the War of 1812. Others served in the Creek and Seminole Wars, the war with Mexico and, of course, the Civil War. The cemetery was used by both the Union and the Confederacy during the War Between the States.

The cemetery remains in use today, with large numbers of veterans of World War II, Korea and more recent conflicts.

Located on board the Pensacola Naval Air Station, the Barrancas National Cemetery is open to the public daily. Simply ask at the gates for directions and a pass. The personnel there are extremely helpful. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/barrancasnationalcemetery.

Fort George - The American Revolution in Pensacola, Florida

In my last post I discussed the little known Battle of Fort Charlotte, fought in Mobile, Alabama, during the American Revolution. This battle was followed one year later by one of the most significant yet least known battles of the Revolution.

During the spring of 1781, General Bernardo de Galvez led an army of Spanish, French, Irish and American troops against the British stronghold of Pensacola, Florida. It would take two months for the city to fall, but when it did, the course of U.S. history was forever changed.

The capture of Pensacola, for example, returned control of West Florida and the lower Mississippi River to Spain and France. This eventually allowed the Louisiana Purchase to take place, but perhaps even more importantly it removed Great Britain from the borders of the southern states. Had England still possessed Florida during the War of 1812, it is doubtful that the United States could have survived. It would have provided a natural base for invading the South and, coupled with the disastrous campaigns in the North, likely would have ended the war in favor of the British.

It is also safe to assume that the British would never have turned Florida over to the United States in 1821, as the Spanish eventually did.

A small portion of the Pensacola battlefield is preserved at Fort George Park at the intersection of Palafox and La Rua Streets near downtown Pensacola. The park features a reconstructed section of Fort George, the primary British defense of the city, and also offers interpretive panels explaining the battle.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortgeorge.

Fort Pickens - Pensacola, Florida

Construction is now underway on the road repairs that will soon reopen the Fort Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore to cars once again. The road was heavily damaged during Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis in 2004-2005 and has been closed ever since.

As the road reopens later this spring, it will once again allow visitors easy access to one of the most historic sites on the Gulf Coast. Built between 1829 and 1834, Fort Pickens was the largest of four major U.S. forts built to protect Pensacola Bay from foreign attack.

The fort played a major role in the Civil War. A standoff over possession of the fort was temporarily resolved in 1861 by the Fort Pickens Truce, an agreement that prevented the first battle of the war from being fought at Pensacola. Union forces violated the truce after Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, however, and by the end of 1861 fighting had broken out at Pensacola Bay.

A major attack was launched against the outer camps and batteries of Fort Pickens in October of 1861 and heavy bombardments followed in November and again in January of 1862.

Fort Pickens remained an important U.S. Army post in the years after the Civil War. The famed Apache leader Geronimo was imprisoned there during the late 1800s along with other members of his tribe.

To learn more about Fort Pickens, please visit our new Fort Pickens page at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortpickens.

Special Series on the 1864 Raid on Marianna, Florida

If you are interested in the Civil War in the Deep South, you might enjoy a special series that is starting today at Civil War Florida.

The series provides a day-by-day telling of the story of the 1864 Union Raid on Marianna, Florida. The deepest penetration of Florida by Federal troops during the entire Civil War, this raid was longer than Sherman's March to the Sea and culminated at the small but bloody Battle of Marianna on September 27, 1864.

The first movements of the raid began 144 years ago today when advance troops crossed Pensacola Bay to establish a landing point for the main body of Brig. Gen. Alexander Asboth's Union command.

To learn more, check in daily for the latest updates at http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com.

The Site of Fort McRee - Pensacola, Florida

The sandy point visible in the distance on the right side of this photograph was an important site during the Civil War on Pensacola Bay. This was the location of Fort McRee, the "lost fort" of Pensacola.

A brick fortification constructed between the years 1834 and 1839, Fort McRee was located directly across the entrance to Pensacola Bay from Fort Pickens. Combined, the two forts were designed to sweep the entrance of the bay with artillery fire should enemy ships attempt to force their way into the harbor.

The fort was severely damaged during the November 1861 Battle of Pensacola Bay and eventually was destroyed by the elements.

To learn more about Fort McRee, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the new heading for Pensacola, Florida.

Pensacola Lighthouse - Pensacola, Florida

One of my favorite old Southern lighthouses is the Pensacola Light, seen here. Built in 1858 and first lit in 1859, the lighthouse towers 160 feet above the Florida Gulf Coast and is still in use today.

The Pensacola Lighthouse was a major landmark during the Civil War. Confederate troops darkened the light to stop the Union navy from using it to assist in navigation off the entrance to Pensacola Bay. A large artillery battery was also constructed near the base of the light. During the major bombardments in November of 1861 and January of 1862, Union artillerymen at Fort Pickens targeted the lighthouse and "Lighthouse Battery." Although struck at least 6 times by cannon shot, the tower was not significantly damaged.

To read more about the Pensacola Lighthouse and see more photographs, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the Pensacola heading.

Historic Pensacola, Florida

The first part of our new section on the historic city of Pensacola, Florida, is now online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com.

The site of a settlement founded by the Spanish in 1559, Pensacola is one of the oldest cities on the Gulf Coast. Noted for its beautiful beaches and sparkling waters, the city is home to an impressive array of historic sites, structures and more. With landmarks including colonial homes, a Revolutionary War battlefield and important Civil War sites such as Forts Pickens, Barrancas and Advanced Redoubt, Pensacola is a major destination for heritage tourism.

To learn more and visit phase one of our Pensacola section, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the "Pensacola" heading.