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

Cannibalism at Jamestown? Scientists may have found the proof!

Fort at Jamestown, Virginia

Did the English colonists at Jamestown resort to cannibalism as they tried to survive during the "starving time" winter of 1609-1610?

The writings of early colonists have always said yes to that question, but there has never been any physical proof that the claims were true - until now.

A scientist with the Smithsonian says that the skeleton of a 15-year-old girl found by archaeoligists in a Colonial era trash dump at Jamestown shows marks that indicate she was cut up and eaten!

Read more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/skeleton-of-teenage-girl-confirms-cannibalism-at-jamestown-colony/2013/05/01/5af5b474-b1dc-11e2-9a98-4be1688d7d84_story.html

Jamestown from the water.

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States. It was founded in 1607, thirteen years before the Pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock. 

On the other hand, the Spanish settlers of St. Augustine in Florida were living in a well-established community with stone houses and a public park by the time the Jamestown settlers reached Virginia. St. Augustine was founded in 1565, more than forty years before Jamestown, and is the oldest permanent settlement in the continental United States.

Learn more about historic Jamestown, Virginia:  http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/jamestown

Learn more about historic St. Augustine, Florida:  http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1

10 Great Ghost Stories of the South!

Recent Photo of the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge

With Halloween just one day away, I thought it would be a great time to share this year's list of 10 Great Ghost Stories of the South!  So, here we go...

1. The Ghost of Bellamy Bridge (Marianna, Florida) - This is a great story that originated in the 1800s and preserves the tragic tale of an unfortunate young woman who is said to haunt the environs of one of Florida's oldest bridges.  Learn more at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bellamybridge.
2. The Face in the Window (Carrollton, Alabama) - The face of a terrified man can be seen in the window of the old Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton. www.exploresouthernhistory.com/faceinthewindow.
3. The Edgefield Ghost (Greenwood County, South Carolina) - This early 19th century haunting was one of the most noteworthy in American history and was witnessed by hundreds of people including ministers and reporters!  Learn more at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/edgefieldghost.
4. The Bell Witch (Adams County, Tennessee) - Possibly America's most famous haunting, the Bell Witch incident supposedly took place in Adams County, Tennessee.  Learn more at: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bellwitch1.
5. The Crescent Hotel (Eureka Springs, Arkansas) - The Crescent Hotel bills itself as America's most haunted hotel, and with good reason! Learn more at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/crescenthotel.
6. The Ghost of Big Cedar (near Branson, Missouri) - Big Cedar Resort just south of Branson is said to be haunted by the wife of one of its original owners!  This is one of the most famous ghosts of the Ozarks.  Learn more at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/bigcedar1.
7. Ghosts of the St. Augustine Lighthouse (St. Augustine, Florida) - One of Florida's most intriguing ghost stories, the tale of the strange figures in the St. Augustine Lighthouse has attracted attention for years. Learn more at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinelighthouse.
8. Ghost of Allatoona Pass (Bartow County, Georgia) - This ghost used to catch rides on trains along the old railroad leading north from Atlanta!  Please click here to learn more: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/allatoonaghost.
9. Ghosts of Waverly Mansion (West Point, Mississippi) - Waverly Mansion near West Point is said to be one of the most haunted places in Mississippi.  Please click here to learn more: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/waverly
10. Ghost of St. Simons Lighthouse (St. Simons Island, Georgia) - The unhappy spirit of a former lighthouse employee is said to haunt the beautiful old tower of the St. Simons Lighthouse.  Please click here to learn more http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/gastsimons2.html.

St. Augustine, Florida - New Section Now Online!

St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest city in the continental United States. Founded by the Spanish in 1565, it has been occupied ever since.

In fact, St. Augustine residents had a public park before the first settlers waded ashore at either Jamestown, Virginia, or Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. The city also boasts a long list of other "oldest" or "first" distinctions. It is home to the oldest house, the oldest religious site, the oldest masonry fort, the first settlement for free blacks and many others.

Because of its importance to Southern and U.S. history, I've added an expanded section on St. Augustine to the main website at http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/. It features directories to a variety of historic sites and points of interest in the nation's oldest city and as it expands will include hotel and other information of use to visitors.To visit the new St. Augustine section, please go to www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1.

The section will be expanding with the addition of other new pages over the coming week, so check back and feel free to drop a comment and let me know what you think or if there is another site in St. Augustine you would like to see added!

St. Augustine - Florida's Romantic Spanish City

Continuing with looks at some of the most romantic historic places in the South, the Florida city of St. Augustine is absolutely exquisite.

This old Spanish city predates Jamestown, Virginia, and was more han 50 years old when the Pilgrims finally set foot on Plymouth Rock. It is the oldest continually occupied city in the continental United States and is rich not only in history, but in Old World and Southern charm that makes any visit an unforgettable experience.

In the restored historic district, St. George Street and the adjacent alleys and streets create a feel more like that of a European city than a coastal community in Florida. The walls, shops and cafes are centuries removed from Daytona, Miami and the amusement parks of Orlando. This is the old, real Florida.

For those seeking a romantic escape, in addition to strolling through the ancient streets or along the waterfront, there are carriages, charming bed and breakfast inns, unique hotels, tours of the harbor aboard a historic sailing vessel and unique cafes and restaurants, some of which rank among the finest in the South.

St. Augustine was founded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565 during his campaign to drive the French from their settlement at nearby Fort Caroline, a fortress that the Spanish considered an intrusion on their lands. The city weathered storms, battles and pirate attacks over the years, but survived. By the time of the American Revolution, it was already more than 200 years old. The Plaza de la Constitucion in the center of town is the oldest public park in North America and the magnificent old Castillo de San Marcos is the nation's oldest masonry fort.

To learn more about St. Augustine, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1. Be sure to follow the links on the page to learn more about the various sites and points of interest that we have visited and photographed in the historic old city.

Southern Ghosts Part Five - Warden Castle in St. Augustine, Florida

This photograph shows several "orbs" photographed in Warden Castle (now Ripley's Believe It or Not!) in St. Augustine, Florida.

Personally, I think that most orbs are just light effects caused by camera flashes interacting with dust or other light sources, but some people believe they are indicative of supernatural activity.

The castle was built in 1887 by William G. Warden, a business partner of John D. Rockefeller and Florida's famed railroad builder, Henry Flagler. The Warden family used the unique structure as a winter home until the 1930s.

In 1941 it was remodeled as a hotel and a tragic fire there claimed lives. It is said that the spirits of the unfortunate victims still haunt the old structure. People report seeing strange figures in the old Moorish building late at night and tourists often photograph "orbs" and unusual streaks of light there.

Now fully renovated, Warden Castle is the home to Ripley's Believe It or Not! In fact, this was the nation's first Ripley's museum, a distinction that makes it something of a pop culture icon.

In true Ripley's style, those interested in Warden Castle's "ghostly" occupants can take part in nightly "Ghost Train" tours that give them a chance to learn some tales of St. Augustine ghosts and walk through the spooky old structure and museum after dark.

To learn more about Castle Warden, please visit: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/wardencastle.

Southern Ghosts Part One - St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida

One of Florida's best known ghost stories swirls around the spectacular tower of the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida.

For decades people have claimed to hear and see strange things in the tower. Most of the stories revolve around an unfortunate accident that happened while the tower was being built in 1873.

A cable car of sorts was rigged up to carry construction material from the beach up to the lighthouse site and the children of the construction superintendent and their friends liked to ride the cart back and forth. On July 10, 1873, however, something went very wrong and three of the children died in an unfortunate accident.

It is said that their voices, footsteps and forms can be seen inside the tower. The SciFi Channel television show "Ghost Hunters" visited the tower and recorded several unusual "figures" inside the lighthouse, making the St. Augustine Lighthouse one of the South's best known "haunted locations."

You can learn more about the lighthouse by visiting: www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinelighthouse.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Thirteen

We conclude today our series on the beautiful old city of St. Augustine, Florida.

This view was taken looking south down St. George Street in the heart of the historic district. The centerpiece of a magnificent district of reconstructed and restored colonial structures, St. George Street offers visitors the opportunity to stroll through St. Augustine much as it appeared three hundred years ago.

The district features shops, cafes, restaurants, museums, a living history village, original Spanish architecture and an incredible old world setting. It is within easy walking district of the Castillo de San Marcos, the Plaza de la Constitucion and other key heritage attractions in St. Augustine.

To learn more about St. Augustine, Florida, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustine1.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Twelve

Continuing our series on the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida, this is a view of the restored Government House.

Built by the Spanish between 1706 and 1713 on a lot facing the west end of the Plaza de la Constitucion, this unique structure served as the home of Florida's Spanish governors.

When Florida was transferred to Great Britain at the end of the French and Indian War, the Government House was occupied by British officials. It served an important role during the American Revolution and was probably the location of some of the planning of the British strikes against Georgia that were launched from Florida.

After the revolution Florida was returned to Spain and the Government House again served as a home and office for the colony's Spanish governors. It continued to fill this role until Florida was handed over to the United States in 1821.

Although most Floridians are familiar with the "Old Capitol" in Tallahassee, few realize that this historic structure in St. Augustine is actually Florida's "Older Capitol." In addition to its history as a center of activity for Spanish and British officials, the Government House served as a meeting place for Florida's Legislature in 1823 before the site of Tallahassee was selected to become the new territory's permanent capital.

Union officers accepted the surrender of St. Augustine from the city's civil leaders here in 1862 during the Civil War.

The Government House today is a very nice visitor center and museum. The displays include a fascinating walk through the archaeology of the oldest city.

Our series on St. Augustine will continue. Until the next post, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com and looking for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Eleven

This beautiful park area is the historic Plaza de la Constitucion in the center of St. Augustine, Florida.

The plaza is the oldest public park in the United States and remains a center for activity in the historic city.

Spanish Royal Ordinances dating from 1573 specified that the permanent city of St. Augustine, founded only 8 years earlier, be designed around a central park or plaza.

The park was a center of activity in the city. It was the location of St. Augustine's market place and many important structures faced the plaza, including the home of the Spanish governors. As a result, citizens were enjoying shopping and other activities here decades before the first settlers set foot at either Jamestown, Virginia or Plymouth, Massachusetts.

A number of unique landmarks can be found in and around the plaza. So far as I know, it is the only location in the United States that boasts a monument to a foreign constitution. An oblisk in the center of the plaza memorializes Spain's Constitution of 1812. St. Augustine was still a Spanish capital at the time the constitution was adopted.

A public well dating from the 16th century can be seen here, as can four Civil War era cannons that once armed the Water Battery at the Castillo de San Marcos. The Plaza de la Constitucion is also the location of the city's historic open air market structure. The old market is located near the east end of the plaza. Tradition that it was a slave market, however, is not accurate. The current structure was built after the end of the Civil War.

Our series on St. Augustine will continue. Until the next post, you can learn more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com and looking for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Ten

If you believe what the tour guides on the popular ghost tours of St. Augustine tell you, then this is a photograph of the ghosts of Castle Warden.

Ghost tours are big business in the nation's oldest city. There is a ghost train, a ghost trolley, a walking tour, a "haunted pub" tour and a variety of other chances to explore the supernatural side of St. Augustine.

I will say that I have my doubts about whether a ghost could be found anywhere near a crowd of noisy tourists, but the guides encourage groups to snap photographs and see if they catch anything unusual. These "orbs" showed up in a photograph taken in Castle Warden, the home of Ripley's Believe It or Not! The castle is one of the stops on the "Ghost Train" tour offered by Ripley's.

Although some believe these are caused by spiritual activity, I suspect they more likely are nothing more than light effects caused by cameras flashing in a dark place. But, because many believe they are representative of something supernatural, people are often quite thrilled by the chance to snap a photo in which something a little unusual shows up.

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, ghost stories are an important part of Southern heritage because they remind us of the days before radio and television when people occupied their evenings by sitting around the fireplace and telling stories for entertainment. Many of the stories have at least some basis in truth, although quite often the current story bears little resemblance to the original event.

Because it has been an occupied city for more than 440 years, St. Augustine has more than its share of ghost stories.

You can learn more about some of these stories and more about the history of the old city itself by visiting http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ and looking for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Nine

Continuing our look at the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida, this is Castle Warden. One of the most popular attractions in the old city, it is the home of the nation's first Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum.

The unusual Moorish Revival castle was built in 1887 as a winter home by William G. Warden, a business partner of John D. Rockefeller and Henry Flagler. Prominent in business and community affairs in St. Augustine, Warden's castle became a hub of winter activity in the city and remained in the hands of his family until the 1930s.

It was remodeled in 1941 and converted into a grand hotel that hosted many prominent visitors. Famed novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and her husband, owner of the hotel, kept a penthouse apartment on the top floor. She is famed for contributions to Florida literature that included The Yearling, Cross Creek and South Moon Under. (Read comments to see more about this).

Another prominent visitor to the hotel was the famed newspaper writer Robert S. Ripley, noted for his popular Believe It or Not! items that featured unusual facts and ran in newspapers around the world. Ripley tried to buy the castle, but was turned down.

After his death in 1949, however, his estate managed to obtain title to the landmark and the nation's first Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum opened here in 1950, giving the castle an usual role in American pop culture.

To read more about St. Augustine and Castle Warden, please visit http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ and look for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Eight

This is a view of the interior of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine.

One of the most noted figures in Florida history was held prisoner here for a time.

On October 21, 1837, the great Seminole leader Osceola was seized by the U.S. Army when he appeared under a white flag for a previously arranged negotiation near St. Augustine. The action remains one of the more deplorable episodes in the history of the U.S. military.

Osceola and several other Seminole leaders were brought here to the Castillo, then called Fort Marion by the U.S. Army, and imprisoned in some of the rooms in the interior of the old fort. Two of the other leaders managed to escape, but Osceola was seriously ill and could not.

Following the escape, he and his family were placed aboard a ship in Matanzas Bay and sent to Fort Moultrie near Charleston, South Carolina. There he died from sickness on January 20, 1838, just three months after he was seized while under the protection of a white flag.

He is buried at Fort Moultrie, far from his Florida home, but his figure remains larger than life in Florida today. Revered by the state's Native American community, Osceola is also the symbol of Florida State University.

Our series on historic St. Augustine, Florida will continue. Until the next post, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com and looking for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Seven

Continuing our look at the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida, this is another view of the Castillo de San Marcos.

The oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, the Castillo houses an outstanding collection of colonial era artillery. As its name implies, the Castillo is a true castle. It was built to house the entire population of St. Augustine in the event of attack.

When English forces attacked the city in 1702, more than 1,500 citizens of the city moved into the Castillo and remained there for over 50 days. Although the city was sacked and burned, the fort held and the population of St. Augustine remained safe.

Construction on the Castillo was begun in 1672 and it was strengthened and remodeled several times during the 1700s. It remains a magnificent example of colonial architecture.

Our series on St. Augustine will continue. Until the next post, you can read more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com and looking for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Six

Continuing our look at historic St. Augustine, Florida, this is the drawbridge and entrance to the historic Castillo de San Marcos.

Construction on the old fort began in 1672 and took decades to complete. It is the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States. Although it was subjected to sieges of almost 30 and more than 50 days, the Castillo was never taken in battle.

Part of the reason was the unique coquina stone from which it was built. This stone is found in only three places in the world, one of which is the St. Augustine area. When the British bombarded the fort, they were dismayed to find that their cannonballs sank into the soft stone instead of breaking and battering it to bits.

The fort is now a national monument and is located on the waterfront in historic downtown St. Augustine. I'll have more on the Castillo in the next post. Until then, you can read more by visiting http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ and looking for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Five

This is a view of the artillery platform at Fort Matanzas near St. Augustine.

This unique old fort was built during the 1740s and is now a national monument. Visitors who take the boat out to the fort are able to spend about an hour touring the structure. This is plenty of time because the fort is only about 50 by 50 feet.

Fort Matanzas was built quickly and, unfortunately, using a faulty plan. The weight of the structure produces too much strain for its design and by the 1800s it had severely cracked. It was restored when it became a national park, but the work of keeping it standing is constant.

According to an interpreter at the fort, the structure was considered so worthless at the time Florida was ceded from Spain to the United States that it was valued at only 1 cent. It is certainly worth far more than that today. The land itself is worth millions and the fort is a priceless historical treasure.

To read more about Fort Matanzas and other sites around St. Augustine, please visit http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ and look for the St. Augustine heading.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Four

This unique structure about 15 miles south of St. Augustine is historic Fort Matanzas.

Built by the Spanish during the 1740s to guard the southern approaches to the ancient city, it is now a national monument.

Built of coquina stone, a unique rock found in only three places in the world (one of which is the St. Augustine area), the fort was normally garrisoned by only a handful of men, but mounted five pieces of artillery that could control nearby Matanzas Inlet, one of the water approaches to St. Augustine.

The fort fired in anger only once, in 1742, when a British fleet commanded by Gov. James Oglethorpe of Georgia approached the inlet. Oglethorpe and his men rowed into the inlet in small boats and the Spanish in the fort fired a single shot at them. It may have been history's shortest battle. Realizing that the Spanish guns could control the waterway, Oglethorpe and his soldiers turned back and no other shots were fired.

The fort is accessible only by a passenger ferry that leaves once each hour from the visitor center off Highway A1A. For more information, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the St. Augustine heading. You will find a link there for Fort Matanzas.

St. Augustine, Florida - Part Three

As I mentioned yesterday, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is a fascinating historic landmark.

I mentioned some of the history of the lighthouse and its famed ghost stories, but I also want to take a few minutes to tell you about the fantastic local effort that led to the preservation and restoration of this beautiful landmark.

After the lighthouse was automated, it fell into a severe state of disrepair. The humidity and salt water environment caused extensive damage to the tower and, like all buildings, both it and the adjacent keeper's cottage reached states of sad deterioration.

In 1980, the condition of these buildings sparked a massive effort by the local Junior Service League. Their work has been phenomenal and shows what can be done with local citizens care about their important local landmarks. In 1993, thirteen years after the project to save and restore the lighthouse property began, the tower was again opened to the public.

Today, the lighthouse property is beautiful and popular with visitors and local citizens. Facilities include the restored tower, which can be climbed as long as the weather is good, the restored keeper's cottage, which provides exhibits on the history of the light station at St. Augustine, and a visitor center.

Today, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum focuses on the entire maritime history of St. Augustine. In addition to preserving and operating the lighthouse facilities, it also works to research and preserve shipwrecks and other aspects of local maritime history. The keeper's cottage displays include artifacts, cannon and other items from area wrecks.

To read more about St. Augustine before our next post, please visit http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ and look for the St. Augustine heading.

Florida's Haunted Lighthouse

I have always been something of a lighthouse buff, so I have visited quite a few. It seems that almost all have a ghost story or two, but this tower at St. Augustine, Florida may well have more than any other lighthouse in the world.

Built between 1870 and 1874, the St. Augustine Lighthouse replaced earlier watchposts and towers dating back to the late 1500s. St. Augustine, of course, is the nation's oldest city, having been founded in 1565.

Now restored and open to the public, the lighthouse is the focus of a number of fascinating ghost stories. One of the most intriguing revolves around the tragic deaths of three young girls while the tower was being constructed in 1873.

The girls and their friends liked to ride a cable cart that workers used to bring construction materials up to the tower site from the beach. Something went wrong on July 10, 1873 and five children riding the cart were flung into the water. Although a boy and girl were rescued, three other young girls died.

According to local tradition, their ghosts haunt the lighthouse tower and grounds to this day. Eyewitnesses claim to hear the voices of children in the tower and others have claimed to see unusual lights and shadows.

The SciFi Channel television program Ghost Hunters investigated the St. Augustine Lighthouse and recorded a variety of unusual activities there, including strange sounds, lights and a mysterious shadowy figure that appeared to be moving around high up in the tower.

To learn more about the St. Augustine Lighthouse, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staugustinelighthouse.

St. Augustine, Florida - The Oldest City in the United States

Founded in 1565, St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest continually occupied city in the continental United States.

St. Augustine was established by Pedro Menendez de Aviles more than 40 years before the first English settlers arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, and 55 years before the Pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock. Today it boasts rich Spanish influences and one of the finest collections of colonial structures in the United States.

Our new St. Augustine pages are now online. To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the St. Augustine heading.