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101-618: The St. Augustine Light Station is a privately maintained aid to navigation and an active, working lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida . The current lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island and was built between 1871 and 1874. The tower is the second lighthouse tower in St. Augustine, the first being lit officially by the American territorial government in May 1824 as Florida's first lighthouse. However, both

202-701: A prisoner-of-war camp where three signers of the Declaration of Independence and South Carolina's lieutenant governor Christopher Gadsden were held. Local militias composed of Florida, Georgia, and Carolina inhabitants formed the East Florida Rangers in 1776 and were reorganized to form the King's Rangers in 1779. Spanish General Bernardo de Gálvez , harassed the British in West Florida and captured Pensacola. Fears that

303-463: A 1941 U.S. Coast Guard barracks and a 1936 garage that was home to a jeep repair facility during World War II. The site is also a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather station. In 1994, the Lighthouse Museum of St. Augustine opened full-time to the public. A community-based board of trustees was created in 1998. The men and women of the volunteer board are charged with holding

404-445: A brief skirmish, but it was not decisive. Menéndez sailed southward and landed again on September 8, formally declared possession of the land in the name of Philip II, and officially founded the settlement he named San Agustín (Saint Augustine). Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, the chaplain of the expedition, celebrated the first Thanksgiving Mass on the grounds. The formal Franciscan outpost, Mission Nombre de Dios ,

505-460: A climax when a group of black and white protesters jumped into the hotel's segregated swimming pool . In response to the protest, James Brock, the manager of the hotel and the president of the Florida Hotel & Motel Association, poured muriatic acid into the pool to scare the protesters. Photographs of this, and of a policeman jumping into the pool to arrest the protesters, were broadcast around

606-430: A comprehensive program of research and outreach focusing on the waters around St. Augustine and elsewhere in northeast Florida. This project was partially funded from 2007 to 2009 and from 2014 to 2019 by historic preservation grants awarded by the state of Florida. According to ghost hunters , the lighthouse and surrounding buildings have a history of paranormal activity. The lighthouse has been featured in episodes of

707-482: A few professing Catholics and some Protestant workers with useful skills, at what is now known as Matanzas Inlet ( Matanzas is Spanish for "slaughters"). The site is very near the national monument Fort Matanzas , built in 1740–1742 by the Spanish. Succeeding governors of the province maintained a peaceful coexistence with the local Native Americans , allowing the isolated outpost of St. Augustine some stability for

808-530: A few years. On May 28 and 29, 1586, soon after the Anglo-Spanish War began between England and Spain, the English privateer Sir Francis Drake sacked and burned St. Augustine. The approach of his large fleet obliged Governor Pedro Menéndez Márquez and the townspeople to evacuate the settlement. When the English got ashore, they seized some artillery pieces and a royal strongbox containing gold ducats (which

909-477: A four-day long festival and a visit from Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia of Spain . On October 7, 2016 Hurricane Matthew caused widespread flooding in downtown St. Augustine. St. Augustine is located at 29°53′41″N 81°18′52″W  /  29.89472°N 81.31444°W  / 29.89472; -81.31444 (29.8946910, −81.3145170). According to the United States Census Bureau ,

1010-403: A growing collection of World War II artifacts focusing on the history of the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Augustine. The Keeper's house is used to display a series of exhibits related to these various aspects of St. Augustine's maritime history. The Lighthouse also hosts a volunteer-driven heritage boat building program, which has built a number of traditional wooden boats from various time periods in

1111-589: A hurricane hit St. Augustine that caused extensive damage to the city. The damage was further exacerbated by the economic situation of Spanish Florida. The Adams–Onís Treaty , negotiated in 1819 and ratified in 1821, ceded Florida and St. Augustine, still its capital at the time, to the United States. According to the Adams–Onís Treaty, the United States acquired East Florida and absolved Spain of $ 5 million of debt. Spain renounced all claims to West Florida and

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1212-608: A massive restoration project. Shortly after the JSL adopted the restoration, the League signed a 30-year lease with the Coast Guard to begin a restoration effort on the lighthouse tower itself. The lighthouse was subsequently placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 due to the efforts of local preservationist and author Karen Harvey. The antique lens was functional until it

1313-473: A new lighthouse was lit. Today, the tower ruins are a submerged archaeological site. Early lamps in the first tower burned lard oil . Multiple lamps with silver reflectors were replaced by a fourth order Fresnel lens in 1855, greatly improving the lighthouse's range and eliminating some maintenance issues. At the beginning of the Civil War , future mayor Paul Arnau, a local Menorcan harbor master, along with

1414-515: A settlement be constructed two miles north of St. Augustine for the growing Free Black community established by fugitive slaves who had escaped into Florida from the Thirteen Colonies . This new community, Fort Mose , would serve as a military outpost and buffer for St. Augustine, as the men accepted into Fort Mose had enlisted in the colonial militia and converted to Catholicism in exchange for their freedom. In 1740, however, St. Augustine

1515-467: A team of archaeological conservators, and regularly employs a large number of volunteers and student interns. To date, the oldest identified shipwreck discovered in St. Augustine waters is the sloop Industry , a British supply ship lost on May 6, 1764, while attempting to make port with munitions, tools, and other equipment for the garrisons in Britain's recently acquired colony of Florida. Artifacts from

1616-432: A university or government entity. LAMP's founding Director was William "Billy Ray" Morris, who oversaw archaeological research and educational programs until his departure in 2005. In March 2006, underwater archaeologist Chuck Meide took over control of the organization as its new Director, with the assistance of then Director of Archaeology Dr. Sam Turner. Today, LAMP maintains four archaeologists on staff and works with

1717-426: A wide range of well-preserved artifacts, including numerous iron and copper cauldrons, pewter spoons and plates, an iron tea kettle, ceramic and glass fragments, belt and shoe buckles, a brass candlestick, bricks, a flintlock Queen Anne pistol , three Brown Bess muskets (two of which were loaded, one with buck and ball ), thousands of lead shot, military buttons (including one from a Royal Provincial unit and one from

1818-526: A wide variety of archaeological sites in St. Augustine and the greater Florida First Coast region representing Florida's French, Spanish, British, and Early American periods. These include British plantation landings, community boatyard foundations, ferry and steamboat landings, ballast dump sites, colonial wharves, and inundated terrestrial sites. Current work includes the implementation of the First Coast Maritime Archaeology Project,

1919-526: Is believed that this vessel was a ship involved in the December 18, 1782, evacuation of Charleston at the end of the American Revolution , carrying Loyalist refugees and troops to St. Augustine, which was a loyal British colony at the time. This was the final British fleet to leave Charleston, and when it arrived between December 24 and 31, 1782, as many as sixteen vessels were lost on the sandbar in front of

2020-535: Is currently located in the Opa-locka North neighborhood of Miami Gardens , next to St. Thomas University . In 1965, St. Augustine celebrated the 400th anniversary of its founding, and jointly with the State of Florida, inaugurated a program to restore part of the colonial city. The Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board was formed to reconstruct more than thirty-six buildings to their historical appearance, which

2121-610: Is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida . Founded in 1565 by Spanish colonists, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in what is now the contiguous United States . St. Augustine was founded on September 8, 1565, by Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés , Florida's first governor . He named the settlement San Agustín , for his ships bearing settlers, troops, and supplies from Spain had first sighted land in Florida eleven days earlier on August 28,

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2222-401: The 71st Regiment of Foot, Fraser's Highlanders ), a cask of nails, tools and navigational equipment (including a sight from an octant ), ship's hardware and rigging elements, the ship's lead deck pump, a bronze ship's bell , a 4-pounder cannon , and a 9-pounder carronade , believed to be the second oldest in the world. After three seasons of excavation and laboratory analysis of artifacts, it

2323-650: The Appomattox Campaign . Capt. Harn was dismissed from the service on April 5, 1864, but he was reinstated on April 20. Harn received a brevet major appointment for his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House and the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign . He was mustered out on June 24, 1865. Harn became keeper of a lighthouse, St. Augustine Light in Florida , beginning October 1875. The keeper's house

2424-523: The Catholic missions . Requests by successive governors of the province to strengthen the presidio 's garrison and fortifications were ignored by the Spanish Crown which had other priorities in its vast empire. The charter of 1663 for the new Province of Carolina, issued by King Charles II of England , was revised in 1665, claiming lands as far southward as 29 degrees north latitude, about 65 miles south of

2525-483: The First Coast region. Staff archaeologists have discovered a number of historic shipwrecks and investigated many others, along with other maritime sites such as breakwaters, plantation wharf remains, and the nearby remains of St. Augustine's original lighthouse. The museum also researches other aspects of maritime heritage including boat building and the history of the local and regional shrimping industry, and maintains

2626-786: The Overland Campaign . It then participated in the Siege of Petersburg , not campaigning with Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan in the campaign of the Army of the Shenandoah . When the VI Corps returned to the Petersburg front, Harn's battery rejoined its artillery brigade. In that formation, it participated in the Third Battle of Petersburg and in breaking a Confederate attack at the Battle of Sailor's Creek during

2727-659: The Peninsular War , and struggled to maintain a tenuous hold on its territories in the western hemisphere as revolution swept South America. The royal administration of Florida was neglected, as the province had long been regarded as an unprofitable backwater by the Crown. The United States, however, considered Florida vital to its political and military interests as it expanded its territory in North America, and maneuvered by sometimes clandestine means to acquire it. On October 5, 1811,

2828-550: The Standard Oil Company , spent the winter of 1883 in St. Augustine and found the city charming, but considered its hotels and transportation systems inadequate. He had the idea to make St. Augustine a winter resort for wealthy Americans from the north, and to bring them south he bought several short line railroads and combined these in 1885 to form the Florida East Coast Railway . He built a railroad bridge over

2929-464: The Syfy television series Ghost Hunters , and also on the paranormal TV program My Ghost Story . Researcher Joe Nickell who investigated has written that there is no credible evidence the lighthouse is haunted. He noted that supposed spooky noises or sounds from the tower have mundane explanations such as seagulls or the wind. St. Augustine Lighthouse was featured as one of the haunted locations on

3030-621: The Treaty of Moultrie Creek , forcing Seminoles onto a four million acre reservation in central Florida. The Second Seminole War (1835–1842) was the longest war of Indian removal and resulted when the United States government attempted to move the Seminole people from Central Florida to a Creek reservation west of the Mississippi River . As a result of the Seminole War, Seminole prisoners , including

3131-465: The feast day of St. Augustine . The city served as the capital of Spanish Florida for over 200 years. It was designated as the capital of British East Florida when the colony was established in 1763; Great Britain returned Florida to Spain in 1783. Spain ceded Florida to the United States in 1819, and St. Augustine was designated one of the two alternating capitals of the Florida Territory ,

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3232-540: The paranormal TV series Most Terrifying Places in America on an episode titled "Restless Dead", which aired on the Travel Channel in 2018. St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( / ˈ ɔː ɡ ə s t iː n / AW -gə-steen ; Spanish : San Agustín [san aɣusˈtin] ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville . The city

3333-506: The porches of the keepers' house, which was constructed as a Victorian duplex during Harn's tenure. On August 31, 1886, the Charleston earthquake caused the tower to "sway violently", according to the keeper's log, but there was no recorded damage. In 1885, after many experiments with different types of oils, the lamp was converted from lard oil to kerosene . During World War II, Coast Guard men and women trained in St. Augustine, and used

3434-476: The 1960s, the keepers' house was rented to local residents. Eventually it was declared surplus, and St. Johns County bought it in 1970. In that year the house suffered a devastating fire at the hands of an unknown arsonist. In 1980, a small group of 15 women in the Junior Service League of St. Augustine (JSL) signed a 99-year lease with the county for the keeper's house and surrounding grounds and began

3535-834: The 2020 census, up from 12,975 at the 2010 census. Since the late 19th century, St. Augustine's distinctive historical character has made the city a tourist attraction. Castillo de San Marcos , the city's 17th-century Spanish fort—constructed out of the sedimentary rock coquina —continues to attract tourists. St. George Street is a major pedestrian street that runs through the downtown area and includes over 30 historic houses and tourist attractions. [REDACTED]   Spanish Empire 1565–1763 [REDACTED]   Kingdom of Great Britain 1763–1784 [REDACTED]   Spanish Empire 1784–1821 [REDACTED]   United States 1821–1861 [REDACTED]   Confederate States 1861–1862 [REDACTED]   United States 1862–present The first European known to have explored

3636-889: The Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico, which help create the daily thundershowers that are typical in summer months. Intense but very brief downpours are common in summer in the city. Fall and spring are warm and sunny with highs from 74 °F to 87 °F and lows in the 50s to 70s. In winter, St. Augustine has generally mild and sunny weather typical of the Florida peninsula. The coolest months are from December through February, with highs from 67 °F to 70 °F and lows from 47 °F to 51 °F. From November through April, St. Augustine often has long periods of rainless weather. April can see near drought conditions with brush fires and water restrictions in place. St. Augustine averages 4.6 frosts per year. The record low of 10 °F (−12 °C) happened on January 21, 1985. Hurricanes occasionally impact

3737-512: The British Period beginning in 1763. In 1783, the Spanish once again took control of St. Augustine, and once again the lighthouse was improved. Swiss-Canadian engineer and marine surveyor Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres marks a coquina "Light House" on Anastasia Island in his 1780 engraving, "A Plan of the Harbour of St. Augustin". Jacques-Nicolas Bellin , Royal French Hydrographer, refers to

3838-559: The Caribbean and Mexico to Spain, and determined the routes they followed. In early 1564, he asked permission to go to Florida to search for La Concepcion , the galeon Capitana , or flagship, of the New Spain fleet commanded by his son, Admiral Juan Menéndez. The ship had been lost in September 1563 when a hurricane scattered the fleet as it was returning to Spain, at the latitude of Bermuda off

3939-592: The Confederate government ordered all lighthouses to be extinguished. In St. Augustine, the customhouse officer, Paul Arnau , organized the "Coastal Guard", a group who worked to disable the lighthouses along Florida's east coast. They started by removing and hiding the lenses from the St. Augustine Light before moving south. After successfully dismantling the lighthouses at Cape Canaveral , Jupiter Inlet , and Key Biscayne , Arnau returned to St. Augustine. He would then serve as mayor from 1861 until early 1862, just before

4040-470: The Federals took over the city. The Confederate authorities remained in control of St. Augustine for fourteen months, although it was barely defended. The Union conducted a blockade of shipping. In 1862 Union troops gained control of St. Augustine and controlled it through the rest of the war. With the economy already suffering, many residents fled. Henry Flagler , a co-founder with John D. Rockefeller of

4141-584: The Oregon Country. Andrew Jackson returned to Florida in 1821, upon ratification of the treaty, and established a new territorial government. Americans from older plantation societies of Virginia, Georgia, and the Carolinas began to move to the area. West Florida was quickly consolidated with East and the new capital of Florida became Tallahassee, halfway between the old capitals of St. Augustine and Pensacola, in 1824. Once many Americans had begun to immigrate to

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4242-510: The Spanish and the British governments operated a major aid to navigation here including a series of wooden watch towers and beacons dating from 1565. The current lighthouse tower, original first-order Fresnel Lens and the Light Station grounds are owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, Inc. , a not-for-profit maritime museum. The museum is open to the public 360 days a year. Admission fees support continued preservation of

4343-557: The Spanish would then move to capture St. Augustine, however, proved unfounded. The 1783 Treaty of Paris , which recognized the independence of the Thirteen Colonies as the United States , ceded Florida back to Spain and returned the Bahamas to Britain. As a result, some of the town's Spanish residents returned to St Augustine. Refugees from Dr. Andrew Turnbull 's troubled colony in New Smyrna had fled to St. Augustine in 1777, made up

4444-414: The St. Augustine inlet. In 2015-2016 LAMP discovered three additional historic shipwrecks, and is currently excavating one of these that appears to date to the second half of the 18th century, the so-called "Anniversary Wreck." LAMP has also excavated two historically significant 19th century wrecks: a wooden-hulled steamship , and a centerboard schooner . The identities of both wrecks remain unknown, but

4545-720: The St. Johns River in 1888, opening up the Atlantic coast of Florida to development. Flagler finished construction in 1887 on two large ornate hotels in the city, the 450-room Hotel Ponce de Leon and the 250-room Hotel Alcazar . The next year, he purchased the Casa Monica Hotel (renaming it the Cordova Hotel) across the street from both the Alcazar and the Ponce de Leon. His chosen architectural firm, Carrère and Hastings , radically altered

4646-518: The appearance of St. Augustine with these hotels, giving it a skyline and beginning an architectural trend in the state characterized by the use of the Spanish Renaissance Revival and Moorish Revival styles. With the opening of the Ponce de Leon in 1888, St. Augustine became the winter resort of American high society for a few years. When Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad was extended southward to Palm Beach and then Miami in

4747-617: The battery served with the Light Division of Col. Hiram Burnham at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle of Salem Church . In the artillery brigade of VI Corps, the 3rd New York served at the Battle of Gettysburg . The battery then participated in the Bristoe Campaign , especially at the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station , and at the Battle of Mine Run . Harn's battery remained in VI Corps in 1864, participating in

4848-666: The black protesters and became a key factor in Congressional passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 , leading eventually to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , both of which provided federal enforcement of constitutional rights . St. Augustine's historically Black college, now Florida Memorial University , felt itself unwelcome in St. Augustine, and departed in 1968 for a new campus near Opa-locka in Dade County . It

4949-444: The city a mostly warm and sunny climate. Unlike much of the contiguous United States , St. Augustine's driest time of year is winter. The hot and wet season extends from May through October, while the cool and dry season extends November through April. In summer, average high temperatures are in the lower 90's F (32 C) and normal low temperatures are in the 70's F (20 - 22 C). The Bermuda High pumps in hot and unstable tropical air from

5050-561: The city has a total area of 10.7 square miles (27.8 km ), 8.4 square miles (21.7 km ) of which is land and 2.4 square miles (6.1 km ) (21.99%) is water. Access to the Atlantic Ocean is via the St. Augustine Inlet of the Matanzas River . St. Augustine has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) typical of the Gulf and South Atlantic states. The low latitude and coastal location give

5151-926: The city, including sit-ins at the local Woolworth's , picket lines, and marches through the downtown. These protests were often met with police violence. Homes of African Americans were firebombed, black leaders were assaulted and threatened with death, and others were fired from their jobs. In the spring of 1964, St. Augustine civil rights leader Robert Hayling asked the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and its leader Martin Luther King Jr. for assistance. From May until July 1964, King and Hayling, along with Hosea Williams , C. T. Vivian , Dorothy Cotton , Andrew Young and others, organized marches, sit-ins, pray-ins, wade-ins and other forms of protest in St. Augustine. Hundreds of black and white civil rights supporters were arrested, and

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5252-410: The city. In 2020, 2.2% of the population were under 5 years old, 8.7% under 18 years old, and 25.5% were 65 years and over. 57.9% of the population were female. William A. Harn William Harn was born in 1833/34. The 3rd New York Battery began its existence as Company D of the 2nd New York State Militia Regiment. It was designated a howitzer company. It was sent to Washington, D.C. , with

5353-649: The coast of South Carolina. The crown repeatedly refused his request. The crown eventually approached Menéndez to fit out an expedition to Florida on the condition that he explore and settle the region as King Philip's adelantado , and eliminate the Huguenot French, whom the Catholic Spanish considered to be dangerous heretics. Menéndez was in a race to reach Florida before the French captain Jean Ribault , who

5454-512: The coasts of Florida was the Spanish explorer and governor of Puerto Rico , Juan Ponce de León , who likely ventured in 1513 as far north as the vicinity of the future St. Augustine , naming the peninsula he believed to be an island " La Florida " and claiming it for the Spanish crown . Founded in 1565 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés , St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in

5555-616: The contiguous United States. It is the second-oldest continuously inhabited city of European origin in a United States territory, after San Juan, Puerto Rico (founded in 1521). In 1560 , King Philip II of Spain appointed Menéndez as Captain General, and his brother Bartolomé Menéndez as Admiral, of the Fleet of the Indies. Thus Pedro Menéndez commanded the galleons of the great Armada de la Carrera , or Spanish Treasure Fleet , on their voyage from

5656-454: The coquina tower as a "Batise" in Volume I of Petit Atlas Maritime . The accuracy of these scholars is debated still; DesBarres's work includes some obvious errors, but Bellin is considered highly qualified. His work provides an important reference to St. Augustine's geography and landmarks in 1764. Facing erosion and a changing coastline, the old tower crashed into the sea in 1880, but not before

5757-431: The defenses of Washington until March 17, 1862, when it was sent south to serve in the Peninsula Campaign . The battery was assigned to Brig. Gen. William F. Smith 's division of the Army of the Potomac in January of that year, and the division had joined the IV Corps in March 1862. The division joined the VI Corps when it was formed in May 1862. It first saw combat under Capt. Mott at the Battle of Yorktown , and it

5858-426: The division of Brig. Gen. Albion Howe at the Battle of Fredericksburg . Harn previously had been a lieutenant in the 1st New York Light Artillery Regiment. Commissioned first lieutenant of Battery E on March 1, 1862, Harn had moved to Battery G on April 13 of the same year. He transferred to the 3rd New York Independent Battery in late 1862 but was not commissioned captain until April 13, 1863. Under Harn's command,

5959-401: The early 20th century, the wealthy stopped in St. Augustine en route to the southern resorts. Wealthy vacationers began to customarily spend their winters in South Florida, where the climate was warmer and freezes were rare. St. Augustine nevertheless still attracted tourists, and eventually became a destination for families traveling in automobiles as new highways were built and Americans took to

6060-502: The establishment of the English settlement at Charles Town spurred the Spanish Crown to finally acknowledge the vulnerability of St. Augustine to foreign incursions and strengthen the city's defenses. In 1669, Queen Regent Mariana ordered the Viceroy of New Spain to disburse funds for the construction of a permanent masonry fortress, which began in 1672. Before the fortress was completed, French buccaneers Michel de Grammont and Nicolas Brigaut planned an ill-fated attack in 1686 which

6161-468: The existing settlement at St. Augustine. The English buccaneer Robert Searle sacked St. Augustine in 1668, after capturing some Spanish supply vessels bound for the settlement and holding their crews at gun point while his men hid below decks. Searle was retaliating for the Spanish destruction of the settlement of New Providence in the Bahamas . Searle and his men killed sixty people and pillaged public storehouses, churches and houses. This raid and

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6262-431: The jails were filled to capacity. At the request of Hayling and King, civil rights supporters from elsewhere, including students, clergy, activists and well-known public figures, came to St. Augustine and were arrested together. St. Augustine was the only place in Florida where King was arrested; his arrest there occurred on June 11, 1964, on the steps of the Monson Motor Lodge's restaurant. The demonstrations came to

6363-422: The light burning as a private aid-to-navigation. In 2016 the museum changed its name to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum aims to preserve local maritime history, keep alive the story of the nation's oldest port, and connect young people to marine sciences . The museum board and staff also work to help save other lighthouses in Florida and across

6464-437: The lighthouse and five other historic structures. Admissions and museum memberships also fund programs in maritime archaeology , traditional wooden boatbuilding, and maritime education. The non profit mission is to "discover, preserve, present and keep alive the stories of the nation's oldest port as symbolized by our working St. Augustine Lighthouse." St. Augustine was the site of the first lighthouse established in Florida by

6565-412: The lighthouse as a lookout post for enemy ships and submarines which frequented the coastline. In 1907, indoor plumbing reached the light station, followed by electricity in the keeper's quarters in 1925. The light itself was electrified in 1936, and automated in 1955. As the light was automated, positions for three keepers slowly dwindled down to two and then one. No longer housing lighthouse families by

6666-455: The lightkeeper, a woman named Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu (who, in this role, became the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard), removed the lens from the old lighthouse and hid it, in order to block Union shipping lanes as well as to help blockade runners remain hidden. The lens and clock works were recovered after Arnau was held captive on a ship off-shore and forced to reveal their location. By 1870, beach erosion

6767-430: The majority of the city's population during the period of British rule, and remained when the Spanish Crown took control again. This group was, and still is, referred to locally as " Menorcans ", even though it also included settlers from Italy, Corsica and the Greek islands . During the Second Spanish period (1784–1821) of Florida, Spain was dealing with invasions of the Iberian peninsula by Napoleon 's armies in

6868-402: The maritime history of America's oldest port, has funded maritime archaeology in St. Johns County waters since 1997. In 1999, the Lighthouse formalized its research program, creating the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, Inc. (LAMP). LAMP is one of the few research organizations in the nation employing full-time professional marine archaeologists and conservators that is not a part of

6969-567: The maritime museum in the Lighthouse keeper's house. In 2009, LAMP archaeologists discovered the second oldest shipwreck in northeast Florida waters, an unidentified colonial sailing vessel known as the "Storm Wreck". The wreck site, completely buried when initially discovered, has been subject to excavations each summer from 2010 to 2012, and seems to consist of scattered remnants of cargo, ship's equipment and components, military hardware, and personal possessions. LAMP archaeologists, along with volunteer and student divers, have documented and recovered

7070-445: The nation, coordinating efforts with several federal agencies and volunteer groups such as the Florida Lighthouse Association. The Lighthouse employs close to 50 individuals, and is visited annually by over 200,000 people including 54,000 school-aged children. The museum maintains an active archaeological program (Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, or LAMP) that researches maritime archaeological sites around St. Augustine and

7171-412: The new territory, it became apparent that there would be continued skirmishes with local Creek and Miccosukee peoples and white settlers encroaching on their land. The United States government favored removal policies, but local indigenous groups in Florida refused to leave without fighting. The nineteenth century saw three Seminole Wars . In 1823, territorial governor William Duval and James Gadsden signed

7272-413: The new, territorial, American Government in 1824. According to some archival records and maps, this "official" American lighthouse was placed on the site of an earlier watchtower built by the Spanish as early as the late 16th century. A map of St. Augustine made by Baptista Boazio in 1589, depicting Sir Francis Drake 's attack on the city, shows an early wooden watch tower near the Spanish structure, which

7373-526: The other being Pensacola , upon ratification of the Adams–Onís Treaty in 1821. The Florida National Guard made the city its headquarters that same year. The territorial government moved and made Tallahassee the permanent capital of Florida in 1824. St. Augustine is part of Florida's First Coast region and the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . It had a population of 14,329 at

7474-892: The political sympathies of its British inhabitants, St. Augustine became a Loyalist haven during the American Revolutionary War . After the mass exodus of St. Augustinians, Great Britain sought to repopulate its new colony. The London Board of Trade advertised 20,000-acre lots to any group that would settle in Florida within ten years, with one resident per 100 acres. Pioneers who were "energetic and of good character" were given 100 acres of land and 50 additional acres for each family member they brought. Under Governor James Grant , almost three million acres of land were granted in East Florida alone. Second stories were added to existing Spanish homes and new houses were built. Cattle ranching and plantation agriculture began to thrive. During

7575-543: The port's history. In early 2010, the First Light Maritime Society was established as the support organization for the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum and LAMP. The use of this fundraising organization was discontinued by the Lighthouse & Maritime Museum with its re-branding in 2016. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, as part of its ongoing mission to discover, present, and keep alive

7676-640: The prominent leader Osceola , were held captive in the Castillo de San Marcos , renamed Fort Marion after General Francis Marion , who fought in the American Revolution, in the 1830s. By 1840, the territory's population had reached 54,477 people. Half the population were enslaved Africans. Steamboats were popular on the Apalachicola and St. Johns Rivers , and there were several plans for railroad construction. The territory south of present-day Gainesville

7777-465: The regiment, which became the 82nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment . Led by Captain Thaddeus P. Mott , the company left New York State on May 19, 1861. Shortly after the regiment was mustered into federal service on June 17, the company was detached and organized as a battery of light artillery. On December 7, 1861, the unit was designated the 3rd New York Independent Battery . The battery served in

7878-504: The region; however, like most areas prone to such storms, St. Augustine rarely suffers a direct hit by a major hurricane. The last direct hit by a major hurricane to the city was Hurricane Dora in 1964. Extensive flooding occurred in the downtown area of St. Augustine when Hurricane Matthew passed east of the city in October 2016. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 14,329 people, 5,828 households, and 3,072 families residing in

7979-643: The road for annual summer vacations. The tourist industry soon became the dominant sector of the local economy. In 1963, nearly a decade after the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation of schools was unconstitutional, African Americans were still trying to get St. Augustine to integrate the public schools in the city. They were also trying to integrate public accommodations, such as lunch counters, and were met with arrests and Ku Klux Klan violence. Local students held protests throughout

8080-572: The site in trust for future generations. In 2002, under the direction of current Executive Director Kathy Fleming, ownership of the tower and historic Fresnel lens was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard through the General Services Administration and the National Park Service to the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, Inc. This was the first such transfer of a U.S. lighthouse to a non-profit organization. The Museum keeps

8181-409: The study of their remains has led to a greater understanding of the economic and technological evolution of St. Augustine at the dawn of modernity. The latter shipwreck carried a cargo of cement in barrels which was probably intended for the city's late 19th century building boom, associated with industrialist entrepreneur Henry Flagler . In addition to these and other shipwrecks, LAMP has investigated

8282-451: The twenty-year period of British rule, Britain took command of both the Castillo de San Marcos (renamed Fort St. Mark) and of Fort Matanzas . They permanently stationed a small group of men at Fort Matanzas. Once war broke out, loyalist St. Augustine residents burned effigies of Patriots Samuel Adams and John Hancock in the plaza. Fort St. Mark became a training and supply base, as well as

8383-470: The victims were hung in trees with the inscription: "Hanged, not as Frenchmen, but as "Lutherans" ( heretics )". Menéndez renamed the fort San Mateo and marched back to St. Augustine, where he discovered that the shipwrecked survivors from the French ships had come ashore to the south of the settlement. A Spanish patrol encountered the remnants of the French force, and took them prisoner. Menéndez accepted their surrender, but then executed all of them except

8484-575: The world. One appeared on the front page of the Washington paper the day the senate went to vote on the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It became the most famous photograph ever taken in St. Augustine. The Ku Klux Klan and its supporters responded to these protests with violent attacks that were widely reported in national and international media. Popular revulsion against the Klan and police violence in St. Augustine generated national sympathy for

8585-454: The wreck site—including eight cast-iron cannon , an iron swivel gun , crates of iron shot, iron mooring anchors, millstones , and boxes of tools such as axes, shovel blades, knives, trowels, files, and handsaws—were well-preserved, and provided an unprecedented glimpse into the needs of British soldiers and administrators on the Florida frontier. Many of these items were recovered and conserved by LAMP archaeologists, and have been on display in

8686-472: Was a 1965 play by American playwright Paul Green created to honor the 400th anniversary of the settlement of St. Augustine. It was Florida 's official state play, having received the designation by the Florida Senate in 1973. It was performed for ten weeks every summer in St. Augustine for more than 30 years, closing in 1996. In 2015, St. Augustine celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding with

8787-583: Was again besieged, this time by the governor of the British colony of Georgia , General James Oglethorpe , who was also unable to take the fort. The 1763 Treaty of Paris , signed after Great Britain 's victory over France and Spain during the Seven Years' War , ceded Florida to Great Britain in exchange for the return of Havana and Manila . The vast majority of Spanish colonists in the region left Florida for Cuba , Florida became Great Britain's fourteenth and fifteenth North American colonies , and because of

8888-614: Was commander of coastal defenses at the time, ordered that the fort's cannons be removed and sent to more strategic locations, such as Fernandina and the mouth of the St. Johns River . The town raised a Confederate militia unit, known as the Florida Independent Blues or the Saint Augustine Blues . They were soon joined by the Milton Guard, another militia unit. In an effort to help blockade runners avoid capture,

8989-621: Was completed within a few years. When the State of Florida abolished the Board in 1997, the City of St. Augustine assumed control of the reconstructed buildings, as well as other historic properties including the Government House . In 2010, the city transferred control of the historic buildings to UF Historic St. Augustine, Inc. , a direct support organization of the University of Florida . Cross and Sword

9090-542: Was damaged by rifle fire in 1986, and 19 of the prisms were broken. Lamplighter Hank Mears called the FBI to investigate this crime. As the lens continued to weaken, the Coast Guard considered removing it and replacing it with a more modern, airport beacon. Again championed by the JSL, this plan was dismissed and the 9-foot (2.7 m)-tall lens was restored, with the help of retired Coast Guardsmen Joe Cocking and Nick Johnston. This

9191-507: Was described as a "beacon" in Drake's account. By 1737, Spanish authorities built a more permanent tower from coquina taken from a nearby quarry on the island. Archival records are inconclusive as to whether the Spanish used the coquina tower as a lighthouse, but it seems plausible, given the levels of maritime trade by that time. The structure was regularly referred to as a "lighthouse" in documents—including ship's logs and nautical charts—dating to

9292-510: Was foiled: their ships were run aground, Grammont and his crew were lost at sea, and Brigaut was captured ashore by Spanish soldiers. The Castillo de San Marcos was completed in 1695, not long before an attack by James Moore 's forces from Carolina in November, 1702. Failing to capture the fort after a siege of 58 days , the British set St. Augustine ablaze as they retreated. In 1738, the governor of Spanish Florida, Manuel de Montiano , ordered

9393-607: Was founded at the landing point, perhaps the first mission in what would become the continental United States . The mission served nearby villages of the Mocama , a Timucua group, and was at the center of an important chiefdom in the late 16th and 17th century. The settlement was built in the former Timucua village of Seloy; this site was chosen for its strategic location facing the waterways of St. Augustine bay with their abundant resources, an eminently suitable site for water communications and defense. A French attack on St. Augustine

9494-544: Was heavily engaged in the Battle of Williamsburg . The battery was engaged during the Seven Days Battles , including at the Battle of White Oak Swamp and the Battle of Malvern Hill . Mott resigned soon thereafter. Lt. William Stuart was in command in the Maryland Campaign , in which the battery served with the division of Brig. Gen. Darius N. Couch Harn took charge of the battery late in 1862, commanding it in

9595-514: Was on a mission to secure Fort Caroline . On August 28, 1565, the feast day of St. Augustine of Hippo , Menéndez's crew finally sighted land; the Spaniards continued sailing northward along the coast from their landfall, investigating every inlet and plume of smoke along the shore. On September 4, they encountered four French vessels anchored at the mouth of a large river (the St. Johns ), including Ribault's flagship, La Trinité . The two fleets met in

9696-563: Was sparsely populated by whites. In 1845 the Florida Territory was admitted into the Union as the State of Florida. On January 7, 1861, only three days before Florida would secede and join the Confederacy , a group of 125 Florida militia marched on Fort Marion. The fort was guarded by a single sergeant, who surrendered the fort after being provided with a receipt. Gen. Robert E. Lee , who

9797-399: Was the first lighthouse keeper in the new tower, and the only keeper to have worked both towers. For 20 years, the site was manned by head-keeper William A. Harn of Philadelphia. Major Harn was a Union war hero who had commanded his own battery at the Battle of Gettysburg . With his wife, Kate Skillen Harn, of Maine , he had six daughters. The family was known for serving lemonade out on

9898-409: Was the first restoration of its kind in the nation. Cocking and Johnston continue to work with Museum staff and care for the lens. Volunteers from Northrop Grumman Corporation and Florida Power & Light clean and inspect the lens and works every week. Today, the St. Augustine Light Station consists of the 165-foot (50 m) 1874 tower, the 1876 Keepers' House, two summer kitchens added in 1886,

9999-470: Was the garrison payroll). The killing of their sergeant major by the Spanish rearguard caused Drake to order the town razed to the ground. In 1609 and 1611, expeditions were sent out from St. Augustine against the English colony at Jamestown . In the second half of the 17th century, groups of Indians from the colony of Carolina conducted raids into Florida and killed the Franciscan priests who served at

10100-451: Was threatening the first lighthouse. Construction on a new light tower began in 1871 during Florida's reconstruction period. In the meantime, a jetty of coquina and brush was built to protect the old tower. A trolley track brought building supplies from the ships at the dock. The new tower was completed in 1874, and put into service with a new first order Fresnel lens. It was lit for the first time in October by keeper William Russell. Russell

10201-442: Was thwarted by a violent squall that ravaged the French naval forces. Taking advantage of this, Menéndez marched his troops overland to Fort Caroline on the St. Johns River , about 30 miles (50 km) north. The Spanish easily overwhelmed the lightly defended French garrison, which had been left with only a skeleton crew of 20 soldiers and about 100 others, killing most of the men and sparing about 60 women and children. The bodies of

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