Running Head: ST.

AUGUSTINE

St. Augustine Olivia Stott University of North Carolina at Charlotte Please choose ctrl + click your mouse on the URL below- to view my Digital Museum Website OR- copy and paste the web address in your window http://historicalstaugustine.weebly.com

ST. AUGUSTINE Located in North Florida, the area where St. Augustine is located today was originally explored by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, and it was established and settled as St. Augustine by Pedro Menendez de Aviles (Downey, 2006). Today, St. Augustine is visited by tourists as people step back into the history of old Florida. Major sites of tourism in St. Augustine include the Lightner Museum and Caf Alcazar, the Fountain of Youth, Fort Castillo de San Marcos, and St. George Street. Even though the attractions of St. Augustine are popular,

there are some key differences in the tourism in St. Augustine compared to other areas in Florida. Historical Perspective In 1516, Juan ponce de Leon was in search of the Fountain of Youth, and he explored and named Florida while in the process. Later on in the summer 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles established the settlement of St. Augustine with eleven ships and about two thousand men (Cayton, 2003). This was decades before the English even tried to settle the area. Menendez and the Spanish were originally sent to destroy colonies established by other countries such as the French. They captured Fort Caroline from the French, but this colony lasted only a year (Spanish Colonial St. Augustine, 2014). The Spanish then built the fort at St. Augustine to protect as a barrier against the east. With attacks from the French and British, St. Augustine was a very dangerous place to be at first. Practically the only Spanish inhabitants here were the soldiers to protect the fort. These soldiers even had to import food to eat because there were not any Spanish farmers there either (Downey 2006). Then in the 1700s, the Spanish announced that they would give land to enslaved Africans from British colonies if they escaped to Florida (Spanish Colonial St. Augustine, 2014). The Spanish established many settlements; however, St. Augustine was the only settlement which stood the test of time and is still around today (Cayton, 2003). St.

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Augustine was one of the major settlements in the Spanish territory which extended from modern day Florida to California (Downey 2006). Past to Present The Lightner Museum and Caf Alcazar The Lightner Museum, located in the heart of St. Augustine, is adjacent to two other iconic St. Augustine attractions, Flagler College which used to be the Ponce de Leon Hotel and the Casa Monica Hotel which used to be Hotel Cordova. The Lightner Museum was once Hotel Alcazar, but now it features three stories of relics of the American Gilded Age. In its time, Hotel Alcazar was famous for having built the largest indoor swimming pool for it elite hotel guests to visit (The Lightner Museum, n.d.). Today, the area where the swimming pool was is a restaurant for museum guests called Caf Alcazar. The surrounding halls of the caf contain large black and white photographs of hotel guests in the pool as well as synchronized swimmers using the pool. In the pictures, you can see beautiful, wrought iron railings around the pool. Today, guests who eat at Caf Alcazar eat in what would be the deep end of the pool with those same wrought iron railings above them in what looks like a balcony. Caf Alcazar serves guests handcrafted chicken and shrimp dishes for lunch every day and the dinner on the first Friday of every month (Caf Alcazar, 2014). Fountain of Youth The original site of St. Augustine and the area where Juan Ponce de Leon first explored is at what is now known as the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. Juan Ponce de Leon landed here in 1565, and then in the 1600s a spring house was built out of the coquina rock indigenous to Anastasia Island not for from St. Augustine. This Spring House is where Juan Ponce de Leon and his ships would get their main fresh water supply. The Spring House is the capstone of the

ST. AUGUSTINE Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. The spring in the Spring House draws its water full of minerals from the Floridian aquifer. There is also a rich history underneath the ground of the park. In the early 1900s, a gardener was digging to plant orange trees, and a skeleton was founded underground in the park. The Smithsonian Institute researched and discovered

thousands of burials by the Timucua Indians. These Timucuan Indians lived at the site of what is now the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. When Pedro Menendez de Aviles first greeted the Indians, everyone was cordial. However, the Timucuan Indians soon became hostile to the new people who were settling in the land that was once theirs. Later in the 1700s, the Timucuan Indians had completely disappeared because of warfare and disease (Ponce de Leons Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, 2014). Today, the park contains many attractions, some original to the site and some built for tourists. All of the attractions, old and new, trace back to history and teach guests about early exploration in St. Augustine. The original Spring House is open to the public, and guests can try mineral water from the spring, commonly known as the Fountain of Youth. There is also a planetarium where guests can learn about how explorers would navigate using the positioning of the starts. Additionally, guests can view maps and globes that show the paths of travel that explorers took when coming to the New World. Specifically, Discovery Globe is a thirty foot high globe that contains the routes to and from the New World of explorers like Christopher Columbus and Juan Ponce de Leon. Other attractions at the Fountain of Youth Archaelogical Park include a small caf, a reconstructed boathouse called a Chalupa, and sites on the park where guests can excavate like an archaeologist (Ponce de Leons Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, 2014). Fort Castillo de San Marcos

ST. AUGUSTINE Fort Castillo de San Marcos, considered to be one of the top ten attractions in Florida,

was constructed by the Spanish in the 1600s. The Spanish saw a need to build this fort when they began being attacked by British explorers, settlers, and even pirates. After all of these attacks began occurring, Spanish Queen Mariana oversaw the constructing of the fort that was made of the coquina rock indigenous to Anastasia Island. Though the fort was never conquered, it changed possession many times over the past hundreds of years. The fort has been part of Spanish territory, British territory, the United Stated of America, and the Confederacy at one point or another, flying a total of six flags over its history. This fort was a very effective defense because of the unique coquina with which it was constructed. Coquina means little shells because it is made of shells that are now bonded to form stone. The unique construction makes the fort very strong and able to absorb attacks, so it was always a very effective and secure defense (Castillo de San Marcos, 2014). Today, the fort is a frequently visited attraction in St. Augustine where guests can walk through the old fort, learn about its rich history, see old cannons that once defended the fort, and sometimes even see reenactments of historical events that happened at or near the fort. Every year, there is a large firework display near the fort that guests come from near and far to see to celebrate Independence Day (Castillo de San Marcos, 2014). St. George Street Virtually everyone who has traveled to St. Augustine has explored St. George Street. This street is located central to many St. Augustine historical attractions such as the fort, the City Gates, and the beautiful old hotels such as the Casa Monica. Also located just off of St. George Street is the oldest house built in 1919. Guests can tour parts of the house which is set up to look

ST. AUGUSTINE like there is still a family living in the house (Y. Stott, personal communication, February 16, 2014). In addition to being close to many historical attractions like the oldest house, St. George Street is known for its shops. Many guests spend all day on St. George Street walking up and

down the beautiful stone streets with cafes, fountains, foliage, and quaint stores. St. Augustine is appealing to guests because it offers shops for everyone. There are candy shops, toy shops, shops for men and women, shops for unique gifts and souvenirs, clothing stores, and quaint cafes (Y. Stott, personal communication, February 16, 2014). Economic Perspective St. Augustine has become a major site of tourism for Florida which has greatly contributed to the economy. However, the tourism in St. Augustine greatly differs from the tourism in other places in Florida even though all these places help to stimulate the economy. St. Augustines most popular attraction, the fort, is considered to be in Floridas top ten attractions (Castillo de San Marcos, 2014). There is a distinctly different feel in the tourism in St. Augustine compared to tourism in other Florida cities. In St. Augustine, tourists are looking more to reflect on the culture of the area and on the historical sites. People are attracted to the cobblestone streets, quaint shops, and rich history. In St. Augustine, they try to keep the appearance true to the history of the area, so guests can imagine what the area was like long ago. The attractions in St. Augustine are more geared towards people looking to learn about the culture and be in a laid back atmosphere. The beach there is quiet because it is not as highly publicized or commercialized as other Florida beaches (Y. Stott, personal communication, February 16, 2014).

ST. AUGUSTINE On the other hand, other Florida attractions like Orlando, Miami, and Daytona Beach

attract visitors and tourists for different reasons. Tourists coming to these areas in Florida may be looking for a fun, exciting, escape from everyday life. These attractions, especially the theme parks in Orlando, may be more geared towards immediate entertainment and families with younger children (Y. Stott, personal communication, February 16, 2014). As well as being compared to other tourist cities in Florida, St. Augustine can also be compared to Jamestown. Both cities are known as firsts; however, Jamestown normally gets most of the publicity as being Americas first settlement. However, St. Augustine was actually settled in 1565 while Jamestown was settled in 1607. Historians often say that the focus is put on Jamestown because it was the first English settlement, while St. Augustine was a Spanish settlement originally. Many argue that St. Augustine should receive more focus though, because it was technically settled over forty years before Jamestown was settled (Hunt, 2006). Conclusion Americas first settlement, St. Augustine, is known for its rich history and thriving tourism today. Specifically, guests can step back into history when visiting Caf Alcazar and enjoying a meal at a history hotel, when visiting the Fountain of Youth where Juan Ponce de Leon first explored, when visiting the fort made of unique coquina, or when visiting St. George Street where guests can enjoy souvenir shopping with the ambiance of history winding in and out of each street. Though it may not attract a crowd for the same reasons as other tourist sites in Florida, St. Augustine is a full of beautiful, historic cites presented in a way where guests can see the history come alive. Reflection

ST. AUGUSTINE This project about St. Augustine was special for me because I learned much about St.

Augustine throughout elementary school since I grew up in Florida. I have many fond memories of field trips and family trips to St. Augustine, and this is still a destination that my family travels to frequently. Studying about this topic more in depth has been a positive experience because I have been able to learn more content through this project. Primarily, I learned much about the comparison of past to present about particular attractions in St. Augustine. I traveled to St. Augustine very recently and was also able to view the city and cites around the city in a different way since I have been learning about the history. Just visiting a historic location is completely different than going there with a more thorough background on the history and having the intention of learning more history. The information that I learned through this project about St. Augustine could be integrated in North Carolina curriculum whenever original colonization is studied. Christopher Columbus is commonly the focus when studying exploration, but Juan Ponce de Leon also played a major role in this colonization. The information on St. Augustine could be used when teaching the following standard: 5.H.1 Analyze the chronology of key events in the United States. 5.H.1.1 Evaluate the relationships between European explorers (French, Spanish, and English) and American Indian groups, based on accuracy of historical information. While completing this project, I learned much that will be of value to me as an elementary teacher. Specifically for me, learning about history has not typically been my favorite topic to learn about because my social studies instruction mostly came directly out of a text book. However, I have learned three things from this project that directly changed my thoughts on learning history. First, choosing a topic of interest offers much motivation for students as it

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did for me in this project. I was very enthusiastic about my topic, so learning was very enjoyable. Second, I learned that learning about social studies and history can be very exciting when not learned solely with the text book. I learned about my topic through visiting St. Augustine, looking at pictures, and reading books and articles. Third, I learned that the way students present their knowledge can also be motivating. For this project, I was able to create a website. This was fun for me because I got to incorporate pictures and format how I chose. Having these options was motivating for me, and it allowed me to express knowledge learned in a way that made sense for me. Overall, this project has been a very positive experience, and I have learned much about St. Augustine and about social studies instruction!

ST. AUGUSTINE Resources Caf Alcazar. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://thealcazarcafe.com/cafe-alcazar. Castillo de San Marcos. St. Augustine. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://staugustine.com/history/castillo-de-san-marcos.

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Cayton, A., Perry, E., Reed, L., & Winkler, A. (2003). America: Pathway to the Present. (pp. 3450). Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Downey, Matthew (2006). American History Before 1865. (p. 36). Chicago: McGraw Hill. (2003). America: History of our Nation: Beginnings through 1877. (pp. 90-92). Boston: Prentice Hall. Hunt, David (2006). Its St. Augustine vs. Jamestown for oldest title. St. Augustine. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://staugustine.com/stories/122906/news_4302294.shtml. Ponce de Leons Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://www.fountainofyouthflorida.com/. Spanish Colonial St. Augustine. Retrieved January 26, 2014, from http://ufdc.ufl.edu/teachers/sources. The Lightner Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://lightnermuseum.org/main_lightner.html. Y. Stott, personal communication, February 16, 2014.