Our History

Most of St. Augustine’s oldest buildings no longer exist because many early structures were destroyed over time. However, the Castillo de San Marcos, completed in the late 1600s, survived attacks by British forces in 1702.

Parts of the original Spanish colonial city still remain today. The narrow streets, balconies, and town layout reflect Spanish design from the late 1500s. St. Augustine has 36 original colonial buildings and about 40 reconstructed buildings based on colonial designs.

The city is unique because it is the only urban area in the United States whose street layout and architecture still strongly reflect its Spanish origins.

Historians credit Juan Ponce de León, the first governor of Puerto Rico, with discovering Florida in 1513. While searching for the legendary island of Bimini, he saw Florida’s east coast on Easter Sunday, March 27. He claimed the land for Spain and named it Florida after the Spanish Easter season, “Pascua Florida.”

At that time, Florida included much of the land in North America that Spain had not already claimed in Mexico and the Southwest.

During the next 50 years, Spain attempted six times to settle Florida, but each effort failed. In 1564, French Protestants built a colony near present-day Jacksonville. Spain saw this as a threat to its treasure ships traveling along Florida’s coast.

King Philip II sent Admiral Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to remove the French and protect Spanish interests. On September 8, 1565, Menéndez arrived with about 600 settlers and officially founded St. Augustine.

He named the settlement after Saint Augustine because his feast day was celebrated when Menéndez first saw land. St. Augustine became both a military base and a center for Catholic missions in the Southeast.

Keeping St. Augustine alive as a permanent settlement was difficult. Early settlers faced attacks, fires, and shortages.

English pirates and soldiers attacked and burned the town several times during the 1600s. To better protect the city, Spain began building the Castillo de San Marcos in 1672. The stone fort was completed just in time to survive a major British attack in 1702.

British forces attacked again in 1740, but they still could not capture the fort.

St. Augustine also became an important refuge for escaped slaves from the English colonies. Spain offered freedom to enslaved people who escaped to Florida if they pledged loyalty to Spain and joined the Catholic Church.

In 1738, the first legally recognized free Black community in what is now the United States was founded near St. Augustine. It was called Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose.

In 1763, the Treaty of Paris gave Florida to Britain after the French and Indian War. St. Augustine became a British colony during the American Revolution.

Another Treaty of Paris in 1783 returned Florida to Spain because Spain had helped the American colonies fight Britain.

When the Spanish returned in 1784, they found the city had changed. A group called the Minorcans, settlers from the Mediterranean island of Minorca, had moved into St. Augustine and became an important part of the city’s culture.

During the early 1800s, Spain struggled to keep control of Florida. The United States wanted the territory because of its location and importance.

In 1821, the Adams-Onís Treaty transferred Florida from Spain to the United States peacefully.

Florida remained a U.S. territory until it became a state in 1845. During this time, the Second Seminole War took place between the United States and Native American Seminole groups.

The U.S. Army took control of the Castillo de San Marcos and renamed it Fort Marion.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Florida joined the Confederacy. However, Union troops quickly occupied St. Augustine and stayed there throughout the war.

Because the Union controlled the city, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freed enslaved people in St. Augustine.

After the war, formerly enslaved families settled in an area later called Lincolnville. Today, Lincolnville is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

About 20 years after the Civil War, businessman Henry Flagler transformed St. Augustine into a winter resort for wealthy Americans.

Flagler built railroads and luxury hotels, including the Ponce de Leon Hotel, the Alcazar Hotel, and the Casa Monica Hotel. These buildings changed the look of the city and helped shape Florida’s tourism industry.

For a time, St. Augustine became one of the most popular winter vacation destinations in the country.

Although wealthy visitors later moved on to other parts of Florida, St. Augustine remained an important tourist city.

In 1965, St. Augustine celebrated its 400th anniversary. The city and the State of Florida worked together to restore historic parts of the colonial district.

These restoration projects preserved many colonial-era buildings and rebuilt others that had been lost over time.

Today, the city continues to protect its historic appearance through architectural guidelines and preservation efforts.

In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to St. Augustine during the Civil Rights Movement. He helped lead protests that supported the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Today, historical markers throughout the city recognize important civil rights locations and events.

Today, about 2 million visitors come to St. Augustine each year. Many people visit the Castillo de San Marcos and other historic landmarks to learn about the city’s long and unique history.

St. Augustine remains one of America’s most important historic cities and continues to preserve the culture and architecture of its past.