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ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida – As the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, St. Augustine, Florida, is honoring its legacy as the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the continental United States.
Located on Florida’s northeastern coast, St. Augustine was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez. Affectionately known as the “Ancient City,” it turns 461 years old this September.
While many people know the stories of Menendez, the Spanish conquistadors and the legend of the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, the city’s role in the birth of America is often overlooked.
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“You can walk up any street and see history and know that this was the foundation of America, and if the Spaniards actually held, it might have been a different place,” said Maria Alvarez with The Historic Florida Milita.
Great Britain took over Florida from Spain in 1763 after the French and Indian War, which was a conflict between Great Britain and France, along with their Native American allies.
“The Spanish were here, and then the British came and changed the dynamics,” explained Margo Pope, history chair of The Woman’s Exchange of St. Augustine. The Women’s Exchange is housed inside the historic Peña-Peck House, where British Gov. Patrick Tonyn lived during the American Revolution.
According to historians, what is known as Florida today was split in two: East Florida and West Florida, also known as the forgotten 14th and 15th colonies of colonial America.
“The 14th colony is Saint Augustine,” explained Alvarez. “East Florida has all the loyalists loyal to King George. West Florida has patriots and loyalists because it’s so close to Spanish territory.”
Florida would go on to play a key role in the American Revolution, remaining loyal to Great Britain and serving as a military stronghold.
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Thousands of British loyalists from Georgia and South Carolina fled to Florida during the Revolutionary War. On the other hand, some American founding fathers were imprisoned at the Castillo de San Marcos fort in St. Augustine.
“There were three minor signers of the Declaration of Independence held prisoner in the Castillo,” said Alvarez. “That was Hayward, Middleton and Rutledge. So, they were held for about four months.”
Little known facts like these about St. Augustine’s role in the American Revolution are what St. Augustine City Walks is trying to bring to the forefront with free walking tours, planned for every Saturday in July.
The celebratory tours take visitors through the city’s historic brick roads and along the bayfront, uncovering colonial stories of East Florida’s loyalty to the British, imprisoned founding fathers and patriot rebels.
“We were here before,” Pope said with a chuckle. “We were here first…. and we do a lot in the community to really make our visitors understand how significant it was.”
“I’m so proud of Saint Augustine as being the first, being the first in so many things,” Alvarez said.
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It’s something locals also hope to bring to the forefront as the United States’ big birthday approaches. While Plymouth, Massachusetts, likes to take credit for the first Thanksgiving, for example, local history experts beg to differ.
“We know the first Catholic Mass and the first feast of Thanksgiving were here. So, 42 years before Jamestown, 54 years before Plymouth Rock, there were people here,” said Alvarez.
Another key spot in St. Augustine’s history is Fort Mose, the first legally sanctioned, free Black settlement in what would become the United States. It was founded in 1738. While the original fort no longer stands, a full-scale replica of the original was built and opened to the public in 2025.
“This is such an interesting city with everything they have here, so it’s good for people to learn the history that’s not covered in the history books,” Alvarez said.
Several events are planned throughout the city to honor America’s 250th.
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The City of St. Augustine is celebrating July 4 with “Fireworks Over the Matanzas.” The event features a free concert, fireworks over the bay and family-friendly activities throughout the historic district.
St. Augustine City Walks will offer free “St. Augustine and the Birth of America” tours on July 11, July 18 and July 25. Space is limited and reservations are required.
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