Name/Title
StereographEntry/Object ID
2023.055.3.0364Description
A black and white stereograph. Image is of a coblestone street, small buildings are on either side, a man rides on a cart pulled by a cow. Above the image "28" is printed, below the image "V23236 - In Old St. George Street, St. Augustine, Fla." is printed, to the left of the image "Keystone View Company Copyrighted, Underwood & Underwood Manufacturers MADE IN U.S.A. Publishers" is printed, to the right of the image "Meadville, Pa., New York, N. Y., Portland, Oregon, London, Eng., Sydeny, Aus." is printed. On the reverse the following is printed:
--5236
IN OLD ST. GEORGE ST., ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA
Lat. 30 (Degrees) N.; Long. 81 (Degrees) W.
St. Augustine is situated on a small peninsula on the northeastern coast of Florida. It is the oldest city in the United States. In the year 1565, Pedro Menendez sailed from Cadiz, Spain, in order to establish a colony in the new world and exterminate the French Huguenots who had already settled on the St. John's River. In July of that year, fifty-five years before the landing of the Pilgrims, Menendez founded, on the spot where St. Augustine now stands, the first permanent settlement in what is now the territory of the United States.
St. Augustine was surrounded by water on three sides so there was little danger of attack except from the north. To guard against this, a wall was constructed across the northern side of the town in 1702, leaving but one gateway into the city. This wall was built of logs stood on edge ; the city gate was built of stone. Our picuture shows this gate in the distance. It is at the end of St. George Street one of the narrowest main business streets of the city. We can also see here some of St. Augustine's quaint houses with their overhanging balconies. The first little frame house on the left of the street has the honor of being the oldest frame house in the United States. It is built from timbers of red cedar. it was formerly used as a school house. As we look at the buildings pictured here we can hardly imagine that on this same street, only about five blocks away, are very spacious and modern hotels.
The old fort of San marco, the oldest fort in the United States is here. It is now known as FOrt Marion, and is built of "coquina," a kind of lime rock made up largely of shells. It extends over four acres.
Copyright by The Keystone View CompanyCollection
Photograph Collection