Nov 26 - Dec 3
Everyone remembers their history lessons - are you smarter than a 5th grader? Yes the legendary Fountain of Youth is here, a spring of water that restores the youth of anyone who drinks from it. The vicinity of St. Augustine was first explored in 1513 by Juan Ponce de Leon (who was governor of Puerto Rico). The city was founded in 1565 by admiral Pedro Menedez de Aviles. To fight the British the Spanish began construction in 1672 of Castillo de San Marcos which still stands today as the nation's oldest fort. Its construction took a quarter of a century.
In the 1880's Henry Flagler (who was the partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil) arrived in St. Augustine and was the driving force behind turning the city into a winter resort for the wealthy northern elite. Flagler bought a number of local railroads which were incorporated into the Florida East Coast Railway, this rail ran down the Atlantic coast to the end of the Keys. He built two beautifully ornate hotels - The Ponce de Leon which is now Flager College and Alcazar which is the current City Hall.
Everyone remembers their history lessons - are you smarter than a 5th grader? Yes the legendary Fountain of Youth is here, a spring of water that restores the youth of anyone who drinks from it. The vicinity of St. Augustine was first explored in 1513 by Juan Ponce de Leon (who was governor of Puerto Rico). The city was founded in 1565 by admiral Pedro Menedez de Aviles. To fight the British the Spanish began construction in 1672 of Castillo de San Marcos which still stands today as the nation's oldest fort. Its construction took a quarter of a century.
In the 1880's Henry Flagler (who was the partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil) arrived in St. Augustine and was the driving force behind turning the city into a winter resort for the wealthy northern elite. Flagler bought a number of local railroads which were incorporated into the Florida East Coast Railway, this rail ran down the Atlantic coast to the end of the Keys. He built two beautifully ornate hotels - The Ponce de Leon which is now Flager College and Alcazar which is the current City Hall.
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| Flagler College (previously Ponce de Leon Hotel) |
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| Beautiful dome inside the College |
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| City Hall (previous Alcazar Hotel) |
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| Lobby at City Hall |
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