The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1867-04-27
Mistellamtons.
AN OLD FLORIDA CITY


coiors IA picture, are generally forgotten "a
! soon as that scene Of the panorama has Iasse,
by. And again, Ths Tribune audience Is constant
" changing, and always large, so that som,
portion oft will be likely 10 be entertained. 4
history does reIsai itself After crossing III,
Terry aud SOME twenty rods 0' causeway over 1
tide covered Hat, We enter a narrow lane, with
hue large mansion upon either hand that OF
the left owned by Mrs. Anderson aud her son
the young Doctor. formerly Of New York
Ihey have about thousand orange trees IN bear
ing, or nearly ready 10 bear, planted upon lh,
twenty acres surrounding the house Scycra
lines OF evergreen hedges have been planted ~
protection 10 she orange tfces against the ciecii
OF severe northeast gnles The trees upon ihi,
place as well rs every other one have examined
arc vigorously healthy, although some Of ihi
LEAVES and twirs shown mc by Dt Anderson
exhibited the marks of some dissasr octnsiontd
either by insects or fungus. which gives them d
bighied appearance when sog! prevalent
With good culture, and food for growth, ihi.
diseass does not ininrc the trees II neglected,
they btrUne like all other neglected fruit trees
scrubby and uuproduciive. Opposite Mrs Ander.
sons, Mr. Abiah Gilbert, late Of liut,rrnuis.
Otsego county, Y, has bought place o;
| nine acres, aud iiH. large mansion built b,
| Capt Cobb Of the old Liverpool aud New York
line OF packets. Mr q paid slD Uo0i"f this place.
which u considered 'dii' cheap though 20
bad order, owing 10 haviu. been o,cUicd ~ u
hospital by the army Th,.s, 'Nn pu'i.is's. rls,.
the Traveller Who appr,achr. D., ih. t',i,i, which
with the exception Of the one To Ja,Asonyu.c. Is
the only approach by land afayorahi, impress ioi
| OF St Augustine Leaving these few tod.
bring him TO the head Uf the Plaza where De-
sees the old mansion OF The Spanish Govcrnors
now owue'i and occupied hy the United States
Courts. Posi.tisc-, a itisr iWo.story -iou,
building, IN the fuim % an !. with broad
| ~ l,Isi. IL 4 tff.
walled enclosure 81 several ncrrs. Whi,h was
once splendid garden lil.,d viii flowers
tropical plants aud ofausr if-rs The building
was shamciuily abused hy the Troops quafiered
there and has now sadly d.lapidaiei appearance,
One OF the uwcr rou'''s has been roughly fitted
up ~ rUsi.ul!icc. by Dr. Benedict, Postmaster
formerly IN charge OF the Utica ! Insane
Asylum, but for several wears "a resident here
and on the 81. Johns and great sufferer hy the
Rebels IN the carly part OF the wns as he was
ever an un!ielding Republican and opponent uf
| secession. Formerly, no mau would have
dared 10 have the Tribune or any similtr ,mipr
| addressed To him by mail Now they are taken
freely, both daily, weekly and s,mi-wceAiy. aud
read openly, and the Pos-oiIce is a sort Of pis lie
exchange for Union men. Df T. - a most
pleasant, intelligent. soCiabe gentleman 10
front OF tie Couri-liouSc, and oleu 80 the Dav
which is about so rods distant lies he Plaza or
public square, green swaf1. dotted with tree
but marred by two unornamcaial marke, houses
upon the end next the water t,on the north
side OF the street bordering tie Plaza Oh that
side, stands the old Catholic Church, which has
a bell made in l6s2 ns that date Is cast IN the
metal. The present church, however appears 70
have bten rebuilt in 1893 The large, thr,,.-
story building that we in the rear OF the Court
House, rs We enter the tOwn, Is a Franciscan
Convent. The holy mother Church owns good
deal OF property all about town much ui Il il -
QllAlldatel z.ff "a
10 take decent care Of il TAr Protestant Episco-
pal church confronts the old Catholic ose. We II
stands on the souil side uf il, siuar, aud is a
respectable looking cdifcc hu' ha. only sma',
congregation. There il. u !iiilr way of. neat.
small Presbyterian church aud TO- another d!tc,.-
ton building belonging 'o tie Methodist. hu'
there are no white members The majority o;
the people are attached 10 the Catholic Church
aud the leaders have ALWAYS l,o.i ALL, 60 control
everything relating tu munivip,. ailAi,s Tie
finest residence on the public square j. tia; 81
DR.. q. Bronson. formerly o' New York hui
nov apparently permanently hXr'i "a iais jacc
Al least he Is satisfied after 20 ycars searching
this and foreign countries, iha, he has never
found any place desirable as this for residence
all the year round The house be occupies was
built by Peter Sken Smith, brother OF Gegrit
Smith. Opposite DIR. u. :. on the main north
and south street through the town, stands the
former residence OF Judge Putnam, Rebel formerly
and Rebel yet, although still on the bench Ills
fine house was sold al tax sale, and Is now owned
By Mr. Ryal, from Freehold Y J.. and is
occupied as boarding house by Mrs. Gardiner
little farther down the south side Of the Plaza
is the residence Of Col John 7. Sprague
Commandant OF the State Of Florida anl Agent
OF the Freedmen Bureau. Col. :. Is - native
OF Massachusetts, gentleman ly NATURE aided
by education and pOssessed with ability read,
decision, hrmncss combined with suayiy, that
renders him peculiarly lifted ior ,he position he
occupies. lie Is quite sanguinc about the future
growth aud prosperity of - Augustine. but.
owing 10 his integrity and great candor would
be safe person foT any party 10 consult who
may desire information about the place as
desirable residence, or place ioinvcst money
Beside the Plaza and Hay street. nearly al the
rest OF the streets in this singular old town are
too narrow for two wagons TO PASS, OF iog one to
turn around without backing one wheel into "A
/ door upon one side while the horse pushes lis
head into another door upon the other side Of the
street. None Of the streets have sidewalks, and
some Of the houses are built with base 90 the
wall, 10 keep the cAitwhecls fIom fakiug the
windows \ great many OF the houses have
overhanging balconies, and IN some OF the
/ narrowest streets two men could shake hands
/ from opposite galleries over passing cart The
greatest portion Of the old house, are built OF
''coquina rock, from quarry upon Anas;atia
Island, opposite the city and directly IN front OF
the inlet through the outer ridge of white sand
| hills that bound the bay or "MaianEas River
This rock Is merely aeonglomcraio OF small shells,
not decomposcd but simply agglutiua,cd together
so firmly that the mass can hc cut into blocks
/ OF any size oT form, from OEc "a ivu Thousand
pounds weight TO make handsome smnu,i
surface, = workman hews uh IL, rough e.lct.
with an axe rs easily as he would a block 81 wood
The blocks, laid up with cement. make better
and much cheaper wall than bTiCA There are
Nnl hnNp
but, like oil walls they are subject 10 crumble 10
decay and ruin when leit, uncared ioT. 10 the
action Of times gnawing tooth. Tie material,
however, 10 y good one fog building aud the
supply inexhaustible, aud il will bc furnished
eheaply whenever Yankee skill and capital are
applied 10 the work OF quarTyng, dressing. and
transportation. II can be moved by rail into
boats, aud landed within halfa mile ofauy spot
where u is required, as the peninsula Is less than
q mile wide where the town Is located
II Is impossible 10 fix the date VI erection Of
any Of the most ancient buildings Of this ancient
city, since II has been several times bcsiegcd the
people driven into the castle, aud a greater
portion Of the town destroyed Thcrc are some
rooiess walls, however, that ate extremely old
that Of the old Spanish Treasury building Is one
u appears 10 me that about One-third Of the
buildings Of the town are uninhabitahlc many
OF them have been thus - long that all vcsiigcs
| OF woodwork have disappeared, vet the co.tuina
walls stand as firm as they did an hundred wears
ago Some Of them show tina, th, buildings
were immense structures. Indeed many of the
''old Spanish houses new occupied ara designed
upon the grandcsl scale. Here for instance Is
the form Of one. Itextcnds from street To street,
perhaps $50 feet, and Is 30 feet wide, including
the piazEa Of the sccond story underneath which
10 an entrance 10 the court through gate There
is also piazza over-hanging the narrow street,
from which you enter the street door inioa broad
hall tina, extends back TO some Of The store rooms