The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-01-29
For the anderson Mteligencer.
An Excursion to St. Augustine.


Mr.. EDITOR: Of all the points of note in
Linda Florida, none is more replete with in
terest to the tourist than the quaint old Spanish
town, st. Augustine. A ramble through its
streets awakens the memory of events that
have their being but in the annals of the Past,
and one enjoys in reyerie the scenes that are
interviewer with the romantic dreams of early
Spanish conquest and adventure. It's life is
pre-eminently in the past, yet about its ruins
there attaches halo of quiet and serenity that
impresses the beholder with the consciousness
that he treads historic ground.
Our party was small but select one, and the
route was by private conveyance 'Twould be
a long and varied tale to describe the incidents
that occurred during the several days on the
road and as this part of the expedition has
interest chiefly to the individual members, we
will not dwell upon it. Suffice it to relate that
not less than two-thirds of the distance was
covered with water, while far and near the level
expanse of pine, palmetto and fens was the
only scenery that met the eye. Mile after mile
was passed without vestige of civilization
presenting itself, and it may be only imagined
that the fund of jokes and anecdotes of the
party was largely drawn upon to enliven the
dreary waste. Such a monotony of wildness
was relieved, when at last the spires of the
churches and the stars and stripes from the
barracks betokened that we were in the suburbs
of the oldest town in North America. Before
entering, it may not be unnecessary to give
brief history of the place.
On the 9Th day of September, 1866, Menen-
dez, the illustrious Spanish cavalier, landed at
the present site of St. Augustine-then an In
dian village, called Selooe-and in the name
of his sovereign took formal possession OF the
town. This was forty-threc years before the
settlement of Jamestown, in Virginia, and
ffty-fve years before the landing of the Puri-
tans on Plymouth Rock. The name OF the
place was changed to that of st: Augustine,
because it was on the day dedicated in the Ro-
mish calendar to this eminent divine of the
primitive church that they arrived on the coast.
This town has had most eventful and roman
tic history In 1880, it was attacked and plum
dered by the English under Sir Francis Drake.
In 1911, the town was pilaged by the Indians.
In 1865, the English buccaneer, Davis, sacked
it, the inhabitants taking refuge in the fort
In 1902, Governor Moore, of South Carolina,
invaded Florida and attacked the city, but he
was foiled in reducing it by the stubborn fort.
In 174O, General Oglethorpe, Governor Of
Georgia, laid regular seige to the place, plant
ing his batteries on Anastasia Island, opposite
the town, and bombarding the fort thirty-eight
days. Failing to force surrender, he at length
retired. In 1863, the town passed into British
possession by treaty, and held British garri-
son during the Revolutionary War. In 1854,
it was receded to Spain, and in 1919 was trans
ferred to the United States During the late
civil war, the town changed masters three
times. St. Augustine is situated on peninsu-
la, nearly surrounded by the Matanzas and St.
Sebastian Rivers. East of, and opposite, the
town is Anastasia Island, from which 1t IS sep
arated by St. Augustine Bay.
is composed chiefly of Spaniards and Minor
cans. As the latter are peculiar to Florida, it
may not be amiss to speak of them more fully.
In 1857 DR.. Turnbull, of England, obtained
from the Island of Minorca and others in the
Mediterranean fifteen hundred inhabitants for
the purpose of establishing colony in Flori-
da. They settled near Indian River, on the
eastern coast founding a town which they
named, in honor of Turnbull's wife, New
Smyrna-she being native of Smyrna. The
crop here cultivated was indigo, and it brought
vast revenue to the Golfers of the proprietor:
The latter, however, through his cruelty and
oppression towards the colonists, soon found
them exonerated by law from the contract
which he had so shamefully violated. The
colony, which had by that time been reduced
| two-thirds, then moved northward, and settled
in or near St. Augustine. These are their de-
scendants whom we find in such numbers there
to-day AS class they are chaste, moral and
law abiding. Among the females may be
found some of the most perfect types of Cas-
lillian beauty and development-dark complex
ions, jet black eyes and raven curls.
the town from the West. The street upon
which we then found ourselves was one of 70,
mantle beauty. 1t was the chief avenue, and
| was hedged in by rows of majestic evergreens.
On either side, the street WAS studded with
residences of taste and elegance, while the
yards were interspersed with tropical fruits
and flowers. Soon we reached the Plaza
| rectangular green, situate in the centre OF the
town, and constituting its chief ornament.
| This is the frequented spot of all classes and
conditions of life. The loafer cannot find a
more agreeable asylum; the nurse, with her
| prattling charge, haunts its grassy plots; the
merchant, dusty with the cob.webs of his
counting room, finds here welcome spot to
air his speculatons while lovers-those amor
Gus groups, representing every stage of the
maddening passion-are wont to wander amid
its walks, Unconscious of the world that is
humorously gazing on. In the centre of the
Plaza is a monument erected to commemorate
the adoption of the Spanish Liberal Constitu-
ton of 1872 and it has been we'll preserved.
Here, also, was burned by the British soldiers
early in the American Revolution efligies of
Hancock and Adams.
Divergng from the Plaza arc the principal
streets, and these serve more to identity the
antiquity of the town than all else besides. AS
rule, they are narrow and short, and almost
all the olden private residences have balconies
extending over the pavement which sometimes
nearly touch each other in mid air. Generally
the streets are clean and we'll preserved, and
pedestrians find little inconvenience. Yet the
houses, as we'll as the streets, serve as land
marks to impress the beholder that he gazes
nno, tho rol;nu Of cnnt1ries All the oldest.