Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-04-03
CITIES OF FLORIDA.
A Visit to the Oldest City in United
States.
ST.. AuausrIsE, Florida. March 10, 1855

was nothing attractive in it. There
seemed to be nothing but sand and
swamp. The sandy portion was COW
cred with pine trees, with in many
places an underground of scrub palm
etto, and the swamps were dense
groves of dismal cypress trees festoon-
ed with the still more dismal gray
moss. Here and there would be a
clearing, sometimes made 10y the
sparks from the locomotive setting the
forest on fire, sometimes by lumber
camp or sometimes by a turpentlne
still, and sometimes with a courageous
man, who with his family would be
occupying the yellowest and new
est of pine houses. There were beau,
tiful flowers in bloom in favored
spots, and some of the old houses near
the Suwanee river were enveloped
in clouds of pale pink peach blossoms.
At lake Funiak. the Florida Chautaqua,
we had breakfast. | was rather dis
appointed in the lake, which from all
accounts | had expected to find per-
feet gem with its setting OF deep
green pine trees. The winter seS-
sion of the Chatauqua assembly was
lust finished, but the tents were still
up around the lake At Ll0ydS we
had dinner, and the best railway dim
ner | have had this side of Chicago. 1t
was a bright spot in a rainy day, in a
Journey through an undesirable coun-
try, over a road which emphasized its
roughness by exhibiting broken and
ditched cars every few miles along the
track
At the end of thirteen long hours
the flashing electric lights of jackson
vile came into view. That city, how
ever, which ought and was expected to
be haven of rest for the weary traV-
eler was literally packed with winter
visitors and tourists. From one huge
hotel to another there was the same
answer: mot bed to be had" or
Can rig you up nice cot in such and
such place" Finally after much
weary tramping the Windsor gave me
a room in cottage about SIX blocks
away. The next day | succeeded i'll
getting room in one of the hotels.
With Jacksonville itself was pleasant
ly surprised 1t was much finer, pref
tier, buster place than had expected to
find. Owing to magnificent live oaks
hanging in moss the views along some
of the streets were very fine. All veg
citation SCENE dSo much in advance of
New Orleans. DeciduouS trees were
in leaf, and roses were in bloom in all
of the gardens Judging from the
banana plants Zone can hardly call
them trees there did not seem to have
been any for the winter. Every where
the air was perfumed with the scent OF
orange blossoms, and III many yards
the orange tree were hanging in fruit
and full of flowers, something l had
often read about but had never seen
before. The striking features III the
city to me were the number and size OF
the hotels, and the multitude of curl
osity shops. Go where one would,
alligator'S teeth, sea beans, fish scale
jewelry. palmetto work, painted shells,
sheafs of orange, palmetto and snake
wood sticks met the eye. MOST OF the
shops are closed in summer, and their
occupants and wares seek fresh pas
lures at northern resorts. Even my
black informed me that he left IN
summer, and would this summer
shine 'em up at Coney Island.
There are many pleasant excursions
on St. Johns river from Jacksonville,
but after exhausting the sights, which
are few outside of the the shipping,
the curiosity shops and residences, L
satisfied myself with a short trip to
Arlington, a pleasant little cluster OF
residences, with a number of young
orange groves. and then made haste for
this place. which | reached ST. PatrIck's
eve at dusk. | went at once to the I'M
mense and slightly San Marco, which
outside the city gates, looks over the
old fort to the sea beyond. | was de-
lighted at seeing the ladies in light sum-
mer dresses, and at hearing the music
of the band, but disguised at finding
there was no PROJECT of room. Into the
old city therefore | had to go only to
find all the hotels. and they are also nu-
merUuS and huge and fuller than Jack
sonville hotels. had TO content myself
with Il cot III the chlldrenS dining
room for one night and promise of
room next day, which promise was
duly made good. There must be thous-
ands of visitors in this quaint little
place. as went into the hotel office
this evening | saw the clerks turning
away disconsolate parties of ladies and
in the street heard a woman say that
she had refused twenty-five applicants
for rooms to day. People who are Wis
iting here, are here for pleasure OF for
health, but there is very little of either
in this crush for rooms.
| have found this, the oldest city IN
the United States, even more interest
ing than | expected. 1t is quite like
the old world to come into at night.
fall, and find such narrow. crooked
streets, such over hanging balconies,
and odd-shaped windows. l thought
= f,Nt,N Ia
with the daylight with it did not,
and 7 found the city even more inter
esting in the broad sunshine. From
my window | overlooked clusters of
odd steep-roofed houses, and an orange
grove yellow with fruit, banana plants
sprinkled through it, and two large
date palms in the midst of it. The
Lorillard cottage, all gables, balconies,
awnings and rich red paint is beyond,
while still further on are the old tort
San Marco at the right and high on the
hill the fine hotel of the same name.
The purplish foliage of the sproutlng
fg trees hides all the walls near here.
and orange trees and clusters OF rag
ged bananas fill every corner.
Naturally one drifts ANONYMOUSLY
towards the old Spanish fort before
looking at Anything else. so much has
been written about ii, and It's dungeon
found it very interesting, as forts go.
1t is built of Coquina, the peculiar stone
composed Of sea SHELLS, covers some
four acres of ground ard has walls
twelve feet thick. | suppose every
one has read of the two iron cages dis
covered in the fort about fifty years
ago and containing human remains
After the fort ones's interest centers
in the old Spanish Cathedral. where. by
the way, attended service this even
ing and heard the priest discourse up
on that favorite Protestant text:
What shall it profit man, etc The
old Moorish belfry contains four bells
which ring the quarter hours. One of
these bells is the Oldest in the United
States. The Cathedral faces the plaza, a
delightful little square containing a
Spanish obbelisk, monument to Con-
federate soldiers killed in the late war,
and the old slave market. This little
square facing the, plaza de Ia constitu-
tucion," has to my mind more character
in it than any other square | have seen
| in the United States, with possibly Jack
son Square in New Orleans excepted.
The sea wall is also one of st. Angus