The Oldest City in the United States (2024)

The Spanish empire reached its height by the mid-16thcentury, having conquered the Incasand Aztecs, among other peoples. Spain looked to staketheir claim to “La Florida” next, but the French had set their sights on the area andwere attempting to create permanent settlements there.Out of theirneed for empire-building, the Spanish built humongous ships that could carry a crew,cargo for colonization and, most importantly,equipment for defense.When Menendez arrived on the shores of St. Augustine in 1565, he was accompaniedbyafleet of these Spanish galleons.

The El Galeon Andalucia is a 170-foot, 495-ton wooden replica of a galleon that once sailed the seas to the New World. The ship has six decks, three masts andseven sails.Itsails the Atlantic Ocean with a crew that lives aboard the ship 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Although it travels throughoutthe summer tovarious United Statescities, the ship callsSt. Augustine its United States homeport. It will be docked in St. Augustine through themonth of September andavailable for toursin which visitors will get to see how sailorslivedin the 16th and 17th centuries.

In September 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles and his fleet of galleons landed upon the shores of what would late becomethis15-acre park. Now known as the “Fountain of Youth Archeological Park,” it'sthe place where the nation's oldest city was founded.

This park has been an active archaeological site since the 1930s. In that time, archeologistshave found over 97,000 artifacts relating to the Menendez landing, the early Spanish settlements and even earlier Timucua Indian colonies,whichdate asfar back as 3,000 years ago.Even with all of that digging, only 30 percent of the park has been explored by scientists and researchers.

Francis says the site deserves more recognition for its place in the nation'shistory.“[This park] really is one of the most important archeological sites in the country,” he says.Today, visitors are welcome to explore for themselves and watch the archaeologists in action.

The park also has itsfamed "Fountain of Youth," which pours out water from a natural spring.There's no historic documentation connecting the fountain to Juan Ponce de León's quest,although it's reportedly been a tourist attraction since at least the19th century.

After repeated attacks by the British and pirates in the early days of St. Augustine, the Spanishtook measures to defend theirfledging settlement.So, they began construction on a fort they namedCastillo de San Marcos,which was finished in 1695. Built out of indigenous soft white limestone made frombroken shells and coral—a materialcalledcoquina—the fort withstood sieges and time to become the oldest stone fortress in the continental United States, according to Francis.

In near-constantuse for 200 years, this almost21-acre fort surrounded by a moathas provided protection for several nations throughout its time. The British took control of the fort and the entire city of St. Augustine thanks to the Treaty of Paris of 1763. Spain got it back as a term in the settlement of the American Revolutionary War. In 1821, Spain ceded the entire state of Florida to the United States.During the Civil War, it became important ammunition storage for the Confederacy. Finally, the fortwas returned to the United States and decommissioned in 1899.

Today, the Castillo de San Marcos is a national park, with the moat still protecting the coquina stone towers peeringout over the Atlantic.

In the heart of St. Augustine is the Plaza De La Constiucion, part of the city’s National Historic Landmark site and the oldest public plaza in the United States. According to Francis, the plaza and public market were established underthe governorship of Gonzalo Méndez de Canzo in 1598. Ordinances required the plaza to be laid out like a compass.

The plaza'smain monumentis theSpanish Constitution Monument, dedicated to the establishment of Spanish Constitution of 1812. It is also where the city has chosen to remember the veterans of America’s wars. Monuments dedicated to the American Revolution, the Confederacy,World War II, Korean Warand the Vietnam War are also scattered throughout the park. In 2011, the St. Augustine Foot Soldiers monument wasadded, commemorating those who fought forcivil rights in the 1960s.

Concerts are held in the park duringthe summer, includingduringthe 450thbirthdaycelebration.

While many Americans envision the Underground Railroadhelping slaves escape to the North in the 19th century, in the 17th centuries and 18th centures,slaves often escaped to the South,towardthe Spanish territories of Florida and Mexico.TheSpanish Empire offered slaves of the British coloniesa chance at freedom—provided they pledged allegiance to the king and the Catholic Church.

Due to thisinflux of people,the Spanish governor established a fortified town for the escapeesin 1738. Called Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose (laterFort Mose), the place is consideredthe first legally sanctioned free black town in United States history. Within the town, the Spanish also organized amilitia of former slaves to help defend St. Augustine from British attack, which is exactly what the militiadid inthe Battle of Bloody Mose. When the British finally took control of St. Augustine in 1763,most of the settlers fled, not wanting to be sent back into slavery.

There are nooriginal structuresleft at thisNational Historic Landmarktoday, butreenactors provide a chance to look at“living history” throughout the year. Additionally, recent findings by archeologists have led tofundraising to reconstruct the fort to its 1738 appearance.

Legend says thatMenendez first spotted land along today’s Florida coast on August 28, 1565. August 28is also the feast day forthe Catholic patron saint of brewers, St. Augustine of Hippo.Upon reaching land several days later, Menendez celebrated Mass and named the site after the saint.The Catholic Church thus recognizes St. Augustine as "America’s first parish."The city’s Cathedral Basilica alsodates back to the late 18thcenturyand is considered one of the oldest churches in the United States.

In July, in recognition of the 450thbirthday of the city and the parish, the Vatican gave the basilica a gift—a historic loan of a relic from the city’s patron saint. It took four years of planning to bring theknucklebone of St. Augustine to the Florida city named after him, but the relic will be on display at the basilica through the end of September. The knucklebone is said to date back to the 5th century, and thisis the first time ithas left the Vatican.