A Brief History
On a warm September 8 in the year 1565, 800 Spaniards gathered
on the shores of a Florida saltmarsh at the site of a large Native
American village known as Seloy. Soldiers and sailors were
joined by more than 100 civilians. Married men and
women, artisans, tradesmen and children waited in
anticipation until at last, Captain General don Pedro
Menéndez de Avilés stepped ashore from his
longboat. Kneeling and kissing the cross carried
by Father Lopez, Menéndez and his officers
swore allegiance to God and King and
proclaimed this place as “St. Augustine.”
That day marked the beginning of 450
years of people living, working and raising
families in what is today the oldest
continuously occupied city in the United States.
Re-enacted arrival of Pedro Menéndez
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