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A PLACE IN HISTORY |
PONCE de LEON
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 The
mainland of the North American continent was first sighted by the
Spanish explorer and treasure hunter Don Juan Ponce de Leon on Easter,
March 27, 1513. He claimed the land for Spain and named it La Florida,
meaning "Land of Flowers". Between 1513 and 1563 the government of Spain
launched six expeditions to settle Florida, but all failed. the French
succeeded in establishing a fort and colony on the St. Johns River in
1564 and, in doing so, threatened Spain's treasure fleets which sailed
along Florida's shoreline returning to Spain. As a result of this
incursion into Florida, King Phillip II named Don Pedro Menendez de
Aviles, Spain's most experienced admiral, as governor of Florida,
instructing him to explore and to colonize the territory. Menendez was
also instructed to drive out any pirates or settlers from other nations,
should they be found there.
When Menendez arrived off the coast of Florida,
it was August 28, 1565, the Feast Day of St. Augustine. Eleven days
later, he and his 600 soldiers and settlers came ashore at the site of
the Timucuan Indian village of Seloy with banners flying and trumpets
sounding. He hastily fortified the fledgling village and named it St.
Augustine.
Utilizing brilliant military maneuvers,
Menendez destroyed the French garrison on the St. Johns River and, with
the help of a hurricane, also defeated the French fleet. With the coast
of Florida firmly in Spanish hands, he then set to work building the
town, establishing missions to the Indians for the Church, and exploring
the land.
Thus, St. Augustine was founded forty-two years
before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, and fifty-five years
before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts - making it
the oldest permanent European settlement on the North American
continent.
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Maintaining St. Augustine
became a mighty task over the next two hundred years. In 1586,
English corsair Sir Francis Drake attacked and burned the town.
Then in 1668, the pirate Captain John Davis plundered the town,
killing sixty inhabitants.
Without the courage, perseverance and faith of its early
settlers it is doubtful that St. Augustine would have survived
Finally, after the British
established colonies in Georgia and the Carolinas, Spain
authorized the building of a stone fort to protect St. Augustine
as assaults from the north became more frequent. The Castillo de
San Marcos took twenty-three years to build but, once in place,
stood as the town's stalwart defender. Major attacks were made
against her in 1702 by Governor James Moore of South Carolina
and in 1740 by General James Oglethorpe of Georgia. Neither
seige was successful, however, and to this day, the fort has
never fallen to enemy attack.
It was not until 1763 that Spain ceded
Florida to England in order to regain the capital of Cuba,
ushering in twenty years of British rule in Florida. This period
coincided with the American Revolution, during which Florida
remained loyal to the Crown. In 1783, under the Treaty of Paris,
Florida was returned to Spanish rule for a period of
thirty-seven years. The Spanish departed for the last time when
Spain sold Florida to the United States of America. At a
colorful military ceremony on July 10, 1821, US troops took
possession of the territory and Spain relinquished control of
Florida forever.
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