The Wandering Disciple

To modify a line from the Hollywood blockbuster Forrest Gump, the Lightner Museum is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you're gonna find. As you stroll the galleries of the Lightner museum, you will find elegant glassware and pottery, a collection of player pianos, Tiffany stained glass windows, shrunken heads and an Egyptian mummy. Yep, you heard right, an Egyptian mummy, This mummy is believed to be a child is displayed in a replica burial tomb in the museum.  The Lightner Museum is the collection of publisher Otto Lightner. He chose the historic Alcatraz hotel in St Augustine to showcase his wide ranging gallery. So when you visit, be sure to check out the exhibits as well as the elegant architecture of this historic building during your visit.  Taken: November 12, 2011 at Lightner Museum (St Augustine, FL)

Motivated by gold, glory and God, Spanish conquistadors sailed the globe looking to establish settlements for the Spanish crown. While the riches went to the crown, the settlers who lived in the newly settled areas lived in humble conditions as they sought a new life in the new world.  This is an example of colonial living during the Spanish occupation of St Augustine. The Spanish founded St Augustine in 1565 and established a colony in La Florida. Today you can get a look into what their living looked like at the Colonial Spanish Quarter, a living history museum that brings the past to life. Here colonial life is recreated daily to take you back in time to follow in the footsteps of St Augustine's earliest residents.  Taken: November 12, 2011 at Colonial Spanish Quarter (St Augustine, FL)

A battery of canons overlook Matanzas bay, providing the Old City with its first line of protection against an attack by sea. Castillo de San Marcos is located along the bay just north of the city and along with nearby Fort Matanzas protect the colonists from the enemy.  Built by the Spanish in 1672, Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry structure in the United States. It has been held by four military forces; Spanish, British, American and Confederate. Today the fort is part of the National Parks system and is open for tours giving visitors a look into coastal fortification and early Spanish life in St Augustine.  Taken: November 12, 2011 at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (St Augustine, FL)

Have you ever wondered what a 400 year old treasure chest feels like? Well you don't have to wait any longer if you visit the St Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum. The museum allows you to get hands on by touching history including this 400 year old treasure chest, a gold bar and more.  The St Augustine Pirate and Treasure museum features one of the largest collections dedicated to pirates. The museum follows the pirate life from Port Royal to the open seas and features over 800 artifacts, some dating back to the 1600's.  Taken: November 12, 2011 at St Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum (St Augustine, FL)

During the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was a network of paths and hiding places to help slaves escape slavery and head to freedom. But did you know that there was a similar set-up during the Colonial period? This field was once the site of Fort Mose and provided a safe haven for slaves escaping the Virginia Colony. In 1738 the governor of Spanish Florida declared Fort Mose the first sanctioned free black settlement and protected those seeking asylum in La Florida.  While the fort no longer exists, the site has been protected as part of the Fort Mose Historic State Park. It is viewed as the premier site of the Florida Black History Trail and viewed as the precursor to the Underground Railroad by the National Park System. A trail takes you through the marsh that once housed the fort and the park features a museum that tells the story about Fort Mose and its mission of freedom.  Taken: November 12, 2011 at Fort Mose Historic State Park (St Augustine, FL)

As you descend from the Bridge of Lions you can see some of the iconic towers of the St Augustine rising above the Old City. From this view you can see the the towers of Flagler College and Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, the dome from Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church and the city's largest building The Exchange Bank Building.  Founded in September 1565, St Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States. As you travel around the city, you will find some of the oldest buildings in Florida located along the streets of the Old City. The four towers seen here from the bridge were built between 1793 and 1927.  Taken: November 13, 2011 (St Augustine, FL)

Believe it or Not! Robert Earl Hughes was the largest man to register for the draft. Wearing a modified size 56 overalls, Hughes weighed in at a whopping 1,071 pounds. When he passed away in 1958, he was buried in a coffin the size of a piano case.  This is one of the oddities on display at the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum in St Augustine. Founded by cartoonist Robert Ripley, it was founded to showcase the oddities of the world that appeared in Ripley's popular cartoon strip.  Taken: November 11, 2011 at Ripley's Believe It or Not (St Augustine, FL)

The night gives way to to the day as the sun begins to rise over the Atlantic Ocean at Anastasia State Park in St Augustine, Florida. As the sun begins to break the horizon, the dark sky comes to light with the bright colors of the sun.  Anastasia State Park is a coastal park located across Matanzas Bay from historic St Augustine. The park is located on the historic Spanish coquina quarry. From this quarry, the Spanish got the stone needed to build Castillo San Marcos in the old city. Today it is a popular state park with miles of beaches, a campground and hiking trails.  Taken: November 12, 2011 at Anastasia State Park (St Augustine, FL)

Here is a look inside the surgical suite at the Spanish Military Hospital Museum in the historic city of St Augustine. The museum provides a look into medical treatments and equipment from the Second Spanish Period which lasted from 1784-1821. The museum docent takes you through the hospital and explains the procedures that doctors performed on soldiers and also a look into apothecary treatments during this time period. While the procedures and care are barbaric by today's standards, these were top notch services during this period. (Photo: March 17, 2020)

Like a photo from the past, canned goods line the shelves of the Oldest Store Museum. Frozen in time, the museum is a throwback to when the corner store was your one-stop shop for everything you needed from canned goods, fresh meats, the latest and greatest electronics, firearms and much more. Modeled after the 1908 CF Hamblen General Store, the museum brings to life the pages of a 20th century Sears and Roebuck catalog. (Photo: March 17, 2020)

Pedro Menendez de Aviles stands tall among the wax figures preserved at the Potters Wax Museum in St Augustine. King Phillip II of Spain sent Menendez to capture the French settlement of Fort Carolina. Following the capturing of the fort, Menendez and his crew settled St Augustine where he would become the first Spanish Colonial Governor in Florida. This figure of Menendez is one of 160 political, celebrity, historical figures and more that are preserved in the nation's oldest wax museum. (Photo: March 17, 2020)

With the invention of the tin can trailer, the state of Florida saw its first real influx of tourism. The Model T pickup was converted to a camper and travelers ate out of tin cans which led to the term tin can travelers. It really opened up the country for families which could not travel safely in wagon trains. (Photo: March 17, 2021)

Welcome to the block, I am the Sheriff and I've got my eyes on you son. While it may look like a nice Victorian estate from the outside, the Old Jail in St Augustine was pure hell inside. When Henry Flagler built his luxurious hotel in town, he needed to move the jail. So he found a parcel north of town to build a new jail, however this was right along his rail line so he didn't want his guests to pass an eyesore so he built it to resemble a pink mansion. However the living conditions inside the mansion were horrible. Overcrowding and disease as well as mistreatment of the prisoners were common practice during the early days of the prison. The old jail stood as the St Johns County jail until 1953. Today it is on the National Register of Historic Places and can be toured by costumed tour guides telling the stories of those who were worked or were incarcerated at the old jail. (Photo: March 17, 2020)

Hop aboard the Trolley of the Doomed and embark on a tour of the dark side of the ancient city that will drive you to an early grave. The Ghosts and Gravestones tour takes you on a haunted history tour of St Augustine with stops at a haunted cemetery, a creepy wax museum and a deadly jail while telling you the dark stories of the nation's oldest city. (Photo: March 16, 2020)

When people think of Florida, the image of the American Alligator may come to mind. But did you know, there are actually 24 species of Crocodilians? Did you also know that at the St Augustine Alligator Farm you can see not only alligators but all twenty four species of crocodilians. From the large and aggressive Nile Crocodile to the Indian Gharial pictured here, they are all on display at one of the oldest continuously operated attractions in Florida. (Photo: March 16, 2020)

While the city has grown outside the boundaries of the old city walls, these gate still stand as a reminder of the fortified Spanish city of St Augustine. The nation's oldest city, St Augustine was founded by the Spanish in 1565. The Spanish fortified the city with a series of fort and walls to keep their people safe. These gates were the only way to enter the safety of the fortified city. As the city grew into modern times, there are still reminders throughout the ancient city. (Photo: March 17, 2020)