The Wandering Disciple

Built by Henry Flagler in 1885, the Ponce De Leon Hotel was a luxurious hotel in St. Augustine, Florida. The hotel hosted many famous guests throughout the years. The building would later be used as a World War II Training Center and became a part of Flagler College in 1968. (Photo: November 11, 2011)

St. Augustine, Florida: A beacon of light on the rough seas of the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Augustine Lighthouse has helped ships navigate these waters for over 130 years. Over the years, the lighthouse has withstood wars, storms and tragedy while still shining its light on the horizon, guiding ships to safety. Lighthouses in St. Augustine have been in existence way before today’s lighthouse was built. Early accounts show that there was a beacon of light to guide ships during the piracy days of the late 1500’s. The first formal reference to a lighthouse was during British occupation of the city in the late 1700’s. The first lighthouse was built by the Spanish in 1737. Using coquina from a quarry on the island, they built a lighthouse tower. The tower served as the St. Augustine Lighthouse until it fell victim to the sea in 1880, crashing into the water. The current lighthouse was built in 1874. At 165 feet in height, it was the largest structure in the region. Its first order F...

St. Augustine, Florida: The sun rose over day three of our trip, our final day in St. Augustine. Since we had a long drive ahead of us and school/work in the morning, it will be a short day in the city. We broke down camp, packed up the truck and explored the park a bit before heading out. Our first stop of the day was at the St. Augustine Lighthouse. From there we climbed the 219 steps to the top of the lighthouse. We were rewarded with a spectacular view of the city and surrounding area from 165 feet in the air. Once we returned back to the ground, we encountered some of the lighthouse’s famous ghostly appearances. We were the first customers allowed into the lighthouse. My son and I climbed to the top while my wife waited at the base. When we returned to the ground, there was a fresh (wet) shoeless footprint on the tile floor. Just one and so detailed you could see toes, heel and arch. However no-one was in the hall without shoes during the whole time and there was only one...

St. Augustine, Florida: Take a trip into the darkness of the third most haunted city in the country onboard Ripley’s Ghost Train Adventure. Board the train and listen to the dark history of the oldest city in the county, while stopping to look for paranormal activity at three haunted locations. The tour begins at the Warden Castle, home to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. Here you are issued an EMF detector and a disposable camera to use on your tour. After a brief introduction and lesson on your equipment, the group boards the train and its off to explore the city. As you travel the city, the hosts tell you stories of the various haunted establishments in the city. From the ghost that charges the fences of the Tolomato Cemetery to the ghost of a little girl that is found near the city gates, these are just a few of the stories that St. Augustine has to offer. The first stop of our tour was Castillo de San Marcos. From here, we split into two groups and explored the grounds of...

St. Augustine, Florida: A collection of collections is the best way to describe the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine. On display here are various relics from the 19th century ranging from the usual sculptures and paintings to the unusual Egyptian mummy and shrunken head. The items on display here are the personal collection of Otto Lightner, a publisher from Chicago. In 1946, he purchased the three story Alcazar Hotel building to house his collection of Victorian antiquities. He opened the musueum two years later and then donated it to the city of St. Augustine. The tour of the museum begins on the first floor. Several collections line the halls that resemble a Victorian Village. Each storefront of the village leads the way to a new collection. As you finish seeing the collections from the village, it is one to the music room. The music room is filled with mechanical musical instruments from the 1870’s to the 1920’s. Rounding out the first floor is the popular Science and ...

St. Augustine, Florida: Nestled away on busy St. George Street is the Colonial Spanish Quarters. Here you can escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and step back into the 1700’s with the help of historical interpreters. Behind the walls lies a village frozen in time just waiting for you to explore. Inside the Spanish village, you get to experience what life was like in St. Augustine during the 1740’s. Look inside authentic Spanish homes, watch the blacksmith work in his shop or sit down at the Spanish pub for a conversation. It doesn’t take long to imagine what life was life for the Spanish inhabitants. Unfortunately, the bad economy forced the City of St. Augustine to close Colonial Spanish Quarters in September of 2011. We did not have the opportunity to explore the village while it was in full operation. However, it was open during our visit to St. Augustine for the Colonial Market. The Colonial Spanish Quarters is anticipated to remain closed until a private owner ste...

St. Augustine, Florida: Standing guard over St. Augustine for over 300 years, Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest fort in the United States. The fort has been home to four separate military occupations and now spends its days as a national monument. When the Spaniards founded the city of St. Augustine in 1565, it quickly went to work building a series of wooden forts to protect the city. However, several pirate attacks demonstrated a weakness in the wooden forts and the Spanish Crown ordered the construction of a masonry fort. Construction of the fort began in 1672 and lasted until 1695. It was constructed with a mixture of small shells and sand called coquina which was mined from nearby King’s Quarry located at present day Anastasia State Park. The coquina was strong enough to build a long-lasting fort while having enough absorption to allow cannon balls to stick in the wall rather then going straight through. The fort saw its first battle in 1702 at the hands of English forces. The...