players-Jen, John, Lincoln, Spencer and Jackson
Our last stop, before we check in to the hotel is the St. Augustine Light Station in St. Augustine, FL. St. Augustine is our country's oldest city. It is beautiful. The streets are brick-lined and the architecture is amazing. When the kids are older I would love to go back and spend a few days there. They definitely wouldn't appreciate all the history at their age or all the walking. For now we will just stick to the lighthouse.
This lighthouse is the oldest brick structure in St. Augustine and it marks the nation's oldest port. It is the third structure to mark this spot. The first was a Spanish watch tower that was built in the late 1500's. The second, which was Florida's first lighthouse, was built in 1824. Although, it survived the Cival War, it did not survive tidal erosion. It was flattened in 1880. Before it was completely destroyed, the current lighthouse had already been erected and in use. The current St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1874. Until 1955, when the lighthouse was automated, the lightkeepers, their assistants and their familes lived and worked on the property. The tower is 167 feet and has 219 steps. Our boys are getting braver and braver. This is a fun lighthouse to visit. You can climb all the way up and circle around on the platform. There are also two houses on the property. One has been turned into a museum and the other is the current gift shop.
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| entering St. Augustine |
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| gift shop |
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| that's a long way down |
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| Mommy & Spence made it to the top |
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| view from the platform |
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| Daddy & Linc made it to the top |
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| lightkeepers house-housed two familes |
I wish I had as much nerve to climb up there as Spencer & Lincoln.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and history lesson!