Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, a city, port of entry, and county-seat of St. John co., Fla.; on the Matanzas river, near the Atlantic Ocean, on the Florida and East Coast Canal and the Florida East Coast railroad; 36 miles S. of Jacksonville. It occupies a peninsula formed by the Matanzas river on the E. and the St. Sebastian river on the S. and W. Directly in front is Anastasia Island, forming a breakwater. Here are the State Institute for the Blind, Deaf, and Dumb, the Sisters of St. Joseph and St. Mary's Convents, Wilson Public Library, United States barracks, United States government building, the great Ponce de Leon, Cordova, and Alcazar hotels, and two newspapers. The chief industries are the manufacture of cigars and palmetto straw goods, dairying and the growing of agricultural and horticultural products. The city, however, is principally of importance as a winter resort. The climate is mild and equable, there being only a few days in winter when invalids cannot take regular out-door exercise. The gardens and squares are full of palmettoes, Spanish daggers, orange and citron trees, date

palms, magnolia, and bananas. St. Augustine is the oldest town in the United States, a fort having been built here by the Spaniards in 1565. As early as 1512 Ponce de Leon landed near the site of the city. In 1763 it became a British possession, and during the Revolutionary War was an important military depot. Later it again passed into the hands of Spain, and was ceded to the United States in 1821. Pop. (1910) 5,494; (1920) 6,192.