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| Magnolia Avenue from the Red Train |
St. Augustine is a great place to spend a weekend or a week,
but you can’t see it all in one day. We
started the morning with a town trolley ride, to see what we had to choose
from. Then we got off at the Lightner
Museum. It was originally a magnificent
“destination hotel” before that concept was known, but Henry Flagler thought
there should be a wonderful place to go, and ways to spend money in St.
Augustine – so he built the railroad this far.
Then he put up a few grand hotels, built a bridge to the beaches on the
eastern shore and threw in a few beautiful churches and homes and businesses
for good measure. Once again we see
Florida development linked to Henry Flagler.
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| The courtyard at the Alcazar Hotel now Lightner Museum |
His fortune came from being co-founder of Standard Oil,
along with John D. Rockefeller.
Fortunately for Florida, he used it to fund development that would
change the face of this state, and did it in a style that would last longer
than himself – using only the finest architects, designers and artisans. We saw Tiffany glass windows in Spanish
inspired architecture, with complex mosaic floors and the finest of mahogany
woodwork and carvings in all of the buildings.
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| Courtyard entrance Hotel Ponce de Leon now Flagler College |
A second hotel was built across the street, and in 1968 that
hotel became Flagler College, a liberal arts school on an inspirational
campus. Across from the campus he built
the landmark Presbyterian Church as a memorial to his daughter Jenny, who died
as a young woman in childbirth. He is
buried in the church with Jenny, her infant child and his first wife and mother
of Jenny.
Finally, we walked across the Lions Bridge, right above the
marina where Reunion is slipped, and took a photo of the Spanish Galleon ship
that hosts tours. Also in the marina are
a day cruise ship, and a fine pirate ship that can be chartered. Tonight we can hear music from the shore
where a wedding party is celebrating on the rooftop of a historic building.
This is definitely a “don’t miss” experience for Loopers and
a great stopping place for anyone traveling this way. We will come again to visit St. Augustine.
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| Glass displays at the Lightner Meuseum |
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| A Louis Comfort Tiffany Window |
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| The Church to memorialize Flaglers daughter |
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| Bridge of Lions |
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| Reproduction of a Spanish Galleon |
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