Early 1800sFL HistorySt. Augustine

Mandarin, May 30, 1872

s the only seaport city of any size inFlorida, St. Augustine has manyattractions. Those who must choose a

Southern home, and who are so situated thatthey must remain through the whole summer inthe home of their choice, could not do betterthan to choose St. Augustine. It is comparativelyfree from malarial fevers; and the sea-air tempersthe oppressive heats of summer, so that they are

quite endurable. Sea-bathing can be practised insuitable bathing-houses; but the sharks makeopen sea-bathing dangerous.

If one comes expecting a fine view of the openocean, however, one will be disappointed; forAnastasia Island–a long, low sand-bar–stretchesits barren line across the whole view, giving onlyso much sea-prospect as can be afforded by thearm of the sea–about two miles wide–whichwashes the town. Little as this may seem of the

(excerpts from Palmetto Leaves pages 214-222)

The book, Palmetto Leaves, was published in 1872. The author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, was living in Mandarin, Florida(near Jacksonville). In this excerpt, she describes St. Augustine in the late 1800’s

ocean, the town lies so flat and low, that, instormy weather, the waves used to be driven upinto it, so as to threaten its destruction. A sea-wall of solid granite masonry was deemednecessary to secure its safety, and has beenerected by the United-States Government. Thiswall affords a favorite promenade to theinhabitants, who there enjoy good footing andsea-breezes.

We were visiting in a house which is a model for ahot climate. A wide, cool hall runs through thecentre; and wide verandas, both above and below,go around the whole four sides. From these wecould look down at our leisure into the foliage of arow of Magnolia grandiflora, now in blossom. Ivy,honey-suckles, manrundia, and a host of otherclimbing-plants, make a bower of these outsidecorridors of the house. The calla-lilies blossomalmost daily in shaded spots; and beds of fragrantblue violets are never without flowers.

The secret of gardening well hereis to get things that love the sun.Plants that come originally fromhot regions, and that rejoice thehotter it grows, are those to besought for. The date-palm hasmany beautiful specimens in thegardens of St. Augustine. A date-palm, at near view, is as quaintand peculiar a specimen ofNature as one can imagine. Itstrunk seems built up of greatscales, in which ferns and vinesroot themselves, and twine andramble, and hang in festoons.Above, the leaves, thirty feetlong, fall in a feathery arch, and

in the centre, like the waters of a fountain,shoot up bright, yellow, drooping branches thatlook like coral. These are the flower-stalks. Thefruit, in this climate, does not ripen so as to begood for any thing.

One very pretty feature of the houses herestruck me agreeably. There is oftentimes a sortof shaded walk under half the house, openingupon the garden. You go up a dusty street, andstand at a door, which you expect will open intoa hall. It opens, and a garden full of flowers andtrees meets your view. The surprise is delightful.In one garden that we visited we saw a century-plant in bud. The stalk was nineteen feet high;and the blossoms seemed to promise to besimilar to those of the yucca. The leaves are likethe aloe, only longer, and twisted and contortedin a strange, weird fashion.

Horse-drawn railroad to St. Augustine