Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

March 31, 2022

St. Augustine, FL

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument has protected the city of St. Augustine for hundreds of years. The fort began construction in October of 1672 by Governor Manuel Cendoya. Previously, the fortifications that stood in the place of Castillo de San Marcos were built with wood. These wooden structures could not withstand the attacks or Florida's weather hurdles. According to the National Parks Service website, known as America's oldest masonry fortress, the Castillo is the only military construction from the 17th century still standing in the United States. The fort was named a national monument in 1924 and then put under the National Park Service's care a few years later in 1933. This creation is an engineering marvel and is visited by thousands of tourists each year. 

Website Link: https://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm 

Artifact 1

The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is a fortress made out of a stone called coquina. This type of stone is made up of compressed seashells. Coquina is formed over thousands of years by an acidic substance acting as a glue for the small shells to solidify and become limestone. The term coquina is a Spanish word that means tiny shell. Coquina used to build the fort was found in what is today Anastasia State Park. After the Spanish realized how resilient the coquina stone was, a wall was built around the city with coquina to protect the people of St. Augustine.  

Artifact 2

When the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument was built, the surrounding moat was not meant to hold any water. This area was for the cattle, animals, and a protective barrier for when the fort was under attack. In 1936, the moat surrounding the fort was filled with water by the National Park Service to serve as more of an attraction. A few years later, the National Park Service realized filling the moat with water was damaging the monument. The foundation was found badly damaged and repairs were made after the water was drained. 

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

In Conversation Image 1

Coming from Oklahoma and having a military background, I was reminded of Fort Sill, Oklahoma which became the new home for the Apache Tribe Indians. During the relocation of the Native Americans, the American government relocated the Apache Tribe from Florida to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Following the frontier era, the Fort Sill was considered to be handed back to the Apache Tribe. However, the fort was instead expanded to house the School of Fire in 1911, an Infantry School in 1913, and the Army Air Services Post Field in 1917. More than 50,000 soldiers trained here during World War II. Today, what was the School of Fire is the Field Artillery School. Officers and enlisted personnel receive both basic and advanced training here. 

Photo Link: https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/first-confirmed-covid-19-case-at-fort-sill/

In Conversation Image 2

Fort Matanzas is a monument not far from the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. This fortification is located off the Matanzas River and is also taken care of by the National Park Service. I thought of this fort because it was created with a similar style to the Castillo de San Marcos and acted as an aid to the Castillo. Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish to protect the back entrance to the city of St. Augustine in 1742. The location was intentional because the Castillo de San Marcos fort could not protect the city from the rear. By building protection at the entrance to the Matanzas Inlet, Spanish soldiers could still guard St. Augustine from attacks. Later, Fort Matanzas became a National Monument on October 15, 1924. 

Photo Link: https://gregdisch.com/2020/10/22/fort-matanzas-national-monument/ 

In Conversation Literature

Parable of the Sower Graphic Novel

Damian Duffy 

"For survival, position, power.

They remember old hates and generate new ones,

They create chaos and nurture it.

They kill and kill and kill.

Until they are exhausted and destroyed,

Until they are conquered by outside forces..." 

When reading the Parable of the Sower, this quote reminded me of the Castillo de San Marcos Fort and how much conflict the fortification has been through. Humans can act in evil ways to get what they want. When the fort endured wars and attacks, there was chaos, fighting, and death. Just like the excerpt from Parable of the Sower, soldiers would kill until they conquered and attained what they set out to get. To survive, and obtain position and power, wars would break out causing only negative impacts. Many conflicts took place throughout the Castillo de San Marcos Fort's history, but we learn today from those actions. 

Creative Component

Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center

March 24, 2022

St. Augustine, Florida

What used to be the Excelsior High School building is now home to the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center located in the historic district of Lincolnville in St. Augustine, Florida. In 1925 Excelsior became St. Johns county's first public high school, in 2005 it became the Excelsior Museum and Cultural Center, and the year 2012 brought about the name it is today. The museum's goal is to share the rich African American history stories through their exhibits and programs held on the historical site. Exhibits such as ways of life, the military, and women who made a difference show the evolution of St. Augustine's black history throughout the past 450 years. 

Website Link: https://www.lincolnvillemuseum.org/ 

Artifact 1

During the Civil Rights Movement, a sit-in took place here in St. Augustine, Florida. Above is the same counter and chairs from Woolworth's, a cafe here in town during the time where a sit-in took place. In protest, eight students who attended Florida Memorial College sat at this same lunch counter on March 15, 1960. JoeAnn Anderson Ulmer, Samuel White, Audrey Nell Edwards, and Willie Carl Singleton were called the St. Augustine Four and they were four of the eight students who demonstrated the sit-in. They were arrested and taken to jail. 

Artifact 2

Before the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center was the museum it holds today, it was the school for black youth in the Lincolnville community in the early 1900s. When Excelsior High School opened in 1925, it was the first black public school in town. The photos on display in the museum show a few of the graduating classes of students. Excelsior High School was an educational institution for over 40 years and educated many who went on to succeed in life. 

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

In Conversation Image 1

Outside the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, there are bricks on the ground with writing engraved. Some of these bricks are dedicated to the loving memory of those who have passed before us. The picture above holds Leslie Andrea Jones's loving memory and her legacy of living on through her daughters. The picture next to the bricks is of the stars on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. These plaques reminded me of the bricks outside the museum because they both memorialize and recognize people. Walking on top of people's names makes you reflect and think about them and their memory. 

Photo Link: https://www.underlondonlights.com/hollywood-walk-of-fame-stars-handprints/

In Conversation Image 2

Willie Galimore was a graduate of Excelsior High School and made a successful career as an All-American football player. He attended college at Florida A&M and helped the team to win four conference titles and a championship game. He then played for the Chicago Bears starting in 1956. During his time playing for the Bears, Galimore made records and carried the team to victories. He died in July of 1964 while on a training camp in India. He died in a car accident with his teammate John Farrington. After his passing, the No. 28 jersey that Galimore wore was retired in honor of him. 

Photo Link: https://imasportsphile.com/nfl-chicago-bears-rb-willie-galimore-willie-the-wisp/ 

In Conversation Literature 

Excerpt from Habitat Threshold

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Glacier

Craig Santos Perez

"When the glacial terminus broke,

it marked the beginning 

of one of many waves."

Though this poem refers to the environment and glaciers, I see the relation to the racial culture that was exhibited in society during the Civil Rights Movement. Years ago when America was battling the segregation of African Americans, movements, protests, and demonstrations were seen happening quite frequently. We see that when one injustice took place, a movement would generate. Just like the sit-in here in St. Augustine, demonstrations such as this were happening all over the country crying out for the fight against segregation. The "glacial terminus breaking" relates to when an unfair event would happen to cause the "beginning of one of many ways." Bigger movements were born from smaller injustices taking place and that connection is referenced in "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Glacier." 

Creative Component

Lightner Museum

March 10, 2022

St. Augustine, FL

What was known as the Alcazar Hotel built by Henry Flagler is now the Lightner Museum located in the middle of historic St. Augustine, Florida. The inside of the museum houses numerous art and history exhibits that guests can walkthrough. The art and paintings displayed in the Lightener are collections of Otto C. Lightner who bought the Alcazar Hotel in 1947. Otto Lightner turned the hotel into the museum it is today to showcase his collections that visitors come from all over the world to see. 

Lightner Museum Website: https://lightnermuseum.org/ 

Artifact 1

Felix F. de Crano was the artist of the painting of King Street above. De Crano was a French-American born in 1839. When Felix F. de Crano would come down to St. Augustine for the winter, he would be a part of the Flagler Colony, a group of artists here in St. Augustine. This group would stay in Henry Flagler's hotel, the Ponce de Leon, where they had access to art supplies and where they were close to the beautiful architecture of the city that they would paint. The photo above is a painting by Felix F. de Crano titled King Street Looking East done in 1906. 

Artifact 2

The above display is a collection of items from the Alcazar Hotel pool. When what is now the Lightner Museum was the Alcazar Hotel, it held the largest indoor pool in the world. The Women's Swimming Championship was held here in 1925. Today it acts as an event space and holds the Alcazar Cafe. 

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

In Conversation Image 1

The view of the inside of the Lightner Museum looks very similar to the inside of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. Both buildings have the same architectural style. The photo on the top shows the Egyptian Museum and the photo on the bottom shows the Lightner Museum. The similarities can be seen in the rounded arches and the balcony on the second floor that looks onto the lobby floor. The Lightner Museum also has many columns just like the Egyptian Museum not seen in the photo. The museum in Cairo was constructed and designed by a French architect and the museum here in St. Augustine was built and inspired by Spanish artists in the form of Mediterranean Revival style architecture. Though both museums have vast differences, the architectural styles are quite similar. 

Cairo Museum Photo Link: https://lemiapp.com/michfrancesca/travel-for-history/the-museum-of-egyptian-antiquities 

Lightner Museum Photo Link: https://pixels.com/featured/1-the-lightner-museum-rich-franco.html

In Conversation Image 2

The Lightner Museum held many different artifacts and one that I found interesting was the Egyptian mummy of a child from the year 500 BC. This artifact reminded me of the Royal Mummies Hall in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. This room displays the mummies of Egypt's past royal kings and queens. Out of the 20 mummies on display, 2 are queens and 18 are kings. The way that the Egyptians preserved bodies after death can be greatly appreciated when seeing these mummies from the 17th through 20th dynasty displayed and intact today in the Egyptian Museum. 

Photo Link: https://newsus.cgtn.com/news/2021-05-19/Egypt-opens-two-new-museums-at-Cairo-International-Airport--10nB1UHrTHy/index.html 

In Conversation Literature

Excerpt from Habitat Threshold 

Love in a Time of Climate Change

Pablo Neruda

"I love you as one loves last seed saved within a vault" 

This excerpt reminds me of the way that special artifacts are saved and taken care of in the Lightner Museum today. "The last seed saved within a vault" can refer to the paintings and collections that the museum has on display that were pieces chosen to save from history. The museum acts as a type of "vault" for these artifacts. A vault keeps something valuable and special protected and these pieces of history are worth protecting for people to come to appreciate. 

Creative Component

Charcoal on paper.

Walking around the Lightner Museum I saw many sculptures of busts. The art pieces exhibited in the museum inspired me to draw my own bust out of charcoal.