Tag: gates

The Old City Gates

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Although visitors to St. Augustine today are free to drive through or walk around the oldest part of the city, it wasn’t always this way. 

In the beginning, there was only one way in.

After a devastating attack by the British in 1702, the city of St. Augustine made the decision to fortify its outer rims.  One hundred and fifty years old at the time, the city began constructing earthen walls from the Castillo to the San Sebastián river, completely surrounding the city. Several large redoubts were added and supplied with artillery and ammunition.  Still not satisfied with their own safety, an additional wall, the Rosario Line, was added on the western part of town.  

Although some deterioration has taken place over time, as you approach the North end of St. George Street, you can still spy the Santo Domingo redoubt and the earthen walls.

The most striking part of that approach, however, is the old city gates, still standing strong.  Built of almost indestructible coquina, they once marked the only entrance into St. Augustine.  Today, you can access the old city from many points, however, this rough and weathered entryway still welcomes visitors who come to shop, dine and see the old city, with a picturesque approach.

If ghost stories are of interest to you, one you might hear is that of Elizabeth, a young girl who succumbed to the one adversary that the city’s fortifications could not keep out…a murderer…yellow fever. 

Elizabeth’s body was found abandoned at the very spot tourists today pose for selfies, the city gates.

As the deadly plague spread throughout the city, residents cowered while watching relatives and neighbors succumb in great numbers, fearing that this scourge would claim them as well. These bodies were removed from the city’s boundaries and buried in the Huguenot cemetery across the street from the city’s entry point.  This Protestant burial ground, in use from 1821 until 1884, was where the unclaimed body of Elizabeth was taken and interred.

While during the day, wandering near the gates and the cemetery might seem harmless enough, you might think otherwise when the fog rolls in from the bay during the darkest hours of night.

Ghost tours, a popular attraction, sometimes lead their customers near these gates after dark, but beware.

Perhaps you will spot the clientele and their guide.

But if you see a lone visitor…one in a simple white dress…you might have to wonder if its Elizabeth trying to find her way back in.

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Old City Gates