St. Augustine - the Oldest City in America

We reluctantly  said good bye to the Magic Kingdom and left Walt Disney world and started the second part of our holiday. We left the Magic Kingdom at about 9p.m. just missed the parade and the firework.  Driving north of Orlando for about an hour and half, we got to St. Augustine at around midnight and checked into the Holiday Inn. Each of us was given a welcome bag of goodies consisted of a bottle of water and a package of cookies. It was not a lot but a welcoming gesture indeed. We stayed at many Holiday Inn before but this was the first one that gave off a welcome bag.

St Augustine, a pretty little town full of history of the America past,  is the oldest continuous settled city in the United States.

A shady street in St. Augustine

Jonathan was really good with his two young cousins. Throughout our entire trip, Jonathan consulted them and asked what they would like to see a lot. This time they all voted to see the old jail in St. Augustine.

We signed up for a tour package that included a tour of the Old Jail, the Museum, the General Store an a tram ride of the old town. The best part of the tour was the guided tour by guides/actors in period and inmate costumes. The package was $35.00 for adult and $20.00 for child and lasted about two and half hours.

Chain Gangs - Prisoners chained to perform harsh labour work

I think the better deal would have been  if we just took the tour of the jail at $5.00 per person. Sadie Mae, our jail tour guide dressed in inmate uniform was very animated and delivered the history and information about the jail with dramatic skills and a great sense of humor which captivated everyone`s attention.

We learned a lot about the history of the jail, about the State of Florida and the use of the Chain Gangs – the leasing of the prisoners to companies building roads and other labour intensive projects.

Jail Bird - Punishment for prisoners

We also learned about the origins of the expression “Jail Bird” – When a prisoner disobeyed orders, he could be locked up in a huge bird cage outside and be exposed to the harsh Florida sun anywhere between 12 – 36 hours without water or food and had to do his business in the cage.

 “Home Free “ – Many prisoners were arrested and put into jail for trivial matters or unimportant things such as registering for vote, inquiring for work, being drunk, or sliding down the banister in the tavern etc.  The leasing of Chain Gang to perform harsh labour work was hated by most Floridians.  The prisoners at the time knew that if they escaped from jail and could reach a home somewhere, the people would help them, hence they were “Home Free”

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St. Augustine was an important well fortified town, but one that was never captured.

 It has a very interesting history and is definitely worth a visit! We were glad that we stopped for a day here and I would very much like to come back and spend more time here.

R.T.
St. Augustine, Florida