Part Of Europe's Oldest Settlement In The U.S. And Was Thought Of Having Mystical Waters
Travel back in time and visit the original site of the nation's oldest city, now Ponce de Leon's Fountain Of Youth: Archeological Park. Located in the area first explored by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, St. Augustine is the oldest European settlement in the United States, with a long, rich history spanning 500 years. Travel through an historically accurate Native American village. Listen to a cannon blast off. Watch tour guides (fully in character and in period-accurate clothing) pound red-hot iron at a blacksmith exhibit. It's a full-on sensory experience that can only be had at the Fountain Of Youth.
Before guests can immerse themselves in the 1500's life they are met at the gate with a “classic example of a family-owned Florida road-side attraction,” said Public Relations Manager Kit Keating. “This is a real 'pile the kids into the station wagon and go on a road trip' type of place. It's right out of the 40s. It's very kishe and wonderful. The fun thing about this park is that duality. The front is charming, retro. Then the back of the book is textbook history that is incredibly important to the United States.”
In the front of the park is a planetarium that demonstrates celestrial navigation, turning the night sky back to the way it appeared on April 2, 1513 (when Ponce de Leon arrived in America). There is also a Discovery Globe (“real state of the art 1950s technology”), a giant globe of the earth that's 30 feet tall and slowly spins for an educational presentation.
For people looking for a unique travel experience, the large retro exhibits are a must-see. But the park doesn't end there. Far from it.
As guests leave the front of the park they pass by a reconstructed church of Nombre de Dios and an historically correct Timucua village, based on the lives of the Native Americans who lived in the area around 2400 BC. It includes several hand-made Native American buildings, “fully realized inside and out.” There are living history interpreters around the village in authentic clothing who are there to tell guests more about their culture and history, about life in the village and discuss how the Timucua hunted, fished and made pottery, “then how they slipped away into history.”
Further into the park is the Menendez Settlement Field and a functional blacksmith exhibit. A historically accurate cannon is fired off once an hour. Throughout the day there are also old-style firearm demonstrations. Each of these exhibits are staffed by historically correct re-enactors.
“The thing I like best,” said Keating, “is the cannon, which represents the classic six-ound falconet. From a sensory point of view, it's very satisfying. You get to see, hear, feel and smell history right in front of you. There's a Spanish colonial soldier talking to you... It's a really top-notch exhibit.”
While guests can become anamored with all of the exhibits and demonstrations, the history of the land itself never leaves anyone's mind. The park is home to five first occurrences that are important to the country's history, said Keating.
“This is the location of St. Augustine's first settlement. We glibbly say it's the nation's oldest city, but what we really mean is it's the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in what is now the United States,” Keating explained. “The park is also the location of the first recorded Thanksgiving celebration between Europeans and Native Americans in the country. And the first Christianized Native American burials in the United States were here at the park, starting in 1587. The first Christian mission church, The Mission of Nombre de Dios, was here on the property, built that same year. And lastly, the first muster of militia men in the United States were here.”
Many people think of New England when they hear about pilgrims and the first settlements. But Colonial America started right at the location of the park, 55 years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock and 42 years before Jamestown.
“Most people I speak with did not realize that this level of early United States history existed here,” said Keating. “They are fascinated at how deep Spanish history is related to United States history.”
So what brought the Spanish to St. Augustine? Was it really the lore of the Fountain Of Youth? The promise of riches?
Ponce de Leon was the first officially sanctioned Spanish explorer to land in the United States (“or what was to become of it.”) He was a mid-level commander in the Spanish colonization of the Carribean. According to Keating, he rose to power very quickly and was “absolutely ruthless” in his attempt to Europeanize the islands down there. He was made governor of Puerto Rico as an award.
“But in a fascinating twist of history,” continued Keating, “Christopher Columbus' son, Diego, brought up a legal point, saying that Christopher and his first generation got to rule all those islands, which was true. So the King gave him a booby prize, telling him he knew of a land in the New World. He wanted him to go scout it out and see what was there and claim it as Spain.”
While nobody is sure exactly where Ponce de Leon landed, historians and other researchers have made the educated guess that it's right in St. Augustine. And yes, the Fountain of Youth was in the back of his mind.
“The legend actually comes from biblical references,” said Keating. “In this point in time, Spain – as a culture – was a little bruised. Their homeland had been conquered first by the Romans, then the Visighoths then North Africa. It wasn't until 1500 that they got it all back. It was a case of Spain thinking they were alone against the world. Any hope that they could latch onto for help against the teeming evilness all around them, anything, was fair game. The Fountain Of Youth was part of that hope.”
So while Ponce de Leon was on a voyage of discovery for the crown, the legend did factor into some of his moves. For this reason, the park states that this is the location “where legend meets history.”
It's easy to see why Ponce de Leon may have felt the water at St. Augustine was possibly the legendary Fountain of Youth. Not only was the water on his ship warm and fishy, but the location of the park is beautiful, with 15 waterfront acres.
“The park itself is just beautiful,” said Keating. “The foliage, the natural layout of the land... You can see and smell the ocean while you stand under oak and cedar trees. There's gently swaying Spanish moss. And there are 45 free-range peacocks that live here that really dress up the place.”
Keating has been with the organization for over four years and the setting has never gotten old to him. He still finds it delightful. In fact, it's one of the reasons he loves being there. For him, it's hard to be stressed when you're “working in paradise.”
The Fountain of Youth park hosts upward of 200,000 people a year. It's remained popular because it's “truly one of a kind.” Florida's oldest attraction is a “delightful blend” of legend and textbook history. It's one of the only places where guests can immerse themselves completely in another period of time, where the sights, sounds and even the people around them are reminiscent of the 1500s.
Said Keating: “It's really a special place.”
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Compass RV Park, with immediate proximity to historic St. Augustine, the beaches, and Interstate 95. Once guests settle in at Compass RV Park, they can really relax.