| Military order, Dec 1, 1865 "All negroes when meeting white people to give them inside of street or walk." Presidential Pardons Starting after the Civil War people began to ask for pardons from the President of the United States. This included Charles Hopkins, Douglas Dummitt, and David Durham. Mayors of the Reconstruction Period Mayors of the Reconstruction period include: Samuel Buffington, Venacio Sanchez, Ramon Canova, Paul Arnau, George Burt, William W. Van Ness, Frank H. Plamer, T. T. Russell, Emanuel Medicies, William Watkins T. A. Pacetti, Captain Thomas F. House, R. S. Relf, and George S. Greeno. Freedmen Bureau School Continues Predating the founding of the St. Johns Public School system African-Americans had the advantage of the Freedmen's Bureau School. The funding for the school was somewhat murky. It relied on rent being paid for use of a building that covered the support of a teacher. In 1866 two schools were reported with Bootts and Harris as teachers listing 220 students (with 67 students being over 16 years of age.In 1867 for C. Smith and Lizzie Smith the school had 98 students For Mrs. Williams in 1867 and Wakeena 1 school was reported as being supported by the freedmen, one school was reported as being sustained in part by freedmen with one building being owned by the freedman. The school had 72 students with 55 in Sunday School. The teachers also founded a temperance society that remained in existence for years to come. (Independent Lincoln Temperance Society) For a Full newspaper treatment of this time period see - St Augustine News 1866-1867 Getting to St. Augustine St. Augustine November 24, 1866 From the unsettled state of affairs in Florida, the past four or five years an impression seems to prevail at the North, that our City is almost inaccessible, or reached with many difficulties. This is not the case. All a traveller has to do is to embark for Savannah and then take the fine Steamer Dictator, the Sylvan Shore, or the Lizzie Baker to Picolata, on the St. John's River, where stages are always in waiting for the arrival of the boat, and to take passengers to this City. The distances but eighteen miles, with a fine road, which is overcome with ease in three hours. From the number of strangers now in town we are becoming more generally known. Lighthouse Relit - The Charleston Daily News, May 14, 1867 Coast of Florida – St. Augustine Lighthouse.—Notice is hereby given that on and after June 1, 1867, the light at St. Augustine, Florida, will be re-exhibited. The light is on the north end of Anastasia Island, south side of entrance to St. Augustine. The focal plane is 57 feet and 6 inches from base of tower, and 71 feet above sea level, and should be seen at a distance of 13 nautical miles. The lens is of the 4th order, white, fixed, varied by flashes, with intervals of 20 seconds, and illuminating an arc of 360 degrees. The tower is white, surmounted by a lantern painted black. The keeper’s dwelling, in front of the tower, seaward, is two stories high, and painted white. Latitude, north 29 50 48; longitude, 81 19 11 west. By order. W. B. Shubrick, Chairman. Treausry Department, Office Lighthouse Board, Washington, D C, May 6, 1867. Court in St. Augustine From Charleston Daily News, June 18, 1867 From St. Augustine – We learn from gentlemen who left St. Augustine on Sunday last, that the town was full of people from all parts o f Florida and from other States, who were in attendance of the United States District Court, Judge Frazier presiding, The Court was opened on Monday, June 3d, a Grand Jury empanelled, of which Buckingham Simth, Esq., is foreman, the Judge delivered his charge to the Jury, and a colored gentleman was sworn to the Jury, and a colored gentleman was sworn in as bailiff, to take charge of the Jury; it so happening that there was no white man around who felt like taking the awful oath required. --- Fernandina Courier. St. Augustine becomes part of the world On Friday, December 27, 1867 a cable was successfully laid across the St. John's River and St. Augustine had a telegraph connection with the world. St Mary's Academy The school of the Sisters of Mercy was still active after the Civil War. It was however an exclusive organization for white children. In May 1867 they gave a recital. Nothing can be pleasanter to any one who has anything of the human about him, than to see children innocent and cheerful enjoying the festivities of the breaking up of a school. The speeches and dialogues recited. The songs sung and the pieces of music excellent played, showed to the minds of the most prejudiced that they Sisters have done all that any could do to train the minds of those entrusted to their charge in a way that besides making them graceful and accomplished also makes them intellectual. The joy of the children and the anxious looks of the parents as each child stepped forward to take its part strongly contrasted and showed to a stranger that St. Augustine society was bound by the strongest ties, namely domestic happiness. There was but one thing to mar the pleasant occasion and that was the absence of our former beloved Father Aubriel, who would have so much delighted in the joyous scene. Board and tuition was $200. They had additional classes in French, Spanish, and German. Students could also learn to draw or play the piano. Cobb House The mansion known as the "Cobb House" recently bought by Mr. Gilbert of New York; but occupied, during the war as a Hospital has been so changed, by skillful hands that, as we passed by there, the other day we scarcely recognized it. It is now perhaps the handsomest place, in the County. Military Rule While the existence of Military rule is unpleasant to any race of people. Still much is done to render it palatable to the people and entitle it to their respect when those in command desire to do only what is just and good for the citizens. Col Martin the Commandant of this Post has always done this and when by the laws of Congress he was compelled to appoint a Mayor in place of Mr. Arnau resigned. He did not select one who was a stranger amongst us. But took one who for twenty-five years has been allied and identified with every city improvement or movement. Mr. Burt, the appointee, we are sure will fill the place to the entire satisfaction of all. No better appointment could have been made. Sisters of St. Joseph In 1868 The Sisters of St. Joseph came from France to teach the newly freed slaves. This was done at the invitation of Augustin Verot who would become St. Augustine's first bishop. There were eight sisters: Marie Sidonie Rascle, superior, Marie Julie Roussel, Josephine Deleage, Saint Pierre Bories, Clemence Freycenon, Marie-Joseph Cortial, Marie Celenie Joubert, and Julie Clotilde Arsac. They originally stayed at the convent of the Sisters of Mary (picture) before being moved to Hospital Street. Later they were moved to the former residence of the Christian Brothers on South Charlotte Street. In the beginning the sisters only knew French. Beginning of St. Johns County Public Schools The end of the Civil War marks the beginning of the Public Schools in St. Johns County. (Florida 1869 constitution for free schools and 1869 enabling law) The first school superintendent was Dr. Oliver Bronson, from a wealthy family in New York City. The school system began with money from the Peabody Foundation for the white schools and the Freedmen's Bureau for the African-American. Public School #2 (the Freedmen's Bureau school was staffed by northern teachers until 1876.) The first African-American teacher graduated as a student from Public School #2. (Names of teachers and letters about school , Public School #2) The Peabody fund was run by Barnas Sears. His relationship with Dr. Bronson was so good that when the State of Florida refused to honor its Reconstruction Bonds the Peabody Fund which had invested in them shut funding down for the state of Florida except St. Augustine. (For St. Augustine Peabody School Songs) Oct 23, 1869 St. Augustine Examiner "We liked to have forgotten our schools. For this purpose let us squint a little to the southward of the Plaza. Do you see that large square stone building, two stories, in the middle of a large lot and which you can hit with a stone from here. That is the Peabody School House. Do you recognise the old City Hall and Court House with its elegant new fence, its back addition and its generally improved appearance. Strain your eyes seaward Northeastwardly and you will see a vessel almost in sight. That vessel contains a thorough sett of school furniture and outfit of the most approved plans. selected at the North by one of the Trustees, Dr. Bronson. About the time of its arrival we are informed will also arrive from the same place on of the most thorough and accomplished teachers and the school will then be opened; say November 1st next. a free school for White Children. Turn to the Westward and you see "St. Mary's Academy for young ladies, situated within the Convent grounds. This institution is under the charge of the Sisters; three of whom thoroughly competent and accomplished teachers, have recently arrived from the North. Attached to which is a Free School for young misses. In the grounds attached to the Cathedral, is an admirable school for boys, under the charge also, of able and experienced teachers. The whole under the supervision of that thorough scholar and gentleman Rev. Father Clavurel. A little further to the West and North, is the new Freedman's School; a fine building, capacious, well arranged, comfortably and creditably finished and furnished. An ornament to this city and a well spring of knowledge for our colored youth. This will also shortly be opened by competent teachers. (Note: the building was authorized on May 26, 1869 with construction approved on July 15, 1869. The building cost 4,000.00. This was for its time the highest priced school in Florida.) Having frequently spoke before of the admirable school of Dr. Simons, in the parish School house of the Episcopal Church, we were well nigh forgetting again to say that no better opportunity for securing a thorough English and Classical Education can be presented elsewhere." School #1 was located on Hospital Street and by this time consisted of a stone building that was two stories tall. D. Waterbury was the superintendent and Fatio Dunham was the secretary. The school opened in November 8,1869. In the beginning because of the shortage of tax funding contributions were made by St. Augustine's leading citizens. The first paid teachers were: Mr. Waterbury, Mr. Hughes, Mrs. Watkins, Mr. Wright (Fruit Cove Public School #3), Mr. Oliveras, and Miss Mather (obit). The first school report of Dr. Bronson was in 1870. To read the St. Johns County portion. In 1872 the Superintendent Oliver Bronson from St. Augustine reported that there were 6 schools in the county with 337 students. The total cost for the school system was 4,183.00 dollars. His visionary report provided a foundation for the educational system well into the 20th century. However, the battle for a free public school system from religious influence was not maintained for long. The school system would eventually begin paying the salaries of the nuns teaching parochial students. This is his report of the St. Johns County School system from the 1870-1871 school year. (1872-1873 Report) The Society of St Benedict the Moor and the St. Augustine Benevolent Society for Catholics Right Rev Bishop Verot gave out last Sunday that there would be a meeting of the coloured men of St Augustine with a view of reorganizing the Society of St Benedict which existed among them, before and during the war, and had afterwards, like so many other things ceased to be as the new order of things inaugurated after the war. We understand that there was a good number of men who answered the call, ad there is a prospect of a good many more coming on Sunday next for the final organization of the Society .....We wish St. Benedict Society and all upright and industrious coloured people full success and constant God-Speed. A Society also existed also among the white male population which was suspended during the war. We learned with pleasure that it had been reorganized and was now in full working order under the name of St. Augustine Benevolent Society. May it, become the instrument of valuable good done among the working classes of our City to assist them when living, when dying, and after death. First African-American Voter Election In 1869 the City had its first election in which African-American males could vote. It would have a much longer wait for all females (1920). (Results of the 1881 St. Augustine Municipal Election) Hotel St. Augustine and the Beginning of the Hotel Industry Hotel St. Augustine was built in 1869 by a partnership of Captain E. E. Vaill, F. H. Palmer, and Dr. Andrew Anderson. T. P House was the architect and builder. The hotel had gaslights, was 200 feet long, three stories high, and contained 80 rooms (140 rooms were added in 1875). In 1884 in Chapin's Hand Book of St. Augustine by Elias Nason included the following description of the hotel: southerly front of 200 feet upon the Plaza and 160 feet on the Bay with wide plazas and hanging balconies from each story overlooking the City, Bay, and Atlantic Ocean. The Dining-Room, Parlors, Billiard-Room, and many of the Sleeping Rooms are elegantly frescoed. It is lighted with gas and provided with water conveniences, electric bells. The dining hall is capable of seating over 300 guests, and the table will be furnished with all the luxuries of the Northern Market. By 1885 the St. Augustine Hotel had 300 rooms that rented for $4 per day. Captain Vaill (a sea captain from Milton, Conn.) was the sole owner of the Hotel St. Augustine in 1887 when the fire that also destroyed the Cathedral destroyed it. Unfortunately, Captain Vaill had canceled the insurance on the hotel because he thought the rates were too high. Lincolnville and New St. Augustine The end of the Civil War also starts the growth of two new communities: Lincolnville and New St. Augustine. New St. Augustine is today's west St. Augustine. For a significant amount of time it was an independent city. Bishop Augustin Verot In 1870 Augustin Verot would become the first Bishop of St. Augustine (1870-1876). Pope Pius IX had elevated St. Augustine to the dignity of an episcopal see. St. Augustine and St. Johns County were growing in the 1870s (Census 1870 - remember former slaves are now on the role). Buckingham Smith (biography with links to written works) January 6, 1871 Buckingham Smith died in New York. He was found earlier on the street and it was supposed he was drunk. He was taken to the Fifteenth Precinct where they realized that he was ill and moved to Bellevue Hospital. He was a State Senator in Florida, Judge in the Internal Revenue Court., 1855 he was Secretary of Legation to the Spanish Embassy and then became the Charge d'Affaires to Mexico. He translated many of the early Spanish records about St. Augustine and is buried in the Huguenot Cemetery. He left his fortune for the use of the black people of St. Augustine and their successors in all time to come. Dr. Oliver Bronson of St. Augustine was his executor. Dr. Bronson formed The Buckingham Smith Benevolent Association. Dr. Bronson donated a house to the organization. The income from Mr. Smith's estate was devoted to the maintenance of the home. The women formed a board of lady managers. Miss Sarah Mather, President, Miss Humphreys and Benet and Mrs. John Sprague, Vice Presidents, Miss Rebecca Perit Treasurer, Miss Margaret Worth, Secretary. The Association officers were Oliver Bronson, President, General John T. Sprague and Oliver Bronson, Jr., Vice Presidents, Dr. Andrew Anderson, Physician and Secretary, and Mr. James W. Allen, Treasurer. The association is still active today. The home was opened on December 8, 1873. William Van Dyke In 1872 William Van Dyke would be appointed as County Commissioner. He is St. Johns County's first African- American official. He also served as a St. Augustine's Marshall from 1872-1874 and 1877-1878. Confederate Civil War Monument Also in 1872 St. Augustine erected through the Daughters of the Confederacy what would become the oldest Confederate Civil War Monument in Florida. This monument was not originally on the plaza but was located a short distance away on St. George Street. The monument is in memory of the 46 Confederate soldiers from St. Augustine that died during the war. Anna Dummett was the person responsible for the erection of the statue. The Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter in St. Augustine is called the Anna Dummett chapter. The quote on the monument is the last words of Stonewall Jackson "Let us pass over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees." The monument is 25 feet high. H. W. Chatfield Post and John A. Logan GAR The white Union Veterans formed the H. W. Chatfield Post No. 11 (early officers) . The original rooster consisted of 75 members. John A. Logan was the African-American Post. A. E. Pappy, Wm Van Dyke, Cato Bailey, William Huling, Jacob Steward, John Robinson, Nathanel Jackson, Sam Osborne, Abram Lancaster, David Twine, and Thomas Hernandez were some of the Logan members. St. Paul AME and First Baptist Church On June 4, 1873 St. Paul AME was founded (picture). In 1874 the First Baptist Church was started (picture) through the efforts of Reverend Ivory Barnes and Mrs. Hamie Williams-Jordan. These African-American churches are still a strong part of the Lincolnville community today. Plains Indians stay at Fort Marion On May 21, 1875 the first group of Plains Indians were held at Fort Marion. They consisted of Kiowa, Comanches, Arapahoes, Cheyenne and one Caddo. There were 62 prisoners that survived. The oldest one was 59, the youngest 16, and 11 were teenagers. Black Horse of the Comanche; Gray Beard (killed on the way), Minimic, Heap of Birds, and Medicine Water of the Cheyenne; Lone Wolf, Woman's Heart, and White Horse of the Kiowa were the Indian leaders. For a short play about the Cheyenne (Tears in the Sand). Lt. Richard H. Pratt (at the time a second lieutenant in the 10th Cavalry (USCT). escorted the Indians to Florida. For the three years the Indians were held at the Fort Pratt found teachers including local Sarah Mathers for vocational skills arithmetic, reading, history, and English. Some of the former prisoners went to the Hampton Institution in Virginia. Pratt would be the founder of the Carlisle Indian Training School in Pennsylvania in 1880. Two of the prisoners were artists and drew pictures of their captivity and their life on the plains. One artist was Zotom (drawing from Fort Marion after arriving), a Kiowa, (Kiowa drawings) the others Cheyenne: Squint Eyes (Tichkematse),Howling Wolf (drawing), Making Medicine (drawing) and Cohoe (Lame Man)(ledger drawing of Cohoe's) (second ledger drawing). This is a partial list of the Native American captives and their "crimes" (Partial list of Plains Indians staying at Fort Marion.) (picture) Later Sarah Mather would travel to the Dakotas and encourage new students for the Carlisle School. She and Miss Semple (another of the former Freedmen Bureau's teachers at St. Augustine) would become teachers during the set-up at Carlisle. (For the story of life at Carlisle, Roman Nose, and Sarah Mather on the Plains) Hotels of St. Augustine The grand hotel of this period was the St. Augustine Hotel. The hotel bordered on the plaza. E. E. Vaill was the proprietor. The hotel had been built in 1869 and expanded by 1877. It was lit with gas. The dinning room held 300 people. It had a telegraph and billiard room. The Magnolia Hotel was another favorite. It was located on St. George Street and advertised single rooms and apartments, holding up to 150 sleeping rooms. The Marion house was another alternative. It was located on Charlotte Street run by R. Palmer & Co. It charged $3 a day. The Florida House was built in 1875 and contained 131 rooms. It had gas lights, steam heat and a passenger elevator. The Greeno boarding house was on Marine street and could hold between 30 and 40 guests. The Hernandez House held 21 rooms on Charlotte St. The Ocean View Motel run by W.S.M. Pinkham had room for 30 sleeping rooms. The house was completed in 1884. The Rolleston House contained 40 rooms and was erected in 1882. Death of Dr. Oliver Bronson By 1876 Dr. Bronson is dead. Rev. C. O. Reynolds of the Presbyterian Church becomes the 2nd Superintendent of St. Johns County Public Schools. This arrangement is only temporary. By the 1877 school year Thomas Russell becomes the 3rd superintendent. (Rev. C. O. Reynolds letter) (questions on the AMA Teacher's cottage by Thomas Russell) Bronson Cottage In 1876 Bronson Cottage was constructed at 252 St. George Street. This house was built for Robert and Isabel Donaldson Bronson as a winter cottage. The architect was Alexander Jackson Davis one of the most famous architects of the time. St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church was founded on May 25, 1875 with Rev. Ivory Barnes as pastor. The church was an offshoot of 1st Baptist. Constance Fenimore Woolson Constance Fenimore Woolson becomes a boarding house favorite after the Civil War. For a taste of her writing read "The Ancient City" from Harper's New Monthly Magazine in January of 1875. St. Johns Carries out a Clean final Reconstruction Election The final election for Reconstruction included the very disputed election of Ruthford B. Hayes and like 2000 Florida was a battle ground state. St. Johns County election results presided over by Judge George Atwood was not contested. Go to Post Reconstruction |
| Reconstruction in St. Augustine 1865-1877 ab urbe condita - 300 to 312 "Stare decisis?" by Gil Wilson |
| George Peabody Library of Congress |
| Confederate Civil War Monument |
| Hotel St. Augustine |
| Magnolia Hotel - Florida State Archives |
| Florida House - Florida State Archives |