Anastasia Island is an island off the northeast Atlantic coast of
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The island is located east and southeast of
St. AugustineSt. Augustine is the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, in the United States. Founded in 1565, it is the oldest continuously occupied European established city, and the oldest port, in the continental United States. St. Augustine lies in a region of Florida known as The First Coast, which...
. Part of the island (the Davis Shores and Lighthouse Park neighborhoods) is within St. Augustine city limits, while other communities on the island include
St. Augustine BeachSt. Augustine Beach is a city in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,683 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,002....
, Coquina Gables,
Butler BeachButler Beach is a census-designated place in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,436 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Butler Beach is located at ....
,
Crescent BeachCrescent Beach is an unincorporated census-designated place in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 985 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crescent Beach is located at ....
, and Anastasia. It is separated from the mainland by the
Matanzas RiverMatanzas River is a body of water located in St. Johns and Flagler Counties in Florida. Contrary to its name, it is not actually a river at all but a narrow saltwater bar-bounded estuary sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by Anastasia Island....
. Anastasia Island has more than 150 restaurants, as well as many beaches.
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
may have landed on the barrier island in 1513.
Anastasia Island is an island off the northeast Atlantic coast of
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The island is located east and southeast of
St. AugustineSt. Augustine is the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, in the United States. Founded in 1565, it is the oldest continuously occupied European established city, and the oldest port, in the continental United States. St. Augustine lies in a region of Florida known as The First Coast, which...
. Part of the island (the Davis Shores and Lighthouse Park neighborhoods) is within St. Augustine city limits, while other communities on the island include
St. Augustine BeachSt. Augustine Beach is a city in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,683 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,002....
, Coquina Gables,
Butler BeachButler Beach is a census-designated place in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 4,436 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Butler Beach is located at ....
,
Crescent BeachCrescent Beach is an unincorporated census-designated place in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. The population was 985 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crescent Beach is located at ....
, and Anastasia. It is separated from the mainland by the
Matanzas RiverMatanzas River is a body of water located in St. Johns and Flagler Counties in Florida. Contrary to its name, it is not actually a river at all but a narrow saltwater bar-bounded estuary sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by Anastasia Island....
. Anastasia Island has more than 150 restaurants, as well as many beaches.
History of Anastasia Island
Juan Ponce de LeónJuan Ponce de León, was a Spanish explorer. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown. He led the first European expedition to Florida, which he named...
may have landed on the barrier island in 1513. Pedro Menendez, who founded St. Augustine, moved his initial settlement to Anastasia Island after a revolt by the
TimucuaThe Timucua were an American Indian people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. The various groups of Timucua spoke dialects of the Timucua language...
n Indians in 1566. This settlement was short-lived, and eventually moved back to the mainland at the site of present-day downtown St. Augustine. The Spanish built a wooden watch-tower on Anastasia Island, which was sighted by Sir Francis Drake in 1586, whereupon he came ashore and attacked the city. The watch tower was described as a "beacon," and thus probably represents the first lighthouse built in the United States. Commercial orange plantations were operated by Spanish and British planters on Anastasia Island in the 18th century. A later version of the watch tower, made from
coquinaCoquina is an incompletely consolidated sedimentary rock. Coquina was formed in association with marine reefs and is a variety of "coral rag", technically a subset of limestone.-Composition and distribution:...
stone, was definitely used as a lighthouse by this time, and it was replaced by the present day
St. Augustine LightThe St. Augustine Lighthouse is on the north end of Anastasia Island, within the current city limits of St. Augustine, Florida. The tower, built in 1874, is owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc. , a not-for-profit maritime museum and private aid-to-navigation...
in 1874. Shortly after its construction, the original lighthouse collapsed due to beach erosion and the encroachment of the sea. The earliest residence on Anastasia Island that is still standing is the Keeper's and Assistant Keeper's house built for the new Lighthouse. Other houses in the Lighthouse Park neighborhood also date to the 1880s. The
Bridge of LionsThe Bridge of Lions is a bascule bridge that spans the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Augustine, Florida. A part of State Road A1A, it connects downtown St. Augustine to Anastasia Island. Lions made of marble used to guard the bridge, begun in 1925 and completed in 1927 across Matanzas Bay...
was constructed in 1926-7, and shortly thereafter the Davis Shores neighborhood was developed by filling in extensive wetlands. During
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Coast Guard occupied the Lighthouse, and other residences in Davis Shores were used as barracks for soldiers.
Below the ground of the majority of the island, there is a mass of coarse shell material, called
coquinaCoquina is an incompletely consolidated sedimentary rock. Coquina was formed in association with marine reefs and is a variety of "coral rag", technically a subset of limestone.-Composition and distribution:...
. This is the only local source of stone, and was used by the Spanish and later the British to construct many of the buildings in St. Augustine (including the
Castillo de San MarcosThe Castillo de San Marcos is a Spanish built fort located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida, United States. It was known as Fort Marion from 1821 until 1942, and Fort St. Mark from 1763 until 1784 while under British control.-Early history:...
). See
Castillo de San MarcosThe Castillo de San Marcos is a Spanish built fort located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida, United States. It was known as Fort Marion from 1821 until 1942, and Fort St. Mark from 1763 until 1784 while under British control.-Early history:...
(Fort St. Mark) for a reference to this building technique.
External links