April 1 2020
KNOCK-KNOCK,
NEIGHBOR!
Appearing in Fullerwood
neighborhood mailboxes, a plastic
baggie with two pieces of chalk and
a brief note:
Everyone is out taking walks every
day for exercise while socially
distancing, so we thought we'd try
brightening everyone's day by
providing Fullerwood with a
mission!
Please use this sidewalk chalk to
write a knock-knock joke on the
street in front of your house. That
way, when people take walks, they
will be laughing all the way!
If you want to participate but you
are physically unable, we have a
team of kids who can come write
your joke for you.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
History’s Highlight
Drake’s Raid
Canceled due to the coronavirus threat, Drake’s Raid on the early settlement of St. Augustine is
traditionally reenacted in the Spring.
June 7, 1586. Historian Michael Gannon suggests the watchtower erected on the shore to guide Spanish
supply ships was St. Augustine's first public works project - and a failure. For it was that watchtower that
guided the enemy to its shore.
By some accounts there were 23 warships and nineteen
smaller ships, with 2,300 men aboard, overkill for the
tiny garrison at St. Augustine - 80 soldiers under
Governor Pedro Menendez Marques, a nephew of St.
Augustine founder Pedro Menendez who died twelve
years earlier.
Sir Francis Drake, England's most celebrated seaman
of the Elizabethan Age, was in command of that fleet,
returning home after terrorizing the Caribbean to disrupt
preparations for a Spanish Armada.
Marques ordered some 250 women and children in the
humble village to gather what they could and hide in the
forest, while his garrison turned their cannons on 1,000 English troops storming across Anastasia Island.
Marques held off the attackers most of the day until finally, under cover of night, he ordered his force to
the woods with the garrison's weapons and flags.
While the Spanish defenders were occupied with the English attackers, neighboring Indians looted the
abandoned village. Drake's troops finished the job, stomping down fruit trees and planted gardens, then
setting fire to the entire settlement, including the fort - the seventh built in the 21 years since St. Augustine's
founding.
As Sir Francis Drake's sails disappeared over the horizon, the settlers and soldiers trudged out of the forest
to find nothing left. But rather than abandon the settlement, the Spanish command ordered Santa Elena to
the north abandoned and its people moved to St. Augustine to strengthen this garrison.
And the Indians, who could now easily overpower these foreigners, instead returned many of the goods
they had looted, and helped them rebuild their lives.
Fourteen years after Drake's raid, the Spanish government conducted an inquiry as to whether there was
enough value in St. Augustine to continue efforts to keep it alive. Ironically, the inquiry favored abandoning
the garrison, but a lack of funds and initiative kept it from happening.
And so an eighth fort was built, and later a ninth, before a soft but sturdy stone made of coquina was
discovered on Anastasia Island, and another pirate raid, in 1668, inspired the Spanish authorities to make
use of that stone.
The result is today's Castillo de San Marcos, destined never to fall to an enemy in battle.
Photo: Wrath of the privateers: Sir Francis Drake’s Raid on St. Augustine, Jackson Walker
Drake’s Raid reenactment
among listed cancellations
The Drake’s Raid reenactment, originally scheduled for
April 25, has been cancelled due to the ongoing
coronavirus Pandemic.
Drake’s Raid is one of the annual reenactments
presented by the Historic Florida Militia, whose ranks
include
Men of Menéndez – 16th Century Spanish presenting
Drake’s Raid
Drake’s Men – 16th Century English
Searle’s Buccaneers – 17th Century British presenting
Searle’s Sack of San Agustin
St. Augustine Garrison – 18th Century Spanish
presenting the holiday season Colonial Night Watch
East Florida Rangers – 18th Century British
Extended restrictions listed
The City of St. Augustine has extended current restrictions and guidelines through May 8 “which is
consistent with the Governor’s Executive Orders,” officials say.
Included:
All permitted events, festivals, and large gatherings are cancelled
All public meetings, including City Commission, Code Enforcement Adjustments and Appeals Board,
Historic Architectural Review Board, and Planning and Zoning Board, except for emergency meetings
as needed, are cancelled
All non-essential meetings that do not address the immediate operations and function of municipal
business are cancelled
The Governor’s Emergency Order 20-71 prohibits all on-site consumption of food or alcohol by
vendors and licensed establishments
The Visitor Information Center is closed, and all City-managed on-street and off-street parking is
suspended
All parking meters, payment kiosks, and mobile parking app (ParkStAug) will not accept payments
Termination of water service for non-payment will be suspended
City Hall offices are closed to the public
For the duration of time while City offices are closed to public access, convenience fees for payment
will be waived
“The City continues to evaluate and review all municipal operations and will provide further directives as
information becomes available.”
A ‘wicked’ side of St. Augustine
Today the building on the corner of Cathedral Place and Charlotte Street
houses an art gallery. In 1902 it was Sam Wo’s Chinese Laundry - and
opium den, used primarily by women who were forbidden to possess
alcohol.
Further along Charlotte Street is the Tradewinds Lounge, in 1920 one of
a
number of gambling clubs.
And 262 West King Street, later the Chase Funeral Home, was in the
first half of the 20th century Blanche Altavilla’s “Country Club” from
which she operated a block and beyond of taverns, pool halls and
gambling houses.
“When Pedro Menendez de Aviles founded St. Augustine in 1565, his
new world survival kit included gambling, liquor and ladies for hire,”
writes Ann Colby in her thoroughly researched Wicked St. Augustine.
“For the next 400 years, these three industries were vital in keeping the
city financially afloat.”
Poring over court and property records, oral histories and newspaper
accounts, Colby has pulled together an account of St. Augustine history
never highlighted in tourist guides but regardless a significant part of that
history.
As Colby concludes, “Organized prostitution, bootlegging and gambling were nothing if not hallowed
traditions in the Oldest City for close to four hundred years, contributing to the city’s economy and stability as
well as its reputation as an entertainment venue.”
Wicked St. Augustine, published 2020 by The History Press, Charleston SC.
Council on Aging centers
closed by coronavirus threat
Also suffering cancellation due to the coronavirus, All
Council on Aging senior centers in St. Johns County
(Coastal Community Center, River House, Hastings, Trout
Creek and THE PLAYERS Community Senior Centers in
Ponte Vedra), all Integrative Memory Enhancement
Program (IMEP) classes, and the Sunshine Center adult
day care facility will remain closed until April 30th.
“While these services will be closed,” officials say
“Meals on Wheels will continue to be delivered to our
participants and our caseworkers and members of our staff
will continue to be available by phone and email.”
In the mail
The stupidity of closing Florida’s beaches and State
Parks! Just as Gov. Cuomo announced, New York State is
opening up all its parks and streets closed to traffic for
kids to play. People are going to need exercise and fresh
air too!
All they need to do is make sure the Park attendants or
additional police prevent people from congregating. No
harm in walking 6-8 feet apart, as you see in San
Francisco!
Can we have some common sense please?
