The Fountain of Youth Archeological Park
North America’s First Historical Site
The Fountain of Youth Archeological Park is a 15 acre, Historical attraction in St. Augustine, Florida.
When you enter our site at 11 Magnolia Avenue, you will pass beneath the archway of this world famous attraction, you are stepping onto the very property on which U.S. history began.
The Original St. Augustine
In July of 2007, Dr. Kathleen Deagan, a well-known archeology professor from the University of Florida, wrote:
In 1565, more than fifty years before the English landed at Jamestown, Admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain established the first successful European colony in the United States at St. Augustine, Florida. Archaeologists and historians have been searching for the site of that first settlement since early in the 20th century, but it was not until the past decade that it was discovered here on the grounds of the Fountain of Youth Park.
Excavations, satellite images and remote sensing techniques have allowed archaeologists from the University of Florida to identify the large open field-at the southwest corner of the Park as the campsite and first settlement of Pedro Menendez and several hundred Spanish colonists, from 1565-1566.
When the Spaniards arrived the Timucua Indian town governed already occupied this area by Chief Seloy. Radiocarbon dates from the site (including samples from two dog burials) indicated that the village had been occupied since at least AD 1,000, Seloy allowed the newcomers to settle in his town, and according to one account, even gave the Spaniards “a large house near the water’s edge" to use as a fort and storehouse. Only nine months later, however, hostilities between the settlers and their hosts forced the Spaniards to abandon this site and move their town across the bay to Anastasia Island in April of 1566.
Archaeology has revealed a Spanish residential area of about 300 by 300 feet, along the water. Buildings were long, narrow, barracks-like structures of wood and palm thatch. Two Spanish barrel wells for water have so far been found in the settlement area.
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Artifacts from the site have included buttons and pins, ornaments, Spanish and Indian crockery, iron nails, military buttons, musket balls, rosary beads, Chinese porcelain and weapon fragments.
Archaeological excavations have documented not only the location of this first Spanish settlement here at. this site, but also the difficulty and peril of life on the sixteenth century Florida frontier. Conflict with the Timucua Indians would prevent the Spaniards from returning to the mainland until 1572, when the present-day town of St. Augustine was laid out. By then the native inhabitants of Florida and the Spaniards had come to terms with one another, and a new chapter in St. Augustine’s history began.
Over the last 100 years, many thousands of guests have visited in order to sip the world famous waters and hear the history behind its legendary benefits. Of course while here visit our Indian Burial Grounds, and Shipwreck Exhibit; you may also visit our:
Discovery Globe: In an amazing 8 minute presentation visitors are immersed in total darkness and with the aid of an immense two story globe and black light, the journeys of the early explorers and other items of historical importance are mapped out.
Navigator’s Planetarium: Visitors embark on a fascinating 15 minute journey through storm and stars to track the voyage of Ponce de Leon to the New World and have the stars reset to appear as they appeared to him on the night before he came ashore in 1513. Lobby exhibits reference instruments used for celestial navigation and life aboard a Spanish galleon.
The Spring House: The spring, located adjacent to the landmark cross, sustained the Timucuan Indians for thousands of years before Europeans explorers arrived. As a preservation measure, the spring was welled up in 1875 to keep it from collapsing in on itself. Here, all visitors are invited to participate in the tradition of drinking a cup of the unique water as millions have done in the past, while viewing the animated dioramas of the Indian village of Seloy and the historic first landing.
Don’t forget to feed the peacocks and squirrels, and feel free to bring your own lunch and use our picnic area. Our ample parking is free and we are a pet friendly attraction. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park
11 Magnolia Avenue
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 829-3168
1 (800) 356-8222
Email: fountain@fountainofyouthflorida.com
www.fountainofyouthflorida.com
