With support from the University of Richmond

New perspectives on how history is made

Want history? Go to St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - This city almost erected a billboard outside Jamestown, Va., to congratulate it on its 400th birthday - and remind everyone St. Augustine passed that milestone four decades ago.

It would have said, "Happy birthday to our younger brother," former Mayor George Gardner said.

Jamestown got a lot of attention this past spring celebrating the anniversary of its founding on May 14, 1607, making it the oldest English settlement in the nation. Queen Elizabeth paid a visit, and so did President Bush.

But St. Augustine is the nation's oldest city, and its 442nd birthday celebration is scheduled for Aug. 28-Sept. 1, including historical re-enactments, entertainment and, yes, a Thanksgiving feast. But this one will commemorate a feast held in September of 1565 by the Spaniards and native Timucuan Indians, when the menu likely included wild turkey, venison and salted pork stew.
Read entire article at AP