The Old City Gate, a Reminder of St. Augustine's Violent Past

*Originally published May 5, 2021 as a promotional piece. Some information may be missing.

Located at the north end of St. George Street, the Old City Gate still stands, a remnant of the past, a reminder of the turbulence the city has faced in the past. At one time, the gate was the only entrance into the city.

In 1702, British Governor James Moore and his English forces attacked the city. The residents had advance notice and took refuge inside Castillo de San Marcos for safety. The British were unable to breach the walls of the fort, and both sides sent for reinforcements. The Spanish reinforcements from Havana arrived first, and Governor Moore was forced to retreat. However, before he left, he and his forces pillaged the city and burned it to the ground.

Though the residents had survived the siege in the fort, and the city had been attacked in the past, the residents of St. Augustine saw this attack as "the straw that broke the camel's back." In 1704 construction was begun on the Cubo Line, an earthen and wood wall that ran from the Castillo to the San Sebastian River and back to the city. 

An additional wall was erected on the west side of the city, the Rosario Line. The two walls enclosed the city, and it was never devastated by an attack again.

Because the wall was made primarily of earth, it deteriorated over time. The wall was regularly rebuilt and repaired over more than a century. At the time of the last reconstruction, in 1808, the city gate was built of coquina, and it remains today.

In addition to their historic value, there is, of course, a ghost story tied to the gate, as with many locations around the city. St. Augustine had its bouts with yellow fever, and although the gate and the walls could keep out trespassers and enemy forces, they couldn't repel disease. 

In the 1800s, if you or your family was believed to have yellow fever, your home and possessions were burned in an attempt to prevent the spread. "Little Elizabeth" died of yellow fever in 1821. Her body went unclaimed, possibly because her family feared losing their home and possessions, and she was found by officials just outside the city gate. She was one of hundreds of people who fell victim to the sickness who were buried in the Huguenot Cemetery across the street from the gate. People claim to have seen Little Elizabeth playing here outside the city gate in her lacy white dress.

Old City Gate

11 Orange Street

St. Augustine, FL  32084

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