Our Nation's Oldest City has come a long way. Once a cesspool of corruption, we've elected reformers as Mayor and to City Commission. Once called by Dr. King the "most lawless place in America," where 1000 people were illegally arrested in civil rights demonstrations, St. Augustine now respects civil rights Once anti-Gay, LGBTQ people won a landmark federal court victory in 2005. Three cheers for St. Augustine, now a progressive place, proudly named for an African Saint. Our Nation's Oldest City now makes us all proud. Happy Birthday! From First Coast News:
St. Augustine community celebrates city’s 460th anniversary with ceremonies, mass, reflections
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The St. Augustine community came together Saturday morning with ceremonies, mass, and reflection on the preservation and history of America’s oldest city.
St. Augustine was founded Sept. 18, 1565, and is still standing strong today. Founder’s Day is all about traditions: the music, attire, and reverence.
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Father Timothy Lindenfelser of St. Anastasia Catholic Church has been a part of this tradition for over 30 years, but the celebration itself has been kept alive for over 100 years.
“We remember how difficult, how hard it was for those early settlers, for the native peoples that were here, how they had to overcome differences,” Lindenfelser said.
The celebration goes beyond just acknowledging the history of Pedro Menendez and his troops’ landing in St. Augustine in the 16th century. Lindenselser said for a modern audience, it can apply similar principles in today’s divided world.
“So many different groups are afraid of one another, they look in fear of one another, and yet this celebration reminds us we’re all brothers and sisters,” he said.
Ashley Durand is the American Heritage Girl’s Troop FL-0106 coordinator. She drove her girls three hours from Tampa to be at the Founder’s Day to make connections on heritage, faith and history.
“This year, particularly for our troop, we are focusing on the history of Florida, to really teach our girls the Catholic history of Florida and to teach them to be patriotic of where they’re from,” Durand said.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Caleb Yauger
Caleb Yauger joined the WJXT team in February 2025. He previously worked as a reporter and weekend evening anchor for Erie News Now (WICU, WSEE) in Erie, Pa., covering both news and sports.
Carlos Acevedo
Carlos Acevedo is a photojournalist at WJXT News4Jax and a University of North Florida graduate with a degree in Communications, concentrating in Digital Video Production. Since joining News4Jax in 2024, he has been responsible for shooting compelling news stories that capture and share important events with the community.
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