Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Crysta Parkinson @ Well Worn Suitcase
We spent a day in St. Augustine recently. It is such an entertaining little city! Situated on the Atlantic Ocean in northeast Florida, it is the oldest city in the U.S., recently having celebrated the 450th anniversary of its founding.
One of the highlights of St. Augustine for the girls (Bria and her 6-year-oldfriend) was the Old Jail tour. Actors gave a lively tour filled with stories of crime and punishment, hangings, Sheriff Joe Perry who ran the place (and lived in it with his family), and more.
Our guide had a talent for making heavy things (like a hanging) light and funny - these gallows have seen some crazy things! Living museums are an amazing way to learn about history.
Completed in 1851 and used for more than 60 years, this jail was designed to look like a Victorian home or hotel, so as not to offend the town's wealthy visitors. The company that built it went on to build Alcatraz, It became an attraction in 1954, only one year after it ceased operations.
We learned first hand about life in the jail, including going into the men's and women's quarters and the kitchen, and seeing what the inmates would have been given to eat as they went out on the chain gang. (Luckily that wasn't part of the attraction!)
Sheriff Joe Perry was known for being one of the toughest wardens in the South, so this was definitely not a place any of us would have wanted to be back when it was in operation.
On one side of the jail was the sheriff's home, where he lived with his wife and children. Downstairs there was a parlor, for greeting important guests, and upstairs were the bedrooms. The sheriff's children slept right across the hall from the general population cells!
There were also a few punishments outside the girls decided to try out. The bird cage was definitely not one I was eager to be any part of!
The Old Jail tour is available as an add-on to a trolley tour package. Additional tours are also available, including a Ghosts and Graveyards tour that includes stories of executions that were carried out at the jail.
Check out the other posts from our St. Augustine trip for more fun spots to check out while you are in town.
One of the highlights of St. Augustine for the girls (Bria and her 6-year-oldfriend) was the Old Jail tour. Actors gave a lively tour filled with stories of crime and punishment, hangings, Sheriff Joe Perry who ran the place (and lived in it with his family), and more.
Our guide had a talent for making heavy things (like a hanging) light and funny - these gallows have seen some crazy things! Living museums are an amazing way to learn about history.
Completed in 1851 and used for more than 60 years, this jail was designed to look like a Victorian home or hotel, so as not to offend the town's wealthy visitors. The company that built it went on to build Alcatraz, It became an attraction in 1954, only one year after it ceased operations.
We learned first hand about life in the jail, including going into the men's and women's quarters and the kitchen, and seeing what the inmates would have been given to eat as they went out on the chain gang. (Luckily that wasn't part of the attraction!)
Sheriff Joe Perry was known for being one of the toughest wardens in the South, so this was definitely not a place any of us would have wanted to be back when it was in operation.
On one side of the jail was the sheriff's home, where he lived with his wife and children. Downstairs there was a parlor, for greeting important guests, and upstairs were the bedrooms. The sheriff's children slept right across the hall from the general population cells!
There were also a few punishments outside the girls decided to try out. The bird cage was definitely not one I was eager to be any part of!
The Old Jail tour is available as an add-on to a trolley tour package. Additional tours are also available, including a Ghosts and Graveyards tour that includes stories of executions that were carried out at the jail.
Check out the other posts from our St. Augustine trip for more fun spots to check out while you are in town.
Posted in
You can also experience the ghosts of a woman in white who wanders around in various places both inside and outside the fort, and then vanishes. Spanish soldiers that appear to be so real that the living has talked to them also appear at the fort.
ReplyDeleteplease visit : St Augustine
The couple was able to enjoy their love for some time, until the dire meeting in which Colonel Marti got the first indication that his wife was having an affair with the young Captain.
ReplyDeleteplease visit : St Augustine