St. Augustine

September 28–30, 2007

Schedule of Events

The Gathering
During our weekend together we will:

• Learn about a little-known period of St. Augustine’s past with the “Dean of Florida History,” Dr. Michael Gannon, Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, as he describes life in St. Augustine during the Second World War. Gannon reveals:
   
  "Every week a thousand G.I.s and sailors, with weekend passes, descended on the tiny old town. Street brawls, drunkenness, and prostitution abounded, as St. Augustine became the disorderly garrison town redux of Spanish and English colonial times. But there was good news, too: A bishop saved the city's stricken economy; a winter art colony, largest in the South, flourished; and the Coast Guard produced weekly variety shows that rivaled the best of Broadway." 

• Discover St. Augustine’s colonial history with Dr. Susan Parker, a historian with the Florida Division of Historical Resources and a St. Augustine native. From the slaughter at the Matanzas River to the Siege of St. Augustine, Dr. Parker will detail the fascinating early history of the city.
   
• Join city archaeologist, Carl Halbirt, as he describes archeology in St. Augustine. He’ll explain the city’s unique Archaeological Preservation Ordinance, and escort us to an active dig to uncover what archaeology can tell us about the Ancient City.
   
• Enjoy the beauty of one of the largest collections of restored and reconstructed colonial architecture in the United States with Herschel Shepard, Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida's School of Architecture.
   
• Explore a long-neglected aspect of St. Augustine’s history: In the 1960s the Southern Christian Leadership Conference staged a campaign in St. Augustine that produced some of the best- known scenes of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. David Colburn, Professor of History and Provost Emeritus at the University of Florida, will explain the monumental events of this period. His talk will set the stage for a one-of-a-kind tour led by local author and historian David Nolan. Mr. Nolan will guide us, via trolley, through Lincolnville, the staging ground for most of the civil rights activity in the city (and home to a stunning collection of Victorian architecture.)