Government House: Changing of the Guard
Posted by: Markerman62
N 29° 53.541 W 081° 18.812
17R E 469727 N 3306898
One of several markers around the Government House.
Waymark Code: WMK6Y4
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 02/21/2014
Views: 7
Until 1763, the Governor's House was Spanish Florida's capitol. When Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain, the British governors of East Florida made Governor's House their official residence. Spain regained the Floridas in 1783 as part of the peace treaty ending the American Revolution. With Spain's cession of the Floridas to the United States in 1821, the building served a reunited Florida as a courthouse and in 1823 as a capitol when the Territorial government met in St. Augustine. Title transferred to the State of Florida in 1966.
Image captions :
Background photo-Americans, like the British a century earlier, played croquet on the Plaza in front of the old Spanish governor's house that had been converted to an American courthouse and used as the "Provost Guard House" during the Civil War.
Upper right-In 1833 Robert Mills drew plans to convert the old coquina governor's house to an American courthouse and federal office building. Elias Wallen, contractor, completed the conversion in 1837.
Marker Number: 0
Date: None
County: St Johns
Marker Type: Plaque
Sponsored or placed by: University of Florida Historic St. Augustine, Inc.
Website: [Web Link]
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