Cofradia Site Coquina Well ca.1614-1657
Posted by: Markerman62
N 29° 53.430 W 081° 18.675
17R E 469947 N 3306692
South of King St in downtown St. Augustine.
Waymark Code: WMM27N
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/06/2014
Views: 10
The 1990 excavation of this coquina block well revealed furniture fragments from the 1600s, a rarity among St. Augustine's artifacts. Most likely, the well was built in the early 1600s and filled quickly about 1670 with household items from a catastrophe, perhaps a fire or an enemy raid. Archaeologists found chunks of earthen building material, probably from a house destroyed by a tragedy.
A 1764 map of the city reveals ownership of the site by the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious organization of laypersons. Earlier documents have not been found to explain the destruction that filled the well.
In 2004 protection of this rare and important site as a park became a project of Old Town Association, Inc., in partnership with the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources and the City of St. Augustine. Financial underwriting was provided, in part, by Celestine Vision, LLC, in honor of Aviles Street's role in "The Celestine Prophecy" movie.
Marker Number: 0
Date: None
County: St Johns
Marker Type: City
Sponsored or placed by: None
Website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.