Old City Gates, St. Augustine, FL
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 29° 53.863 W 081° 18.810
17R E 469732 N 3307493
The Old City Gates of St. Augustine represent Florida’s Spanish Colonial heritage on this 1945 postage stamp commemorating the state’s 100th anniversary.
Waymark Code: WM10F2X
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/26/2019
Views: 11
St. Augustine was established in 1565 by Spanish explorers and, in spite of a rather turbulent early history, has remained continuously inhabited ever since. This makes St. Augustine the oldest continuously inhabited city, established by Europeans, in what is now the United States.
In the early days, raids by British privateers or the French or Indians led the Spanish to fortify the settlement. This was accomplished by building a wall of sorts around the city and constructing a masonry fort called Castillo de San Marcos. The fort was completed in 1695 and still stands today, making it the oldest masonry fort on the continent. A gate, allowing passage into the city through the north wall, was established in 1739.
Major reconstruction of the city’s fortifications was completed in 1808 giving the city's gate the form it has today. Pillars were built on either side which were made of coquina stone, the same stone used in the construction of the fort. Coquina is a type of limestone consisting of seashell fragments cemented together over time. It’s quite rare, being found in only a few places, and at the time the fort was built, no one knew how the stone would hold up under fire. 350 years and several bombardments have attested to the stone’s strength.
Florida passed to the United States in 1821 and, in 1845, became the 27th state admitted to the union. The stamp was issued in 1945 commemorating Florida’s 100th anniversary of statehood. Besides the Old City Gate, the stamp shows the State Capitol and the State Seal. Oddly enough, the State Seal has been changed and the State Capitol has moved to a modern high-rise building, but the Old City Gate can still be seen at the northern end of St. George St. in St. Augustine.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: 3-Mar-1945
Denomination: 3c
Color: bright red violet
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: Not listed
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