History unearthed: How newly discovered skeletons may be the first colonists of St. Augustine
History unearthed: How newly discovered skeletons may be the first colonists of St. Augustine
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. -- ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVER HUMAN SKELETONS IN ST. AUGUSTINE DURING A DIG. THE BONES COULD BELONG TO THE FIRST COLONISTS OF ST. AUGUSTINE, DATING TO THE 1500'S.
Jessica Clark
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – When Hurricane Matthew brisked by the First Coast last October, it left quite a bit of damage to the city of St. Augustine.
One such place was a building called Fiesta Mall, the two-story yellow building with the A1A Aleworks located in the downtown area. The building’s owner, David White, decided to renovate one of its store fronts and replace d replace its damaged floor. White also invited the city’s archeologist, Carl Halbirt, to dig up the floor despite Halbirt being skeptical that they’d find anything.
While shoveling away the dirt, however, Halbirt made a startling discovery: Four skeletons that may belong to the nation’s first colonists.
THE NATION'S OLDEST CITY
St. Augustine is rich in history. The city has existed for more than 450 years, becoming the oldest continuously European occupied city in the United States. It was founded by Spanish conquistador, Pedro Menendez de Aviles, in 1565, which is 42 years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia and 55 years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts. Today, it is known as "the nation's oldest city."
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