It’s a part of both the history and folklore of America: the sailing of the Mayflower. September 15, 1620, the famous vessel containing 102 pilgrims departs from Plymouth England for its legendary voyage to America. Originally, the Speedwell was a second vessel that the English separatist had bought in Holland but it leaked so badly it was abandoned and all the puritans boarded the Mayflower for the New World.
The expedition was backed by both businesses and the scant monetary supplies of the puritan church and its followers. Many of the records of the passengers have been lost to time but a few journals and suggestions from former Jamestown colonist, John Smith, provide historians with an idea of the cargo and supplies. They brought with them the bare necessities of food, a little weaponry and several hunting dogs.
It took 66 days to reach the New England coast. They had hoped to land at Virginia and start a colony similar to Jamestown. Instead, they veered 600 miles off course and came ashore at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Eerie repeats of the trouble at Jamestown occurred. The words “died during the first winter” or “died during the first sickness” punctuate the list of Mayflower passenger records. Several children and infants lost their lives as their parents searched for a better place to raise them.
It was on September 8 of 1565 that America’s oldest city came into existence. St. Augustine, Florida was established long before the pilgrims, the war of independence or the statute of liberty. The city is an often overlooked testament to the long and diverse history of the United States.
Juan Ponce De Leon, the famed Spanish explorer, arrived in St. Augustine in 1513 but it wouldn’t be until 1565 that another famous Spanish sea farer, Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, took his 600 men onto land and claimed the area for Spain. The name St. Augustine comes from the fact that it was a scant 11 days since the feast day of St. Augustine and the company’s arrival in Florida and the founding of the city took place.
The early history of the St. Augustine includes the building of the Spanish fort four decades before the colony at Jamestown, the sacking of the city by Sir Francis Drake in 1586 and the death of 60 inhabitants by pirates under John Davis in 1668.
The city changed hands a number of times during its lifetime. The Spanish established a military fort on the site in 1672 and for almost a century, it was considered a Spanish town. In 1763, the British captured the city (after sacking it twice in the past) and kept it until 1784. One of the articles of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the American Revolutionary War was that the city be returned to Spanish control. By that time Spanish influence had declined around the globe and St. Augustine never fully returned to its Spanish roots.
In 1821, the area that was to become the state of Florida was sold to the newly formed United States. St. Augustine was already established with roads, commerce and laws and needed only the influence of the pioneer spirit to complete its transformation to an American stronghold.
Henry Flagler came to St. Augustine in 1883 and left a permanent mark on the city. Many of the buildings were constructed under his direction still stand today including the Lightner Museum and Flagler College. Other old buildings in the city include the Governor’s home built in 1713, the basilica of St. Augustine built in 1797 and the oldest building in the town, a Spanish style domestic dwelling built in 1706. The city is a mix of colonial, Spanish revival, Victorian and modern architecture.
Today, St. Augustine is well established as a tourist attraction. The original city walls, the colonial architecture and the European influence make this Florida town a unique slice of American history. Most people are taught that Jamestown or the landing at Plymouth mark the beginning of a truly American way of life yet it was at St. Augustine that the nation first made its way into world history.
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Every year we cook the turkey, gather friends and family and share stories. But where does the tradition of Thanksgiving come from? How does the feast of today figure into American history and how distorted have the stories of pilgrims, corn and pumpkins become?
A native guide and interpreter known as Massasoit was informed by fellow tribesman that the English were shooting and using their guns. Although the translator could not be certain whether the colonists were shooting game for dinner or starting a war, he arrived back at the colony with approximately 90-armed men. It seemed a cautious approach to the recent arrivals.
It wasn’t until 1777 that the first official nationwide Thanksgiving celebration took place. In fact, the feast that year was to celebrate the defeat of the British during the battle of Saratoga. Early 19th century historians mistakenly labeled the Plymouth sit down (rather than possible standoff) as the first Thanksgiving.
The pilgrim’s outfit consisted of the pilgrim’s hat, a typically broad-rimmed hat, a long robe, a walking staff, a satchel (called a scrip), and the singular pilgrim’s badge which would be an ornament associated with the pilgrimage site. These badges were often made of pewter or other metal alloy and could be sewn onto the pilgrim’s robes through eyelets. Badges were also designed from hammered metal pieces and would be symbols unique to each pilgrimage site; some badges were fairly descriptive or narrative, while others would be simply emblematic, such as the scallop of St. James or the shroud of the Virgin or the letter “M” for the Virgin, as well. 
Probably the most ubiquitous pilgrim’s badge during the middle ages was the scallop badge of St. James of Compostela, which is evidenced in many medieval manuscripts and artworks. The reliquary site of St. James of Compostela was, along with Rome and Jerusalem, one of the most visited places of cult worship during the period. The site at Canterbury Cathedral, where the archbishop Thomas Becket was martyred and where his reliquary stood, was also a particularly popular pilgrimage route in the West. The pilgrim’s badge for the Canterbury pilgrimage typically depicted the reliquary altar itself, with a miniature representation of the saint’s tomb effigy set against the bejewelled altarpiece.
