TUESDAY MARCH 2ND

As we ride in to town, we pass several incredible buildings. They were built back in the late 1800’s by Henry Flagler. Flagler made his fortune by joining Rockefeller and starting Standard Oil. He’s also the man who built the railroad down to Key West. He saw the potential of Florida as a tourist area. The biggest obstacle was it took so long to get to Florida from New York. So he built his own railroad and now it only took 30 hours to get to Florida as opposed to 90 hours! He built two spectacular hotels.


The Ponce de Leon, which is now the campus of Flagler College.








He also built The Alcazar Hotel, which is now the city offices of St. Augustine and the Lightner Museum.













We took a tour of the Old Jail. It doesn’t look much like a jail though. Also built by Flagler, he wanted it to look like a hotel. The train ran just in front of it and he didn’t want the “high brows” coming to the area to vacation to be offended by seeing a jail.

Flagler paid for the jail. But the people he hired to design and build it were the same ones who built Alcatraz.

The tour guide was in character as a deputy. It was a little corny, but also somewhat creepy. Back in those days, you could be put in jail for spitting, cursing or sassing! And after touring this building, I wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere near this building. Most people who spent any amount of time here died, or did shortly after. Conditions were so harsh and unsanitary.

The gallows was out back. It was visible to the inmates sentenced to hanging. When there was a hanging, folks from all over came with their families to picnic and watch it! Nice. Nothing like quality, family time.