​Searching for Juan Ponce de Leon on the west coast of La Florida​

​En busca de Juan Ponce de León en la costa oeste de La Florida

There are lessons still ​to be learned in ​'The Oldest Wooden School House in the U.S.A.'

Todavía quedan lecciones por aprender en “La escuela de madera más antigua de Estados Unidos”

There are lessons still ​to be learned in
​'The Oldest Wooden School House in the U.S.A.'

By Miguel Pérez

The small building is as old as it looks. Even in historic St. Augustine, as you walk among old structures, this one really stands out. It looks so ancient that you wonder whether its even safe to go inside.

This is "The oldest wooden school house in the U.S.A." It has been here since 1777 and there are still lessons to be learned here!

​​In the heart of the St. Augustine historic district, 

​This was the home Juan Genopoly, who turned a portion of his house into a classroom for the children of the Minorcan community that had settled on the north end of George Street, just inside the city gate, in St. Augustine since 1777. Genopoly started his school when he bought the house in 1780, and since they were in British occupied Florida, the children were taught English too! Two of Genopoly's own four children went on to also teach there, and classes continued until 1864!

But if this is the oldest school house, you ask, where is the oldest house? We are going there next!

The Oldest Wooden School House dates back to the early 18th century and is located on St. George Street by the City Gate. Visitors to the Oldest Wooden School House can tour the property and become acquainted with the daily life of colonial school children.
The Oldest Wooden School House History
No wooden structures in St. Augustine built prior to the year 1702 still stand because the British burned Spanish St. Augustine to the ground in that year. Tax records indicate that the wooden school house was present in 1716 and was built for the Genoply family. Located in the "Minorcan Quarter," the original structure was a one-room, single-story building with a detached kitchen where food was made for the family to eat. Kitchens were commonly detached in those times to keep the house cool during the hot summer months and to prevent a fire that started in the kitchen from spreading to the house. A privy with a privacy wall was also kept away from the house, and so was the well. The house's exterior was made out of bald cypress and red cedar logs bound together by wood pins and iron spikes, all made by hand.
Juan Genoply, one of the original inhabitants of the house, also became the first school teacher. After marrying, Juan Genoply added the second story and transformed the house into a co-ed school in 1788. The second story provided Juan and his family the seclusion they needed to separate his public and private life.
The Oldest Wooden School House Today
Visitors can view copies of old textbooks and school supplies from the 18th century, and tour the kitchen and gardens, where a fruitful pecan tree has been growing for an estimated 250 years.
The house has a large chain wrapped around the exterior. The chain was added in 1937 in order to hold the house in place in case of hurricane-force winds and weather. The house is located in the shopping district of St. George Street.
For additional information, call (904) 824-0192.

The Fountain of Youth:
Much more truthful than it used to be

So there I was, watching people seek miracles at the Fountain of Youth, when I overheard a tour guide say something that caught my attention,

​

Miami — 1. Add to Varela
             3. Add to Little Havana
                        A. Jose Marti Park
                        B. Miami High

​Searching for Juan Ponce de Leon on the west coast of La Florida​​

St. Augustine — 1. Fountain of Youth
                       2. Older Schoolhouse
                       3. Add to Father Pedro Camps Monument
                       4. Add to Cathedral of St. Augustine
                       5. Add to Varela Statue
                       6. Add to Downtown
                           A. Ponce De Leon statue
                           B. Government House Museum
                           C. Plaza de la Constitution
                           D. Historic homes
​                           E. Columbia Restaurant

Georgia — Fort Carolina National Memorial

Two Jamestowns

Baltimore — Marti Monument

Philadelphia — Don Quixote Plaza,
​                     Puerto Rican Migration Garita.

there are cannons, statues, historical parks 
recognizing the site where Spain


​— "unable to stem the tide of American expansionism," according to the Wentworth exhibit — formally transferred Florida to the United States for a measly $5 million in 1821. Heavily in debt and at the risk of losing Florida without compensation, Spain had no choice but to accept the deal.
​

The Pensacola Museum of History also covers other parts of Spanish Florida, from the founding of St. Augustine to the numerous Spanish missions established all other northern Florida and present-day Georgia from 1565 to 1763.

Here you see a diorama of conquistador Pedro Menendez de Aviles and his men as they arrived at a Native American village in 1565, on their way to establishing St. Augustine a little further north and that "they were greeted by the all, handsome, Native American Timucans." You learn that the Timucans were friendly to the Spaniards and that "Chief Seloy gave them permission to use the large circular village council house as their temporary fort."​

Diorama of Pedro Menendez de Aviles arriving at Native American village

Tallahassee
​De Soto Winter encampment??

There are few living descendants of the mission Indian populations

Surprisingly, while Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor are known for Ponce de Leon's demise in 1521, one historical mark​​er recognizes the death of one of his men during his 1513 expedition. And while the sailor's name is not mentioned, the marker makes a significant statement recognizing the race of the conquistadores: "First White Man Dies in America." (See photo).