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Barbara Stevenson
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St. Augustine--The First Tabby

4/13/2015

1 Comment

 
St. Augustine is the original home of tabby in America. The Spanish arrived in St. Augustine in 1565, and the first documented reference to tabby occurred in 1580. In fact, the word “tabby” may derive from the Spanish word tapia, meaning “mud wall.” Also in 1580, the Spanish discovered coquina, a natural shellstone that could be quarried, so the oldest surviving buildings of Spanish rule are a combination of coquina and tabby. The British takeover of the city in 1764 ushered in the destruction of most tabby buildings, so there are few remnants today. (For more information on the history of St. Augustine tabby, see Janet H. Gritzner’s article, “Distributions of Tabby in the Southern United States,” in The Conservation and Preservation of Tabby.) 

The sites listed below illustrate the history of tabby and the Spanish colony in St. Augustine:

Mission de Nombre de Dios

It is here on Mission Grounds in 1565 that Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed and began the Spanish colony in Florida. A marker in the historic park indicates the location of the oldest known tabby and coquina—the foundations of a church and friary dating from 1677. Unfortunately, archaeologists have covered the ruins, so only the marker is visible. 
Mission Grounds (Photo by Barbara Stevenson)
Marker for Coquina and Tabby Church (Photo by Barbara Stevenson)
GPS: N 29°54.302 and W 81°19.007 (parking lot) 

Address: 27 Ocean Avenue, St. Augustine, FL  32084

Accessibility: The mission is open to the public and consists of a museum, church, chapel, and historic park (although the archaeological excavation is covered and unavailable for public viewing). For more information, visit the website of the Mission de Nombre de Dios.

Castillo de San Marcos

Constructed 1672-1695, the massive Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest standing fort in the United States. It was built primarily with coquina, but some tabby was used. (However, it seems to me that in St. Augustine the floors identified as tabby have much smaller and fewer shells than tabby elsewhere.)

Coquina Walls of Castillo de San Marcos (Photo by Barbara Stevenson)
Tabby Floor (Photo by Barbara Stevenson)
Location 

GPS: N 29°53.798 and W 81°18.676

Address:  1 S. Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32084

Accessibility: There is a parking lot in front of the fort and at the nearby Visitor Center. Open every day, except Christmas, from 8:45am-4:45pm. Admission is $7 for those over the age of 15. For more information see the website for the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

St. George Street Tabby Walls

St. George Street is a popular pedestrian walkway with stores and restaurants in the heart of the historic district. Most of the tabby walls along historic St. George Street are stuccoed, but exposed tabby can be seen in a couple of spots. 
St. George Street Tabby Wall (Photo by Barbara Stevenson)
St. George Street Tabby (Photo by Barbara Stevenson)
Location 

One wall is by the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse in the U.S. at 14 St. George Street and Tolomato Lane
(GPS Coordinates N 29°53.847 and W 81°18.818).

Another is by Mill Top Tavern at 19 St. George Street
(GPS Coordinates N29°52.824, W81°18.809). 

Accessibility 

Park at the nearby Visitor Center, which is also close to the Castillo San Marcos. The Visitor Center is located off I-95 at 10 W. Castillo Dr, St Augustine, FL 32084. For more information, see http://www.staugustinegovernment.com/sites/vicparking/index.cfm. 
1 Comment
dasa221@aol.com link
4/11/2022 07:17:31 pm

Do the St. George St. tabby walls predate the 1764 British take over ? Is there a date for them ?

Thanks

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