Florida's Tourism in the Gilded Age
Did tourism in Florida start with Henry Flager and his Ponce Hotel?
The St. Augustine Lighthouse presents a series of five lectures through September 2025 under the umbrella title "History in the Shadow of the Tower," focusing on significant events over the past 150 years. The series is part of the year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse.
On April 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m., Dr. Leslee Keyes, Faculty, Flagler College (retired) discusses Florida's Gilded Age, Henry Flager, and how St. Augustine opened the tourism floodgates in Florida. Dr. Keys is the author of Hotel Ponce de Leon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Flagler's Gilded Age Palace.
Admission: All events are free. Reservations are required.
When: Thursday, April 25, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Memorial Presbyterian Church, 32 Sevilla Street, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
The Series of Lectures
To celebrate 150 years of Lighthouse history, the St. Augustine Lighthouse presents a speaker series entitled History In the Shadow of the Tower:
- December 19, 2024, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. — World War II and St. Augustine by Eliot Kleinberg, Florida Talks and Florida Humanities Council
- February 20, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. — The Discovery of Fort Mose by Dr. Lori Lee, Flagler College, and Chuck Meide. the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP).
- April 24, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. — Launching Florida's Tourism Industry (Florida's Gilded Age) by Dr. Leslee Keys, Flagler College (Retired)
- July 2025, TBD, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. — The Long, Hot Summer: St. Augustine's Civil Rights Movement by Dr. Michael Butler, Flagler College
- September 18, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. — The Making of St. Augustine's Art Community by Dr. Keri Watson, University of Central Florida
To register for any of these lectures, go to the events page on the Lighthouse website.
The History of the Lighthouse
On October 15th, 1874, Lighthouse Keeper, William R. Russell lit the St. Augustine Lighthouse for the first time. One hundred and fifty years later, the 165-foot lighthouse still serves as a navigational aid for ships and pleasure boats at sea.
During the First Spanish Period in St. Augustine (1565–1763), the Spanish built watchtowers along the coast on what we know now as Anastasia Island. Soldiers manned the watch towners and warned the town when a ship was sighted. The northern tower was upgraded to a lighthouse in 1824. When that tower was threatened by beach erosion, a new tower was built and completed in 1874.
These programs are presented, in part, by Florida Humanities and Florida Arts and Culture
