Ribera Garden

Next to the reconstructed building at 22 St. George Street, this walled garden once helped feed a local family and protect them and the city from intruders.

The garden was first restored as a lush garden area in 1966 by St. Augustine Restoration, Inc. and the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs.

More recently, it was restored by the University of Florida, which added informational plaques, an old map of the area, and trees for shade. Ribera Garden is used for several events, including hosting a display of Florida agriculture with a cracker horse and a cracker cow. 

About the Home

The original house had been built of wood and was burned in 1702 to prevent English troops from using the building as protection while shooting at the fortress. (The building is 750 feet from the fort, within the range of a musket.) 

In its place, someone built a two-story home of shell and stone, with a large walled garden. In 1764, the house was home to Juan de Ribera, a native Indian of the Guale or Yamassee tribe. Juan and his father, both native Americans, were artillerymen in the Spanish military, and Juan had married a woman from Spain. There is speculation about how he could have afforded a two-story stone home and that he perhaps took it on as what we now call a "fixer-upper."