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When the Revolutionary War broke out, the people of St. Augustine did not join the Thirteen Colonies in rebelling against British rule.
When the Revolutionary War broke out, the people of St. Augustine did not join the Thirteen Colonies in rebelling against British rule.
They lived in the capital of British East Florida and depended on funds, food, and supplies issued by Britain’s Parliament. A British Navy frigate patrolled and protected St. Augustine’s harbor.
The office and residence of East Florida’s governor were located at what is now the Governor’s House Cultural Center and Museum. Governor Patrick Tonyn had watched from the balcony as St. Augustinians burned in effigy two signers of the Declaration of Independence—John Hancock and Samuel Adams—in the Plaza.
The Governor's House Cultural Center and Museum as it appears today.
In 1776, Governor Tonyn readied this city for war.
In 1776, Governor Tonyn readied this city for war.
He strengthened the imposing, Spanish-built fortress (called Castle St. Mark by the British) and repaired sections of the defense wall surrounding the city. White and free Black citizens joined the militia—the East Florida Rangers. These citizen-soldiers enlarged the colony’s fighting forces and kept peace in St. Augustine. The governor also commissioned privateers to capture enemy merchant ships and bring them to St. Augustine’s harbor.
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