Day 2: Tuesday, January 15, 2019 

After breakfast at our hotel the guest speaker, Ken Barrett, helped us learn about fort Castillo de San Marcos and the eras it served. After boarding a tour bus he then led the group around the fort’s outside. 

I opted out because we couldn’t go inside the fort due to the government’s continued shut-down. Instead, three of us enjoyed delightful conversation and coffee with Ruth our tour leader. 

We also had time to browse nearby streets before we met everyone for lunch at MoJo’s Old City BBQ. MoJos is known in northern Florida for its blues music, local art, and its in-house smoked meats. It didn’t disappoint!

After lunch, we had free time to walk around St. George St. 

In addition to the many shops along the way, I found St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine. A jewel box of delight.

Then we gathered for another house tour. This time of the Pena-Peck House and garden.

The tour ended in its gift shop owned by the Women’s Exchange. Their members give the docent tours and sell their handmade crafts to support the Peña-Peck House Museum, to give women handcrafters a place to sell their creations, and to provide scholarships for deserving women returning to school for new careers.

After the Pena-Peck House tour, the bus picked us up and took us back to our hotel for rest and dinner. 

In the evening Dr. Roger Smith talked to us about the British Period of St. Augustine history. He revealed fascinating stories about Florida’s significant Revolutionary War contributions and interesting historical details from his book series that includes  “The 14th Colony: George Washington’s Planned Invasions of East Florida” and “Hope of Freedom: Southern Blacks and the American Revolution.”

Another busy day but thankfully more relaxed. This day changed forever my American history viewpoint. That was done by Dr. Smith’s engaging history talk.

Related Prior Post:
Road Scholar Trip To St. Augustine And Photos – Part 1

Related External Website:
List of the oldest buildings in Florida
British Period of St. Augustine History