Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THERE BE PIRATES
Notorious throughout the Caribbean and the Americas, pirates routinely ransacked St
Augustine, given its vulnerable seaside location. Laying in wait along the coast, pirates
would pounce on silver- and gold-laden fleets returning to Europe from Mexico and South
America. When ships weren't around, they'd simply raid the town (which was home to the
Spanish Royal Treasurer for Florida, no less).
Among the many brutal attacks on St Augustine was Sir Francis Drake's raid in June
1586, when he and his cohort pillaged the township before burning it down. Perhaps even
more violent was Jamaican pirate Robert Searle's attack in 1668. After capturing a Span-
ish ship, Searle and crew went on a plundering and killing spree. No one was safe: one of
Searle's victims was a five-year-old girl, whose ghost, it is said, haunted him to madness
and ultimately suicide.
Both events are meticulously reenacted every year in St Augustine. Participants must
conform to rigid requirements including no skull-and-crossbones emblems (they weren't
used regularly by pirates until the early 1700s); no polyester or modern items of any kind,
including eyeglasses and wristwatches; and no 'silly plumes.' If you're interested in parti-
cipating, get thee to St Augustine in March (to reenact Searle's raid) or June (for
Drake's). For more information, log on to
www.searlesbucs.com
.
Other local pirate activities include September's 'Talk Like a Pirate Day'
(
www.talklikeapirate.com
), a global event that particularly shivers timbers in this place,
and October/November's St Arrrgustine's Pirate Gathering (
www.pirategathering.com
)
.
Around St Augustine
Old Jail
HISTORIC BUILDING
Built in 1891, this is the former town prison and residence of the town's first sheriff,
Charles Joseph 'the terror' Perry (towering menacingly at 6ft 6in tall and weighing 300lb).
Today, costumed 'deputies' escort visitors through cellblocks and detail the site's arresting
history.
Oldest House
MUSEUM
