The Oldest House Complex

 St. Augustine, Florida 

Thursday, February 17, 2022

    The Oldest House Complex is quite special seeing that it is the oldest surviving Spanish Colonial house in Florida. It is located across from the National Guard at 14 St. Francis Street. It is operated by the St. Augustine Historical Society and includes a guided tour, a detailed history museum, gardens, a rotating exhibit gallery, a surf museum, and the Marineland history exhibit. On the bottom level of the Tovar House, lies the surf museum which tells the story of the surf community, tracing the legacy of riding waved throughout the years. The complex is open to the public to learn about specific aspects of St. Augustine. 

https://staughs.com/oldest-house-museum-complex/

Exterior Photo 1

Exterior Photo 2

Artifact Photo 1

    The first map of the North American Coast was created by Henry Wellge. He was a lithographer in the United States which means he applies inks, gels, or photographic emulsions to a plate to create a final piece. He had an office situated in Wisconsin which is where he produced his panoramic maps. In this map, he had constructed, he shared a bird's eye view of St. Augustine including multiple sights such as churches, shops, and restaurants. 

Artifact Photo 2

    Located only eight miles south of St. Augustine's historic district, Butler Beach is tucked between St. Augustine Beach and Crescent Beach. In the early 1900s, Frank B. Butler, a young black man, moved to St. Augustine. He had settled in Lincolnville, the dominant African-American area. At the time of 1927, Butler had become so annoyed by the injustice faced that beaches were "white only". He decided to begin purchasing oceanfront property on Anastasia Island and eventually acquired a region that stretched from the Atlantic to the Matanzas River. This region became known as Butler Beach and was opened to African-Americans so that they were allowed to enjoy the sand and the sea. 

Image in Conversation #1 

https://visualizingnyc.org/essays/john-bachmanns-new-york/

    The image above is Bachmann's first American bird's-eye view of Union Square, New York, as well as the first full-scale bird's-eye image of the city, made in 1849. John Bachmann was a German-speaking Swiss printmaker who arrived in New York in 1848, having fled the upheavals of revolution in Europe. He had produced a number of low-views in Paris and Switzerland. Bachmann's prints exemplify an American reinterpretation of the bird's-eye view at the moment when American cities, particularly New York, were defining their modern civic identity. This view of New York correlates with the map of St. Augustine because it also portrays special places and is the first made view. 

Image in Conversation #2 

https://www.surfer.com/features/gigi-lucas-is-trying-to-make-the-ocean-a-more-inclusive-space/

    On the right shows Gigi Lucas and her siblings, on the left are their parents. Gigi Lucas is a black woman who is a walking historian about black people and their issues with the ocean. She is the founder and executive director of SurfearNEGRA, a nonprofit that seeks to diversify the sport of surfing. Lucas had grown up on the water although she had not taken surfing lessons until she was in her early 30s. She has said, "I grew up seeing people surf, but I never saw anyone doing it who looked like me" (Shaw). Being a black female, there were multiple barriers that kept her from enjoying certain activities like surfing. 

    This is image ties into my artifact 2 image because Butler Beach was a location primarily for people of color. Lots of black individuals weren't given the chance to pursue certain activities due to their lack of rights. Gigi's main goal was to have diversity among the sport of surfing so she created SurfearNEGRA to have that opportunity. Lucas is making a change in the world one surfer at a time. 

Literature in Conversation

    In Lukao, there were a couple sections that were crossed out but this one stuck out most to me "U.S. Naval orders mandated that the placenta and umbilical cord must be burned because they were considered hazardous waste> . . . " (Perez). The crossing out meant what was getting erased when the U.S. came into the picture. The culture of their family was becoming left out of history and being forgotten. Inequality is presented in the whole Lukao reading because it demonstrates some people being oppressed and not getting the same rights as others. This correlates also with Gigi Lucas and Butler beach with the imbalance of certain races. 

Creative Component

medium: computer paper with colored pencils

        I drew a surfboard because it ties into the surf culture museum. I decided to write the word free in different languages and highlighted the color of the country. For the word 'Free' in English, I wrote it twice to demonstrate that for white individuals the sport is freeing but the other free is crossed out to represent the black community and how certain aspects of life are limited for them. Surfing is a free sport and not everyone was able and is able to enjoy it.