A visit to the oldest town in America — St. Augustine, Florida

January 4, 2011

Many Mississippi State fans who attended last week’s Progressive Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., drove south to visit the oldest settled town in America — St. Augustine, Fla. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles, St. Augustine is the oldest continously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United States.

Arguably the most famous landmark in St. Augustine, the Castillo San Marcos. Built by Spanish forces that originally settled the area and completed in 1695, dominates the landscape along the Matanzas River just east of the historic old town.