Governor's House Library

06/17/2026

🎀 PINK🎀 is one of St. Augustine's most controversial historic colors -- just ask the De Mesa Sanchez House!

Paint colors are a simple and direct expression of the times, tastes, values, and moods of the people who use them. What might the usage of De Mesa Sanchez Pink have suggested about St. Augustine's 1700s colonists?

This is our second-to-last installment of our "Historic Colors of St. Augustine" series, which we started at the beginning of Preservation Month 2026.

06/15/2026

Thank you for the write up, Visit St. Augustine!

06/15/2026

🚧 Beep, beep, beep! 🚧 This photo from the UFHSA Governor's House Library Photograph Collection dates to the 1980s. Calling the shots is Valerie Jackson Bell, Archaeologist and Curator for the St. Augustine Preservation Board.

06/13/2026

Missing our Historic Colors of St. Augustine video series? Worry not! We had so much fun sharing some history behind the Ancient City's color palette that we decided to continue posting our mini explorations & the cute posts that surround them (like this one!).

Look out for new reels every other Friday in June ... We'll have a new series for you come July 9th. 📚🏫 👀

06/12/2026

Are you doing research on St. Augustine? The UFHSA Governor's House Library LibGuide is a great place to start! This page includes a strong foundation of resources related to the "Ancient City".

Resources and information for researching the history of St. Augustine and using Governor's House Library.

06/10/2026

Free fine art exhibit in downtown St. Augustine!

"Wild Waters: Rivers, Lakes, Wetlands, Coast and the Florida Wildlife Corridor" was organized by the Harn Museum of Art in collaboration with the UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning. Its paintings are organized along four thematic sections: Rivers, Lakes, Wetlands, and Coast.

This important exhibition aims to spark conversations about how Florida's natural environment has been represented historically -- and how it exists today.

06/09/2026

📚 NEW BLOG POST ALERT! 📚 Last month, our Spring 2026 Intern, Eva Diamond-Jones, graduated from Flagler College with her Bachelor's degree in Anthropology. We were SO sad to see her go, but even more excited to support her into the future.

Before her internship ended, we sat down with Eva to ask a few questions about her internship at our archives... What drew her to Governor's House Library? How will this experience fuel your future?

06/08/2026

Did you know? The Blacksmith Shop at the Colonial Quarter was constructed in the late 1970s by the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board! In this photo set, we see blacksmith Brad Spear and his team working on the tabby walls and wooden roof of the structure.

Images in this post are digitized slides from the UFHSA Governor's House Library Photograph Collection.

06/05/2026

Did you know St. Augustine used to have a Colonial Williamsburg-style living history museum quarter on St. George Street? San Agustin Antíguo (later called the 'Spanish Quarter') boasted a colorful cast of animals! Check out this blog post from 2024...

We cannot overlook the contributions of the animals who helped to bring history to life at San Agustin Antíguo. During the 1960s, the living history museum hosted a menagerie of creatures represent…

06/03/2026

For generations, passionate people have collaborated to preserve St. Augustine’s history. Interpreters, guides, craftsmen, and, yes, visitors are all vital participants in our heritage of historic preservation. And we have no plans to stop!

Though Preservation Month 2026 has come to a close, the oldest city continues our daily work to share and uphold the values of historic preservation.

📚 The photographs featured in this post are from the UFHSA Governor’s House Library Photograph Collection.

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