St Augustine Old Jail - St Augustine Attractions

St. Augustine Old Jail House

Perhaps no other person or developer in St Augustine's history has created more industry and shaped the city like Henry Flagler. A partner in Standard Oil, Flagler traveled to the city of St Augustine after marrying his second wife, Ida Alice Flagler, and he found the city's hotels and attractions mostly inadequate and unequal to the city's great potential and beauty. He decided to use his influential power and vast fortune to invest in the city, and in 1885 he began to construct the magnificent 540-room Ponce de Leon Hotel. The hotel was the first of its kind and was deemed to be the most luxurious and opulent hotel of its type on the Eastern seaboard. Right around the time that he began to construct the Ponce de Leon Hotel - now a historic building on the campus of Flagler College - Flagler noticed the need for transportation to the resort town that he envisioned. He then purchased a few railroad lines that would later become the Florida East Coast Railway. The new railroad combined with the new luxurious hotel ushered St Augustine Florida into a period of prominence as "America's New Riviera" and the city saw a surge in vacationers during the height of America's Gilded Age. The surge of visitors also brought with it its own degree of criminal activity, and Flagler found himself constructing a new jail for the city.

Flagler's St Augustine jail was built in 1891 and its exterior resembled the other stately hotels and buildings that Flagler constructed and owned. He understood the city's need for a jail; however he also wanted to maintain the charming, resort atmosphere that permeated through the city at the turn of the century and ensure that, at least outwardly, the building was on par with others throughout the city. This is why, of course, the St Augustine Old Jail House is pink and designed in such a way that makes it look a lot like an estate home. The St Augustine Old Jail House served as the jail for the city for over 60 years before it was made into a famous St Augustine Attraction in 1953.

Today, the St Augustine Old Jail House is one of a only a few 19th century jails left standing in such fine condition. Visitors can tour the St Augustine Old Jail House and see the Sheriff's quarters and where his family and he lived, male and female jail cells, a 19th century maximum security area, as well as a number of antique weapons and artillery that are on display in the St Augustine Old Jail House museum. Actors lead the way through the jail and tell historical tales and stories from when the jail was a working jail. Some visitors also like to see the jail's gallows, which have been restored, and take pictures from inside the "birdcage" cell. Most of the great Tours of St Augustine stop by the St Augustine Old Jail House.

Stay right in the heart of the historical district in the charming Old City. Many of the St Augustine Historic Houses have been converted into St Augustine Bed and Breakfasts and our St Augustine Bed and Breakfast Inns are the very best for St Augustine FL Lodging. Our St Augustine Bayfront Hotels are located just steps away from the gorgeous Matanzas Bay and are near all of your favorite St Augustine Things to Do. Read on and plan to stay in one of our award winning St Augustine Bed and Breakfasts on your next getaway to the Old City.

Old Jail
167 San Marco Ave
St Augustine, FL 32084
904-829-3800