St. Augustine, FL, July 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the nation celebrates 250 years of independence, St. Augustine’s Founder’s Day is a reminder that the story began long before 1776, Jamestown, or even Plymouth Rock. The annual event commemorating the landing of Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in 1565 commemorates the founding of the nation's oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continental United States.
While communities nationwide commemorate the birth of the United States in 1776, St. Augustine invites visitors to experience the chapter of American history that began more than two centuries earlier.
“It’s incredible that almost two months to the day after America’s official semiquincentennial, Florida’s Historic Coast is celebrating 461 years,” says Susan Phillips, President and CEO of St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and The Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau. “Founder’s Day is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to experience firsthand the rich, multi-cultural history of St. Augustine and the beginnings of European-American history.”
St. Augustine predates Jamestown by 42 years, and the colony of Plymouth by 55 years, a fact that is increasingly recognized in history curricula and public interpretation. But its founding was not a solitary act. Admiral Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés made landfall on September 8, 1565, at a Timucuan village near the modern-day Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, where the Timucuan had been living for over 500 years. Their leader, Chief Seloy, met Menéndez and his group of 800 colonists, who made their first settlement within Seloy’s town, and using the existing council house as the first Spanish fort. Father Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales commemorated the landing with the first Mass, followed by what scholars consider to be America’s true first Thanksgiving; a shared meal between the Spanish and the Timucuan.
The city's multicultural story continued to evolve for centuries, the first free Black settlement (Fort Mose) in the continental United States to the British occupation from 1763 to 1784, when Spain ceded Florida to England in the Treaty of Paris following the Seven Years’ War.
Although the historic landing occurred on September 8, 1565, this year Founder's Day will be celebrated on Saturday, September 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at Mission Nombre de Dios and the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park. It is presented in partnership with the Historic Florida Militia’s Men of Menéndez, the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios, the St. Augustine Maritime Heritage Foundation, and the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.
Founder’s Day Events
- 10 a.m.: Reenactment of the 1565 landing at Mission Nombre de Dios, with cannon and musket salutes
- 11 a.m.: Catholic Mass at the outdoor Rustic Altar
- 12 p.m.: Grand procession from the Mission Nombre de Dios to the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park
- 1 p.m.: Reenactment of the first Thanksgiving meal between the Spanish and Timucua
- 1-5 p.m.: Encampment and living history and weapons demonstrations
The landing, mass, and procession are free and open to the public. Regular admission applies for entry to the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park.
Founder's Day is one of many experiences on Florida's Historic Coast where visitors can walk in the footsteps of explorers, soldiers, Indigenous peoples, and settlers who shaped the nation's earliest history. Continue the journey with a curated two-day historical itinerary or plan a longer stay exploring centuries of stories at FloridasHistoricCoast.com.
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida's Historic Coast includes historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, the rural beauty of Hastings, Elkton, St. Johns, and 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches. Visitor Information Centers are located at 10 Castillo Drive, St. Augustine; 200 Solana Rd. Suite B, Ponte Vedra Beach; and at the St. Johns County Beach Pier Park, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach. For advance travel information, call 1-800-653-2489 or go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com. Check us out on social media Instagram @FloridasHistoricCoast; Facebook.com/OfficialStAugustine; and Threads @floridashistoriccoast
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Barbara Golden St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches Visitors & Convention Bureau 904-669-8142 Bgolden@floridashistoriccoast.com
