Visit St. Augustine launches new Black History app

In an effort to make the extensive history of African-descended people in the oldest city accessible to all, Visit St. Augustine has created an all-new Black History app.

Created in collaboration with Florida’s Historic Coast, the app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store now.

“We wanted to develop a new Black History app for St. Augustine that would preserve the rich tapestry of Black History in St. Johns County,” said Susan Phillips, CEO of the St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau.

“By utilizing technology, our visitors and residents will now have another way to engage with a more comprehensive understanding of our shared past.”

When St. Augustine was founded in September of 1565, free and enslaved Africans stepped ashore with the Spanish crew of Pedro Menendez de Avilés.

In October 1687, the first recorded group of fugitives who were escaping British slavery arrived at the city gate, asking to be accepted into the “true faith.” They were the first of hundreds of enslaved people who would seek sanctuary in Spanish Florida, creating an early version of the Underground Railroad that ran south instead of north.

This eventually led to the founding of Fort Mose, the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in the United States.

Lincolnville Historic District, originally called “Africa” or “Little Africa” was founded in 1866 by Black Americans.

“The Visit St. Augustine team is grateful to everyone who has collaborated with us to make the release possible,” said Cheyenne Koth Leahy, one of the writers of the new app.

Features include a “What’s Nearby” tool that uses location services to show users nearby historical sites.

The St. Augustine Black History App has four main sections — Events Timeline, Historical People, Historical Places, Historical Topics.

The information within is inter-connected, allowing users to delve deeper.

The Events Timeline is the backbone of the St. Augustine Black History App. This section contains an overview of the 450+ year history of Florida’s Historic Coast, from the 1513 voyage of Ponce de Leon to the recent Fort Mose groundbreaking ceremony on January 19, 2024.

The Historical People Section is composed of biographical “profiles,” highlighting the stories of Black people who have either resided or spent significant time in St. Augustine. From icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Frederick Douglass to lesser-known local heroes, like Francisco Menendez, the leader of Fort Mose. Each historical person profile includes a short biography, links to related pages on the app, a media gallery, and a personalized event timeline.

The Historical Place Section is very similar, including profiles on sites that relate to Black History, each being a setting for unique stories and challenging events. Every historical place profile provides an overview of the site’s history, a media gallery, a unique event timeline, as well as links to related people and topics..

The Historical Topics Section connects the Historical People and Historical Places through “topic pages” that explore time periods, themes, and local groups. For example, the Civil Rights Movement topic page includes the “place profiles” of the ACCORD Museum, Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, and St. Paul AME Church. Each topic page also has its own unique timeline.

Visit St. Augustine will update the app’s features and content on a quarterly basis with new content and functionality. 

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