November Member Meeting

In the mid-19th century, the safest route to St. Augustine was not by sea, which involved navigating a treacherous inlet, shifting sands, and sunken vessels, but rather passage across land from the St. Johns River. To aid this travel across land, a rail line was built connecting St. Augustine with Tocoi which lies directly west of the City. Prior to this industrial connection, the settlement of Tocoi held a thriving Spanish moss industry and fortification constructed during the same period as Fort Mose. As early as 1602, Tocoi is recorded as a Christianized Indian village, but holds extensive archaeological history predating the formation of the Pleistocene dunes system and includes pre-ceramic society along the St. Johns River. This talk will discuss the history of the site, recent efforts to record its archaeology, and the preservation risks the site faces. SAAA lectures are free and open to the public!

Please Note: Starting Nov 6th, parking on the street and in City-owned lots are no longer free after 5pm. This includes the lots behind (south) of the Lightner Museum. As a reminder, St, Johns County residents receive significant parking discounts (50 cents per hour and $3 at the parking garage). Click on the following links to get more information about how to get the St. Johns County resident discount, the ParkNow card, or the ParkStAug app. For more info about downtown parking click here.