St. Augustine's Lincolnville Historic District

Originally called Africa or Little Africa, Lincolnville was settled by recently freed enslaved in the marshes of Maria Sanchez Creek just west of St. Augustine in 1866. Largely developed between 1866 and 1930 where the former Yallaha and Buena Esperanza orange grove plantations once stood, Lincolnville is a historic Gullah Geechee community and home to the largest concentration of late Victorian era buildings in the oldest city in the continental U.S.

Twine Park is dedicated to longtime Lincolnville residents Henry L. (1923-1994) and Katerine “Kat” Twine (1925-2002).

Xynides Boat Yard is one of several maritime oriented businesses along the San Sebastian River in Lincolnville.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine’s National Marine Training Center was dedicated in 2011.

St. Augustine Marine Center is a full-service maritime center on a 23-acre site along the San Sebastian River.

Called Little Links by longtime Lincolnville residents, Eddie Vickers Park was one of the few recreational spaces for St. Augustine’s black residents during the Jim Crow era.

Named after a leader of the Civil Rights Movement in St. Augustine, Dr.Robert B. Hayling Freedom Park is a 9-acre park offering a panoramic view of where the San Sebastian and Matanzas Rivers meet.

The Matanzas River

Looking towards Fish Island and State Road 312 from Dr. Robert B. Hayling Freedom Park.

The St. Augustine Distillery is located in a historic ice plant built in 1907 for FP&L.

The Sollar-Carcaba Cigar Factory is the last standing historic cigar factory in Lincolnville. Dating back to 1909, the building is planned to be converted into a Tapestry Collection by Hilton boutique hotel Construction is anticipated to start in late 2021 with a late 2022 completion.

St. Marys Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1875. This building was completed in 1937 and is the site where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. announced on June 9, 1964 that he would participate in a sit-in at a St. Augustine motel restaurant. Because of this, St. Mary’s is known as the “Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.”

The Fountain of Youth Lodge No. 649, also called Elks Rest, served as the daytime strategy, training and operations center of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and canteen and nutritional center.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com