St. Augustine was attacked by the British from nearby Georgia and South Carolina in 1702 and 1740. Neither attack was able to defeat the fortifications defending the city. The treaty of Paris gave control of the city to the Britishin 1763 for twenty years, then the Spanish regained it after the American Revolutionary War. In 1821, the American government purchased the territory of Florida from the Spanish, and in 1845, Florida became the 27th State in the Union.

During the American Civil War, St. Augustine and Florida joined the Confederacy, with state troops seizing the Fort from the small Union garrison. The City and Fort were recaptured by loyal Union troops in March of 1862 and remained in Federal hands for the rest of the war. It was after the war when St. Augustine sustained its most severe damage, when an ammunition stockpile exploded.

The railroad reached the town in the late 1800's and in 1883 Henry Flagler began to invest in hotels in St. Augustine, transforming it into a winter vacation destination. Many of the structures he built are still in use today, including the Lightner Museum and a portion of Flagler College. Flagler was responsible for much of the development that occured on Florida's east coast during the early 1900's.

Many Historical buildings in St. Augustine are located on the Plaza de la Constitución, including the Government House, Trinity Episcopal Church, and the Basilica Cathedral of St. Augustine. The Oldest House, located three blocks south of the Plaza is a traditional Spanish residence built about 1706, the oldest surviving residence in the city. At Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth park, you can see the excavation of the actual stone cross he and his men laid out in the sand upon reaching Florida shores.