ISSUE 60– STEVE KOVACS FUN WITH MAPS

DAILY FEATURE: By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 28, 2020) – In Issue 60 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps we learn about the oldest city in the United States

Memorial Plaque at Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, FL (Chuck Gibson)

Sun, Surf and Capitals

The oldest European-founded city in North America was established 455 years ago today by Spain, 73 years after Columbus landed in the New World.

St. Augustine, Florida has that honor.  It was the capital of Spanish America for about 200 years and then the first capital of the Florida Territory 1821-1824. Ponce de Leon believed he discovered the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine.

St. Augustine’s founding was about 20,000 years after the first people appeared in the Americas.  They traveled from Siberia through the Beringia Land Bridge to today’s Alaska and beyond during the ice age.  

Here is Alvin Johnson’s map of Florida from 1863.

Alvin Johnson’s map of Florida from 1863 (Credit Steve Kovacs)

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Click here to visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.