The Monson Motel: St. Augustine, Florida: February 4

The Monson Motel, was the site of a Civil Rights protests during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. In an effort to protest segregation ordinances, black and white activists jumped into the Monson swimming pool. The owner of the hotel then proceeded to pour acid into the pool to drive the protestors from the pool. 

For more information about the history of this site please visit: https://www.npr.org/2014/06/13/321380585/remembering-a-civil-rights-swim-in-it-was-a-milestone

-Artifacts-

Artifact #1

This is a plaque that is mounted right next to the pool of what is now a hotel that sits on the site that used to be the Monson Motel. The plaque is dedicated to reminding people of what happened at the Monson Motel during the Civil Rights Movement. 

Artifact #2

This is a pool that now stands where the original pool that the owner of Monson Motel poured Acid into to get the Civil Rights protestors out once stood. 

-Exterior Photos-

Exterior Photo #1

This is a photo of one of the buildings that make up the hotel complex where the pool now stands. 

Exterior Photo #2

This is a photo of the Bridge of Lions and the street that runs parallel to where the pool and hotel now stands.

-Images in Conversation with the site-

Image in Conversation #1

I selected this image because this is one of the most famous images from the Monson Motel incident as well as one of the most famous photos from the Civil Rights Movement. This image depicts the actual act of the owner of the Monson Motel pouring acid into the pool to try to drive out the protestors. 

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=monson+motor+lodge&newwindow=1&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900&sxsrf=ALeKk00YP_I3ZTeWKok_UcUELQEMiDJBXg:1612895032298&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib39abtt3uAhUuxVkKHZRxCd8Q_AUoAXoECAkQAw&cshid=1612895066188872&biw=1333&bih=721#imgrc=MlX7lPzq2ZHtuM

  

Image in Conversation #2

This image is another one of the most famous photos from the Monson Motel incident as well as one of the most famous images from the Civil Rights Movement. This image depicts a police officer jumping into the pool to expel the protestors from the pool that they were trying to de-segregate. 

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=monson+motor+lodge&newwindow=1&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900&sxsrf=ALeKk00YP_I3ZTeWKok_UcUELQEMiDJBXg:1612895032298&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib39abtt3uAhUuxVkKHZRxCd8Q_AUoAXoECAkQAw&biw=1333&bih=721#imgrc=z6ipllCeYUNW4M

-The English 202 Connection-

"We flew to Maryland as soon as my arm was well enough."- Dana (Kindred, Butler, 262). The reason that I selected this quote is because in it Dana is talking about traveling back to Maryland to find out what happened to the Weylin family after they traveled back to the present. This relates to our site visit because it shows that even though things may have happened long ago they are still important to learn about and it is still important to visit historic sites. So for example, in Dana's case Maryland was an important historic site and in the case of Saint Augustine the Monson Motel is an important site.

-Creative Component-

This is a photo of the plaque that was installed by the pool that once stood where the pool of the Monson Motel did. In class, we talked about how this plaque doesn't truly capture what happened at this site and how it almost whitewashes the history of this site. So for this photo, I edited it and cropped it in a way that makes the plaque almost blend in with the wall and appear unimportant. I did this to exaggerate what the current hotel had already done. For example, before editing this image it is clearly visible that the plaque is almost hidden, due to the fact that, it is below eye level and surrounded by pool tools.