Government House: Saint Augustine, Florida: March 4

Government House is a historic property that is managed and ran by the University of Florida. At the Government House, visitors can find a variety of exhibits about the history of Saint Augustine and the state of Florida as a whole.

For more information about the history of this site, please visit: http://staugustine.ufl.edu/govHouse.html

-Artifacts-

Artifact #1

This is a photo of a Postcard that was on display inside the Government House. The postcard depicts the Alcazar Hotel which is now more commonly known as the Lightner Museum. 

Artifact #2

This is a photo of Silver Ingot which is something that the Native Americans and Spaniards both mined.

-Exterior Photos-

Exterior Photo #1

This a photo of the courtyard that can be found just outside of the Government House.

Exterior Photo #2

This is a photo of the balcony that overlooks the courtyard. From the balcony hangs a variety of flags including the Spanish flag, and the Union Jack.

-Images in Conversation with the Site-

Image in Conversation #1

This is an old photo of the Alcazar Hotel which is now the Lightner Museum. The reason I chose this photo and believe that it is in conversation with this site is because the photo on the postcard that was displayed in the Artifacts section of this blog post is of the Alcazar Hotel. So I thought it would be interesting and important to include another picture of the hotel.

Source- https://www.google.com/search?q=alcazar+hotel+historic&newwindow=1&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900&sxsrf=ALeKk03icwmUkf0j5bTTK0jUWeWZdPo6KA:1614913480633&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwin_-vClZjvAhWHq1kKHZZ6AGAQ_AUoAXoECAUQAw&biw=1333&bih=721#imgrc=wcAiLahq2eyTaM

Image in Conversation #2

This is a photo of Government House from a more historic time when the streets of Saint Augustine were still dirt. The reason that I chose this photo to be in conversation with the site is that I thought it was important to highlight the changes that the building, as well as the city, has gone through by presenting an old photo of what the Government House used to look like.

Source- https://www.google.com/search?q=government+house+st+augustine+historic&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi6pM2ilZjvAhUVgVkKHfPJDp0Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=government+house+st+augustine+historic&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIECCMQJzoECAAQHlDPrQJYqcUCYMjGAmgCcAB4AIABbYgB2AaSAQQxMC4xmAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWfAAQE&sclient=img&ei=hZ9BYPpNlYLmAvOTu-gJ&bih=721&biw=1333&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900#imgrc=TUod76bgYuqVrM

-The English 202 Connection-

One concept from my English 202 class that relates to Government House can be found in the book The Surrounded by D'Arcy McNickle. One concept that the book touches on a lot is the concept of preservation of culture, particularly Native American culture. One quote that exemplifies this theme of culture from The Surrounded is: "That was something he had forgotten to include in his visit- the old lady and her feasts! You gorged yourself on meat until you felt sick, and a lot of old people told tiresome stories." (McNickle, 4). This quote shows just one of the many cultural traditions that Achilde and his family participated in and it also shows that the tradition was able to be preserved. This is a concept that I think connects to this site because Government House's main purpose as a historic site is to preserve not only Florida and the city of Saint Augustine's history but also its culture and traditions. 

-Creative Component-

This is a photo that I took when I first entered Government House. I remember the house looking almost regal with all the marble and the general design and architecture adding to the regal effect. I wanted to emphasize this aspect of the site so I increased the contrast and made the image black and white. This provides an emphasis on the beautiful architecture that I was trying to emphasize with this image.