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. 

Lincolnville: St. Augustine, Florida: January 28, 2021

Lincolnville, and its cultural center that we visited, is an area that expresses the rich history of black Americans in both Saint Augustine and the United States as a whole. The town was founded by freedmen and women in 1866, and the cultural center and museum chronicle 450 years of the history of black Americans. 

For more information about Lincolnville and the cultural center please visit its website:  https://www.lincolnvillemuseum.org/

-Artifacts-

Artifact #1

This is a photo of a recreation of the Monumento a la Constucion (monument to the constitution) that is present in the Plaza de la Constitucion. The original monument was built to honor the Spanish Constitution. However, in this artistic interpretation of the monument, the artists put nails in the monument to symbolize the trials and hardships that the constitution has been through while defending things such as Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights, and Compassion. 

Artifact #2

This piece of propaganda is called "Emancipation" and it is a piece by Thomas Nast done to honor and celebrate emancipation as well as President Lincoln.

-Exterior Photos-

Exterior Photo #1

This photo was taken in front of the Lincolnville Cultural Center of the actual Museum itself.

Exterior Photo #2

This photo was also taken in front of the Lincolnville cultural center and it is of a model book that has "I have a dream" written in it which is a reference to Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech. On the next page, it says MLK Jr. 

-Images in Conversation with the Site-

Image in Conversation #1

I chose this image because this is the actual Monumento a la Constitucion and so I thought it would be good if other people viewing this could see the actual monument and what the artist's recreation was based on.

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=constitution+monument+st+augustine&newwindow=1&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900&sxsrf=ALeKk00lrxBEoERbBBOiIy1tLP_2JALsBQ:1612476771987&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiWgc-JoNHuAhVH11kKHfDaAhQQ_AUoAXoECBIQAw#imgrc=wXCCgIyCft2wrM

Image in Conversation #2

This image is one that is in conversation with the Thomas Nast piece because in both pieces of propaganda the slaves don't seem to have agency and the pieces almost appear to be more about Lincoln freeing them than about the slaves actually taking their freedom.

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=emancipation+propaganda&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiR-b2KoNHuAhVHzlkKHTt7BSUQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=emancipation+propaganda&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIGCAAQCBAeOgQIIxAnOgcIIxDqAhAnOggIABCxAxCDAToFCAAQsQM6BAgAEEM6BwgAELEDEEM6AggAOgYIABAKEBhQo_0GWJz7B2Cs_AdoBXAAeASAAdUBiAHuMpIBBzI2LjMyLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ7ABCsABAQ&sclient=img&ei=ZXEcYNGyMMec5wK79pWoAg&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900#imgrc=9IyGlw8ejRLxFM

-The English 202 Connection-

"Repressive societies always seemed to understand the danger of "wrong" ideas." - Dana (Kindred, Butler, 141). The reason that I selected this passage is because I believe that a lot of the artifacts such as the constitution monument and the artwork depicting emancipation that are documented in this blog post represent freedom or obtaining freedom and they lead people to think deeply about the concept of freedom. And these ideas and thoughts about freedom would have been considered the "wrong ideas" that Dana was talking about. 

-Creative Component-

The image above is one that I took and edited of the artist's interpretation of the Monumento a la Constucion. When editing I made the image darker to add a more ominous and dramatic effect and also increased the contrast and color to emphasize and symbolize the unique challenges that the nails represent. 

The Freedom Trail: St. Augustine, Florida: January 21, 2021

The Freedom Trail's mission is to help people remember, recognize, and honor people who risked their lives to attain civil rights for themselves and others. Its other purpose is to highlight the pivotal role that St. Augustine played in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

For more information on The Freedom Trail please visit its website: https://accordfreedomtrail.org/

-Artifacts-

Artifact #1

This first photo is of Trinity United Methodist Church which is the oldest congregation in Lincolnville. This church is also one of the oldest Protestant congregations in Florida. 

Artifact #2

This Second image was taken of a convenience store. The reason I thought this store was worth taking a picture of was because of what the owner did with the bars on the window. He put a mug shot of Martin Luther King Jr. and a mug shot of Rosa Parks. The bars make them both look like they are in prison which I thought was interesting. 

-Exterior Photos-

Exterior Photo #1

I took this photo while on a bridge and in it you can see Flagler College in the distance.

Exterior Photo #2

This was a photo taken by Trinity United Methodist Church and from it is another view of Flagler College.

-Images in Conversation with the Site-

Image in Conversation #1

In this image is a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking in front of a church. I selected this image because during the civil rights movement churches played a huge role in organizing marches for civil rights and to this day play a huge part in the lives of African Americans and their community. And one of the pictures that I chose to post that I took on the trail was of a church.

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=black+chuch+civil+rights+movement&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjXuOqcgr3uAhX0bDABHb-9C74Q2-cCegQIABAA&oq=black+chuch+civil+rights+movement&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzoECCMQJzoHCCMQ6gIQJzoECAAQQzoFCAAQsQM6AggAOggIABCxAxCDAToKCAAQsQMQgwEQQzoHCAAQsQMQQ1CTlQJYx5IHYJSUB2gBcAB4AYABd4gBxxqSAQQ0My4ymAEAoAEBqgELZ3dzLXdpei1pbWewAQrAAQE&sclient=img&ei=vNURYNfqGvTZwbkPv_uu8As&bih=721&biw=1333&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900#imgrc=IYaFbpizyUb0HM

Image in Conversation #2

I chose this image of Martin Luther King Jr. in prison because it reminded me of that convenience store that had his mugshot displayed behind window bars.

Source: https://www.google.com/search?q=MLk+in+prison&newwindow=1&rlz=1CAOTWH_enUS900&sxsrf=ALeKk02cxvM_BWmBjDybWNg1MTffzlJ9Vg:1611781562465&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjrxfGbgr3uAhVBxVkKHeQcBmoQ_AUoAXoECA8QAw&biw=1333&bih=721#imgrc=MsZlFw76gYbZrM

-The English 202 Connection-

"...history. It happened whether it offends you or not.” - Dana (Kindred, Butler, 140). I selected this quote because as a history major it resonated with me a lot and also I selected it because I think that it is a lesson that people need to learn in general. Especially when it comes to historic sites like the Freedom Trail, and African American History as a whole.

-Creative Component-

Above is an image that I edited. In the Image, I made it almost completely black and white but left some color to represent how even though the site is historic it still has relevance. Further, I increased the contrast to illustrate the contrast between Downtown Saint Augustine and Lincolnville.