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Old City Gates, St. Augustine, Florida, 1945

Subjects
Historic TowersHorsesStreet Scenes
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1945 (Linen)
Front of Old City Gates, St. Augustine, Florida, 1945, c. 1945 linen postcard
Front
Back of Old City Gates, St. Augustine, Florida, 1945, c. 1945 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

The coquina pillars of the Old City Gates stand at the north entrance to St. Augustine, with a low stone wall and palm trees along the road. A horse-drawn carriage with a driver in a light suit and a red-topped surrey passes through the gateway. The gates were built of coquina in 1807, replacing a wooden barrier from 1743, and for centuries they were the only land entrance to the city from the north. Sentinels guarded the passage day and night, and a moat outside formed part of the city's defense. St. Augustine, founded by the Spanish in 1565, is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Dear Mother, We are sightseeing in St. Augustine the oldest city in the U.S. We will probably reach Miami tomorrow. Helen

PublisherFlorida Souvenir Co., St. Augustine, Florida; made only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass.
Old City Gates, St. Augustine, Florida The Oldest City in The United States The City Gates, property of the National Park Service, were built of coquina in 1807; the barrier having originally been of wood in 1743. For centuries the only entrance to the City from the north by land, was through these gates guarded by sentinels day and night. A moat outside of the gates formed part of the City defense.
PostmarkedSAINT AUGUSTINE, FL, August 22, 1945, 18:00
Stamp
Addressed to
Mrs. John T. Baxter

Metamora Apts. 226 Loraine Ave Cincinnati, OH

Postcard record

Postmarked, SAINT AUGUSTINE, FL
PublisherFlorida Souvenir Co., St. Augustine, Florida; made only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass.
Series72643
ConditionVery good
Place addressedMrs. John T. Baxter, 226 Loraine Ave, Metamora Apts., Cincinnati, OH
Place depictedOld City Gates, St. Augustine, FL
Place mentionedSt. Augustine, FL
PublisherFlorida Souvenir Co., St. Augustine, Florida; made only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass., Boston, MA
Stamp1c Freedom to Speak Out, green
NotesLinen-textured stock with visible crosshatch grain; narrow white border at edges. Postmark: SAINT AUGUSTINE AUG 22 6 PM 1945 FLA (TICHNOR QUALITY VIEWS REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. vertical). Linen-texture divided-back card with white border; printed Tichnor Bros. caption on back; light edge wear and slight toning.

Cite this card

Old City Gates, St. Augustine, Florida, 1945, postcard, c. 1945. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/old-city-gates-st-augustine-florida-1945. Accessed November 2, 2026.