Page 37 - Guest Advantage Magazine - September 2015

THE CURRENT HOME OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY USED TO BE THE DOWNTOWN BRANCH OF THE ST. AUGUSTINE PUBLIC LIBRARY
computers and microfilm machines, its greatest resource is the staff. They seem to know everything—or at least exactly where to find it.
Under the direction of the St. Augustine Historical Society Executive Director Susan Parker, the research library is staffed by Bob Nawrocki, Charles Tingley and Debra Willis. They are tasked with collecting,
organizing, preserving and educating, so that St. Augustine’s history is remembered and revered. A core group of about 15 regular volunteers assist in this important endeavor.
“I think some of the most interesting things we have are the maps and the photos. Physically a lot of our buildings are gone, and of course the people are too. The photos let us have that back for a moment,” said Nawrocki, chief librarian.
THE ARCHIVES OF THE DIOCESE OF ST. AUGUSTINE
When fleet chaplain Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales held the first solemn mass on these shores on Sept. 8, 1565, it signified the beginning of the
first Catholic parish. From the beginning, careful records were kept of this holy heritage and are now preserved in the Archives of the Diocese of St. Augustine. These records tell the story of our multicultural founding and faith, and are considered the oldest collection of colonial period documents in the country.
The archives are operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph, and are located in a large two- story cement building behind the 17th- century Father Miguel O’Reilly House Museum. Both buildings are part of the SSJ Mother House complex. The Sisters came to St. Augustine in 1866, originally called to educate and evangelize the freed slaves.
A haven for genealogical and scholarly research, the archives preserve both personal information, such as baptism and marriage records, as well as Spanish documents that tell a more complete, enlightening story of Florida’s past.
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