Contributions of Women in Colonial St Augustine

Historic City News recognizes that no commemoration of St Augustine’s 450-year history would be complete without recognizing the many skills of the women of the community.

The National Park Service will be holding free demonstrations of some of those skills on Saturday, March 14th, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Fort Matanzas National Monument.

“Women are a critical part of the St Augustine community today, as they were hundreds of years ago,” Park Ranger Griselle Fuellner told local reporters. “We have assembled our volunteers who will be dressed in colonial-period clothing for on-going demonstrations of some of the historic textile making techniques.”

Reservations or tickets for this event are not necessary, the programs are offered without charge. This is a great opportunity to learn about spinning, weaving, felting, knitting, and natural dying through demonstrations and hands-on experiences for kids and adults.

Fort Matanzas is located 14 miles south of St Augustine on Anastasia Island and four miles south of SR-206 on Highway A1A. Additional information is available on the website at www.nps.gov/foma and visit them on facebook www.facebook.com/FortMatanzasNPS

Fort Matanzas National Monument preserves a unique example of a fortified Spanish watchtower, a fort which successfully defended the southern approach to St Augustine. It also remembers the 1565 Spanish slaughter of over two hundred French Huguenot soldiers by preserving the approximate location of the event. Finally, Fort Matanzas National Monument preserves nearly three hundred acres of rare, virtually undisturbed barrier island and associated dunes, forest, marsh and endangered plants and animals.