The Lincolnville historic district is an African American community founded in 1866 shortly after the Civil War. Located south of the historic downtown district in St. Augustine, the freedmen’s town is designated by Cedar Street and DeSoto Place to the north, Washington Street to the east, Cerro Street to the south and Riberia St on the west edge. The district falls along the natural borders, surrounded by the San Sebastian River and the Maria Sanchez Creek, now lake, which connects to the Matanzas River.

Located in the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European and African American origin in the United States, Lincolnville’s Spanish roots sets it apart from the rest of the nation. In 1513, an expedition led by famous conquistador Ponce de Leon landed on Florida soil. Among this group were not only enslaved Africans claimed by the Spanish Crown, but a free African man who joined Spanish forces: Juan Garrido. While the location of the expedition’s landing is disputed, it resulted in the founding of St. Augustine, a Spanish colony founded in 1565 and includes Lincolnville as one of its historic districts. As the colony grew, so did the African American population of the area. Spanish society and the legal system created an environment less restrictive for people of color, allowing them to leave enslavement in a variety of ways. From this environment rooted what would become the foundations of Lincolnville.

Under Colonial Spanish rule, the Lincolnville land would begin as the mission villages known as Palica and Pocolata. Established in 1716, Pocolata was settled by the Yamasee community, who migrated to La Florida from South Carolina after the Yamassee War. The village was in southern Lincolnville. Palica rested to the north. The first Spanish period came to an end in 1763 with the takeover of Havana by British forces. As a result, Britain would take over St. Augustine.

The British period was a 20-year break from Spanish colonization. While such a short time it would bring on a dependence on enslaved labor and plantation systems that would be continued after the Spanish reoccupied St. Augustine in 1784. Lincolnville’s founding also falls back to the land grants that were provided by the Spanish to various citizens in this period. Spanish citizens were given land grants from which Lincolnville would form, its boundaries coinciding with the grants. These citizens all used this space to develop commercial orange groves, many of which used enslaved labor. Two documented plantations existed where Lincolnville would come forth from many years later: Buena Esperanza and the Yalaha Plantation. The Yalaha Plantation was in the northern region of Lincolnville, owned by Peter Dumas, while the Buena Esperanza was in the southern region. Both plantations were founded prior to the American Civil War, but oranges would be grown in this region until 1894 during a freeze, killing all orange crops. Remnants of both these sites are still standing in Lincolnville today.

Lincolnville was founded as a freedmen's town in 1866. Its roots in Spanish culture shift as the new Black citizens create a haven and space of growth for those in the area. Called derogatory terms such as a ‘squatter settlement’ and ‘Little Africa,’ the now free Black population began to ensemble and create a thriving community. Peter Sanks, Matilda Papy, Harriet Weedman, Miles Hancock, Israel McKenzie, Aaron Dupont, and Tom Solano were all rented land by the City of St. Augustine to live as new citizens of America. These seven residents would increase to 340 Black families in 1899 as Lincolnville grew. Beyond residential spaces, there was a thriving business district on Washington Street, multiple schools in the area, and numerous residential homes and buildings that would become one of the largest groups of Victorian era homes to date.

On its surface, Unearthed Treasures of Lincolnville is simply an exhibit of discovery, of finding what is within the Lincolnville Museum’s archives. Beyond that, this exhibit solidifies Lincolnville’s importance as a national example of the Black experience in America. It is important to note that there were other Black communities besides Lincolnville, where families lived in West Augustine, Uptown, and many other places in town. St. Augustine has “the oldest black heritage of any continuous settlement in the United States," and Lincolnville is just one part of that heritage. All the items showcased here are a variety housed in the museum’s archives and on display in their exhibits. The items highlight three aspects of Lincolnville: its community spirit, the resilience and activism its residents showed, and the importance of education to its residents.

"Lincolnville Historic District," National Register of Historic Places, 1991.