Searle’s Sack of Saint Augustine

Join us on the first weekend in March for the reenactment of “Searle’s Sack of St. Augustine”, one of only two true pirate attacks to have occurred in our nation’s oldest city.  Our portrayal of Searle’s Sack, recreates the famous bloody pirate raid on St. Augustine of 1668.  This deadly incursion was led by English Privateer Captain Robert Searle when he and his crew laid siege to the city and it’s inhabitants.  Searle and his privateers sailed from Jamaica to loot the silver ingots held in the city’s royal coffers. Under the cover of night, they slipped into the harbor and attacked the sleeping town’s people, killing sixty and pillaging government buildings, churches and homes.  The devastation wrought by these pirates prompted Spain’s Council of the Indies to issue money to build a massive stone fortress on Matanzas Bay to protect the city.  The Castillo de San Marcos still stands today as an enduring reminder of Florida’s turbulent past.

This year marks the 350th Anniversary of this shocking attack.  Re-enactors from all over the country will converge on Saint Augustine to participate in this our twentieth annual event.  This living history event, presented by Searle’s Buccaneers and the Men of Menéndez (both member companies of Historic Florida Militia), with the assistance of the Saint John’s County Tourist Development Council, has three distinct parts.

Part #1  The procession that announces the arrival of the raiding pirates and heralds in this annual event will begin in the area of the Cathedral Basilica at 4:30 p.m. on Friday March 2nd.  From there the historically clad re-enactors will proceed north on St. George Street to the Santo Domingo Redoubt on Orange Street.  This affords the viewing public a opportunity to take some great photographs, speak with our historians and learn all about this truly historical pirate attack.

Part #2   The Searle’s Sack encampment will take place on Saturday March 3rd  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park located at 11 Magnolia Ave.  Visitors can see colonial Saint Augustine in action at this living-history camp where there will be period demonstrations of weapons, clothing, and equipment, as well as reenactments of camp life and social activities.

Part #3   The reenactment of the battle between the privateers and the city’s Spanish defenders will take place in St. Augustine’s Historic District at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday March 3rd, beginning at the Plaza de la Constitución and ending at the Old City Gate.  The English privateers will head north on St. George Street from the Plaza and the battle will commence when they clash with the Spanish defenders who will be stationed at the Santo Domingo Redoubt on Orange Street. (across from Potter’s Wax Museum.) This living history event takes on a real feel when the period re-enactors demonstrate how the Spanish settlers had to fight off Searle and his pirates.  The beating of drums, the waving of flags, musket and cannon firings, sword fights and pike pushes are all part of the dramatic recreation of this famous attack of our town.
All events in the historic district are free and open to the public.  The encampment at the Fountain of Youth is a free with regular park admission: $15 for adults, $14 for seniors (60+), $9 for children ages 6-12, and free for toddlers 5 and under.