We had so much fun exploring the Space Coast of Florida, searching for all of the locations that the Hardy Boys, the Happy Hollister, and Nancy Drew visited (Series Books - The Space Coast), that Pam and I could not wait to visit our next destination. With so many series books that have had books set in Florida, we certainly had plenty from which to choose. In this case, though, Hurricane Milton made the decision for us, since the West Coast of Florida has been drastically affected by the wind and rains. Thus, looking to stay on the East Coast, we moved just a couple of counties north of the Space Coast, up to St. John County, Florida and the oldest city in the United States - St. Augustine!
In this instance, we were fortunate to only have one book to explore in this grand city, and that was The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms. This book is the fourth book in "The Moving Picture Girls" series produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and published under the author name of Laura Lee Hope. The series follows the adventures of two sisters, Ruth and Alice DeVere, and their father, Hosmer DeVere, all of whom work in the film industry (silent films, as this series was originally published from 1914 - 16). In this particular volume, the girls travel to Florida with their father and the rest of the film troupe to make several more movies in St. Augustine, as well as in areas in the interior of the state. It is those chapters where the film crew stays and films in St. Augustine on which Pam and I focused our attention...
In the story, Ruth and Alice, along with their father and the film troupe, stay at a hotel described as having a "ladies' court, with a palm-girded garden wherein a fountain played" (p. 63). Upon arriving in St. Augustine, we discovered that the city boasts a hotel that accurately fits that description - the Alcazar Hotel! Built by Henry Flagler, a railroad tycoon who was wanting to create a resort city in the South, the Alcazar officially opened in 1888 on Christmas Day. The hotel remained opened until 1931, so it would have been opened in 1914, when this book was published. The author likely visited the hotel at some point, or was intimately familiar with it, as the descriptions certainly fit the place.
The "ladies' court" (p. 63), which was the inner courtyard where the girls "strolled out under the beautiful loggia, through an avenue of palms and many tropical plants" (pp. 66-67), has gone through changes over the years, but it still has the small bridge over the fountain of water, as well as the line of palm trees and tropical plants everywhere you turn. Pam and I nearly felt like we had walked right into the pages of the story, joining Ruth and Alice as they took in the breathtaking beauty of the hotel.
Within walking distance of the hotel was Fort Marion (p. 66), located on the banks of the Mantanzas River (p. 68). It was here that the players were to film a movie titled "The Spanish Prisoner" (p. 78), and according to the book, "the background of the old fort [was] most effective" (p. 78). The book talks about "what was once the drawbridge in front of the portcullis, near the old watchtower on the stairway that was originally an inclined way, by which artillery was hauled up to the terre plein" (p. 78). Like the acting troupe in the story, the fort was a moment in time preserved for all to see.
Due to the heavy rains from Hurricane Milton, the inside of the fort was, unfortunately, closed to visitors, so Pam and I were not able to go in and see the old guard room and the dungeon (p. 78), which Alice and Ruth explored when not filming scenes for their movie. We did, however, take time to walk around the outside of the fort, taking in the moat, the watchtower, and the area where the drawbridge once existed. Again, we were able to imagine what it must have been like for the film troupe as they filmed in and around the fort, as it certainly could be used as the backdrop for a period piece of drama!
As we continued to explore St. Augustine and follow in the path of the Moving Picture Girls, our next stop was the Old City Gates. In the book, the girls "reached the north end of St. George street and before the old city gates..." (p. 67). This description is spot-on, as the end of St. George Street is exactly where we found the Old City Gates, still standing after more than 280 years!
Now, there was one place in the book that provided a great description, but, unfortunately, no longer exists in the real world. The Moving Picture Girls visit an orange grove, which is said to be just a short distance from the city gates (p. 70). At one time, such an orange grove did exist just down the street from the gates - Dr. Gaernett's Orange Grove, which is likely the grove to which the author is referring - however, by the 1950s, the property had been sold, and, bit by bit, the grove disappeared as the city developed more and more. Now, all we have to remember the grove are postcards of the past.
Being in St. Augustine, one would expect that the Moving Picture Girls would visit the famed Fountain of Youth - and, yes, they did! The book indicates that the girls found the fountain "...on Myrtle Avenue, two block north of the orange grove..." (p. 73). The distance is just a it off, but not by much. The Fountain of Youth is located at the end of Myrtle Avenue, but the entrance is now off of the cross-street, Magnolia Avenue (Fountain of Youth). I suppose, since this is a work of fiction, some liberties could be taken with distance and directions.
As the sign at the entrance to the park says, the Fountain of Youth represents the first chapter of our nation's colonial history - in 2,000 BC, the native Timucua town of Seloy thrives on the location; in 1513, Ponce de Leon landed at the location; in 1565, Menendez established the city of St. Augustine at the location; and in 1587, the First Mission Church of Nombre de Dios was built on the location. Certainly, there have been countless changes to the park over the years, the fountain itself is still a major draw for tourists - so, just like the Moving Picture Girls, Pam and I had to check it out!
The book even goes so far as to describe how "near the fountain was a large coquina cross ..." (p. 75), which can still be viewed in the park today. As indicated in the book, the cross was actually found "by discovery of a silver casque, which contained documents telling of the matter ..." (p. 76). When visiting the park, you can see the Coquina Cross, made up of 15 vertical and 13 horizontal stones that were allegedly placed there by Ponce de Leon to indicate his discovery of the fountain. The park retains a copy of the silver container that was discovered in 1904, which contained papers that purported to be "an affidavit by a crown official to verify that [the] cross was made here by Ponce de Leon in the year 1513" (from the plaque located at the site of the cross and the silver casque inside the park). Thus, the discovery of that cross and casque would have only taken place 10 years prior to the publication of this book!
Time escaped us faster than we anticipated as we explored the country's oldest city, and before we knew it, we had to leave. This meant we did not have time to visit the Alligator Farm, where "[o]ne act in a play took place ... on Anastasia Island" (p. 94). There is an actual Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, that is still open to the public today (Alligator Farm). It is most certainly larger than it was back in 1914, and most likely more commercialized for tourists than at the turn of the previous century. Nevertheless, tourists today can see live alligators just as Ruth and Alice did during the stay in St. Augustine.
The Moving Pictures Girls Under the Palms (1914), written under the pseudonym of Laura Lee Hope, offered up the most places to visit from any of the other books we explored during Pam's trip to Florida. St. Augustine was an unexpected treasure trove of adventure for us - the Alcazar Hotel, the Fountain of Youth, Fort Marion, the Mantanzas River, the Old City Gates - it was truly like stepping back in time and stepping right into the pages of the book we had read.
Although Pam had to head back home to Canada, it was not without hope. Already, we were discussing our next adventure, because we were determined to get over to the west side of Florida and trace the path of a certain flight attendant who solved a mystery over there...
COMING SOON: Exploring Series Books in Florida - Part 3 (Tampa Bay)!
No comments:
Post a Comment