Rival Flags: British Interlude and Return to Spanish Rule

Florida briefly fell under British control starting in 1763, through the Treaty of Paris. During this short interlude, the British constructed a series of redoubts—small defensive earthworks—to bolster positions around St. Augustine. Recently, archaeologists unearthed part of one such redoubt—a moat near Lincolnville, confirming historical maps and adding new physical proof of the British period

In 1783, Spain regained control following the American Revolution, only to eventually cede Florida to the United States with the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, finalized in 1821

American Transition: Territory, Statehood, and Civil War Turmoil

For a time, St. Augustine shared the role of territorial capital of East Florida, alternating with Pensacola. But in 1824, Tallahassee became Florida’s permanent seat of government The city weathered the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) and later joined the Confederacy during the Civil War. Uniquely, Union occupation freed enslaved people under the Emancipation Proclamation, long before many other Southern cities

During Reconstruction, freedmen founded neighborhoods such as “Africa,” later known as Lincolnville. Built by African American residents, Lincolnville is now a historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places shutdown123