St. Johns River Settlement, Florida (June 30, 1564) was established by Rene de Laudonniere, who led a group of Huguenots, French Protestant Christians from France, to colonize and build Fort Caroline near present-day Jacksonville, Florida. Rene de Laudonniere recorded:
1564SJ001
This was the first European settlement in North America. U.S Representative Charles E. Bennett sponsored a bill, September 21, 1950, establishing the Fort Caroline National Memorial. In 1989, Rep. Bennett recited the history:
<The 425th anniversary of the beginning settlements by Europeans…renamed from Fort Caroline to San Mateo, to San Nicolas, to Cowford and finally to Jacksonville in 1822 … Three small ships carrying 300 Frenchmen led by Rene de Laudonniere anchored in the river known today as the St. Johns. On June 30, 1564, construction of a triangular-shaped fort. .. was begun with the help of a local tribe of Timucuan Indians…Home for this hardy group of Huguenots…their strong religious … motivations inspired them … Fort Caroline existed but for a short time … Spain … captured … the fort and … slaughtered most of its inhabitants in September of 1565.> 1564SJ002
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1564SJ002. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Charles E. Bennett, U.S. Representative (FL), September 21, 1950, sponsored a bill, establishing the Fort Caroline National Memorial. Charles E. Bennett, speech, 1989.
This post originally appeared at https://americanminute.com/blogs/todays-american-minute/st-johns-river-settlement-florida-june-30-1564