Introduction
Nestled along the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida, Anastasia State Park spans over 1,600 acres of beaches, tidal marshes, maritime hammocks, and ancient sand dunes. But beyond its natural beauty, the park holds centuries of history—stretching from the time of Florida’s earliest Indigenous peoples through the era of Spanish colonization to its current role as a protected state park.
Located just east of St. Augustine, the oldest continuously inhabited European-established city in the continental United States, Anastasia State Park is not just a scenic beach escape. It is a living museum of geology, archaeology, colonial industry, and cultural evolution. The park's coquina quarries, historic landscapes, and coastal ecosystems have been witnesses to the transformations of Florida over more than a thousand years.
Indigenous Presence Before Colonization
Long before the Spanish arrived, the Timucua people occupied what is now northeastern Florida, including the area surrounding Anastasia Island. Archaeological evidence suggests that Indigenous peoples lived along these coasts for thousands of years, thriving off the bounty of the Atlantic Ocean and the adjacent salt marshes.
The Timucua established semi-permanent villages, built ceremonial mounds, and harvested fish, shellfish, and game. Shell middens—heaps of oyster shells and other refuse—found in and around Anastasia Island provide crucial clues about their diet, trade, and religious practices.
Although no specific Timucua settlements have been fully excavated within the boundaries of the modern state park, the area would have been part of their seasonal hunting and gathering grounds. Tragically, the Timucua population collapsed in the 17th and 18th centuries due to European diseases, warfare, and forced assimilation. shutdown123