Fort Marion, circa 1856
This rare 1882 photo shows the equipment of a French Transit of Venus expedition on the gun deck of the Castillo, then called Fort Marion.
The rare event of Venus' passage between sun and Earth was recorded on a commemorative white marble plaque, now in storage at the
National Park Service Archive in Jacksonville.

Welcome to our 450th

Welcome to web pages of the 450 Corps, a citizen organization formed to begin planning for the 450th Anniversary of St. Augustine's founding in 2015. Its mission is to generate community interest, ideas for anniversary programs and projects, and potential sponsorships. The 450 Corps is designed to fold into a Federal 450th Commission, now making its way through Congress. We are a Florida non-profit corporation with Federal 501(c) 3 status for tax-deductible contributions.

Visit Our Idea Vault

Visit the Vault to see ideas generated by our community so far - and vote on your favorites. For individuals and organizations, they may spark an interest or some ideas of your own. Potential sponsors should look to the opportunity to be highlighted for a weekend program, annual festival, web site, or for years to come as sponsor of a legacy project. At this point, money is no object - really! The best of ideas are sure to find a sponsor. Check back often as we begin to classify categories of ideas for programs and projects.

Join in the Forum

Visit the Forum to contribute and dialog live with our community on ideas for celebrating our 450th. That community includes our city, county, state, nation, and the world. Being the first permanent European settlement in today's America is no provincial matter. We have already received a number of ideas from Avilés, Spain, our sister city and birthplace of our founder. Think, and dialog, on ideas covering every era of St. Augustine's history and its culture.

St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeology Maritime Program (LAMP) volunteer Maury Kaiser will head up a 450 Corps committee developing plans for a 16th century replica ship for St. Augustine. See Progress page.

If you are interested in serving on 450 committees, send your contact information to City Public Affairs Director Paul Williamson. Send general inquiries to George Gardner.