St. Augustine Shipwreck Museum

10/12/2026

10/12/2026

I see sunshine 🌞 and it feels wonderful. Last week was hard for all but with wind and rain can bring Treasure 🤑. Yes peoples. It's an opportunity to look and find Treasure that may have been washed up on the beach using a medal Detector. We can help you find Treasure and show you how to use the Detector as well as educate you on any Treasure you find. Book online or call to reserve your Treasure Beach Excursion with our Treasure Recovery Team today.

904-480-2089
46 Charlotte Street
St. Augustine FL 32084

St Augustine Shipwreck Museum
Staugustinemuseum.com

10/05/2026

Meet Buck, the newest member of the Crew.

10/03/2026

Fun Facts On This Day

A Britannica Newsletter
Today in History
October 03, 2026

President Lincoln Proclaims a Day of Thanksgiving

On this day in 1863, U.S. Pres. Abraham Lincoln heeded a request from a letter and proclaimed a day of “Thanksgiving and Praise.”

It was the height of the Civil War, and the country was suffering. Thousands of Americans had been killed in the Battle of Gettysburg just months earlier. Lincoln’s proclamation called on Americans to “observe the last Thursday of November next” even as the “lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged” continued.

This was not without precedent. During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress also called for days of thanksgiving. In 1789 Pres. George Washington declared November 26 a day of thanksgiving, and in 1815 Pres. James Madison did the same. It was fairly common in American leadership. Over the course of his presidency, in fact, Lincoln would call for nine such days of gratitude.

Then there was Sarah Josepha Hale. She was the first female editor of the Ladies’ Magazine and later the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, which became the most important and widely read women’s magazine in the country during her 40-plus years of stewardship.

In it she published works by the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. She supported women’s education and the end of slavery. She also believed that the fledgling United States lacked a cultural identity—a problem she felt Thanksgiving could help solve.

Before Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation, it was largely left to individual states to decide when—or even if—to celebrate Thanksgiving. Hale believed that the country needed one fixed date around which to unify its celebrations. And she wrote Lincoln a letter on September 28, 1863, telling him just that.

Hale had been unsuccessfully urging governors, congressmen, and even prior presidents to take up this task—for decades. But Lincoln responded immediately.

He proclaimed the last Thursday in November a day of thanksgiving—and asked the entire country to participate at once. It wasn’t quite the day of Thanksgiving that we know today, but it stuck, establishing the tradition of one national Thanksgiving observance, which was renewed by presidents who followed. And in 1941, Congress made it an official national holiday.

Today’s edition of Today in History was written by Michele Metych.

Authentic Civil War pieces can be purchased in the gift shop including pieces from the Battle of Gettysburg.

St. Augustine Shipwreck Museum
46 Charlotte Street
St. Augustine FL 32084

08/17/2026

SS United States

SS United States built during 1950-1951, is the largest and fastest Ocean Liner to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
The ship was designed by William F. Gibbs. It served as a US icon transporting celebrities and immigrants between 1952 and 1969, and could be converted into a troupship if needed in time of war by the US Navy. Despite the speed, passenger counts declined in the 60's due to the rise in jet- propelled Trans Atlantic flights.
Several owners attempts to make the ship profitable declined due to age, and poor maintenance. The interior furnishings were sold at auctions and stripped to the bulkheads. In 1996 she was towed to Philadelphia where she remained until February of 2025.
The SS United Stated Conservancy tried to raise the funds to save the ship but attempts failed and she was evicted from the pier.
Rescued by The Okaloosa County, Florida for 1 million dollars, plans to sink her by 2026 near Destin to be the World's Largest Artificial reef.
Today she sits in Mobile, Alabama being prepared for her final resting place.

SS United States Artifacts are on display in the gift shop @ St. Augustine Shipwreck Museum.

46 Charlotte Street
St. Augustine FL 32084
904-480-2089
Staugustinemuseum.com

08/13/2026

St. Augustine Shipwreck Museum is taking reservations for Treasure Beach Excursions. You can book online or call 904-480-2089. Two person minimum. Got Treasure?

07/27/2026

Its the 5th year Anniversary today of the museum. Here's to many more. Happy Anniversary ❤

07/19/2026