Here, on June 9, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., told 500 supporters that he would participate in a sit-in at a motel restaurant the next day, anticipating correctly that he would be jailed. Segregation practices in St. Augustine drew national coverage when police arrested and jailed one of the demonstrators, the 72-year-old mother of the Governor of Massachusetts. Protesters in St. Augustine referred to the community as America's Oldest Segregated City and helped propel Congress to passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. This Italian Gothic style church was constructed in 1920.

Information provided by Florida Department of State.