The Lincolnville Historic District stands as one of the most significant and inspiring neighborhoods in American history, representing both the resilience of a community founded by freed slaves after the Civil War and serving as a pivotal battleground in the Civil Rights Movement that changed our nation. Located on the southwest peninsula of St. Augustine, just minutes from the historic downtown core, this 45-50 block neighborhood offers visitors a profound journey through African American history, beautiful Victorian-era architecture, vibrant cultural institutions, and a thriving contemporary community that honors its past while embracing the future. Lincolnville's story begins in 1866 when seven freedmen and women (Peter Sanks, Matilda Papy, Harriet Weedman, Miles Hancock, Israel McKenzie, Aaron DuPont, and Tom Solana) leased land for just $1 per year on what was then the west bank of Maria Sanchez Creek, across from developed St. Augustine. These pioneers established a settlement originally called "Africa" or "Little Africa," creating a community where formerly enslaved people could build new lives, establish businesses, purchase property, and exercise the freedoms they had been denied. After streets were laid out in 1878, the community came to be known as Lincolnville, likely named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln, whose Emancipation Proclamation had begun the journey toward freedom. The area that would become Lincolnville had its own complex earlier history. T