“I have always loved the beach. The smell of the salty water, the wind in my face, the gentle roar of the waves all combine to create a sense of peace and calm.”
The area was settled in 1768, when Scottish physician Dr. Andrew Turnbull established the colony of "New Smyrna." The colony occupies a notable place in history by being the single largest attempt by a member of the British Crown at colonization in the New World. Turnbull transplanted around 1500 settlers, from Minorca, Majorca, Ibiza, Smyrna, Crete, Mani Peninsula, and Sicily, to grow hemp, sugarcane, indigo, and to produce rum.
The colony suffered major losses due to insect-borne diseases and Native American raids; and tensions grew due to mistreatment by Turnbull. Due to these complications, the remaining colonists marched north to St. Augustine along the Old King's Highway, to claim mistreatment by Turnbull to the Governor of Florida in St. Augustine in 1777; then a British protectorate..
Soon after, St. Augustine was returned to the Spanish, and Turnbull abandoned his colony for life in Charleston, South Carolina.
The St. Photios National Shrine on St. John's Street in St. Augustine, Florida, honors the settlers of New Smyrna, who were the first Greek Orthodox followers in North America. The historical exhibit adjoining the Chapel tells the moving story of their plight in great detail, with accompanying exhibits.
The area was then only sparsely populated due to the frequent raids by Seminole Indians. During the American Civil War in the 1860s the still-standing "Stone Wharf" was shelled by Union gunboats. In 1887, the Town of New Smyrna was incorporated with a population of 150. In 1892, the arrival of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway lead to an increase in the area's population and a boom in its economy, which was based on tourism, citrus, and commercial fishing industries.
During prohibition in the 1920s the city and its river islands were popular sites for moonshine stills and hideouts for rumrunners coming in from the Bahamas through Mosquito Inlet, now Ponce de León Inlet. "New Smyrna" became "New Smyrna Beach" in 1947, when the city annexed the seaside community of Coronado Beach. Today, it is a bustling resort town of over 20,000 permanent residents, with over 1,000,000 visitors annually.
Like its Spanish partner to the north, St. Augustine, New Smyrna has stood under four flags: first the British, then the Spanish, then the American flag in 1845, followed by the Confederate Jack, and finally replaced the Stars and Stripes again.
Hi my friends, we took a ride to New Smyrna Beach, located close to Daytona Beach - just for fun and to get out of the house for a little bit. It's wonderful warm now, it's really springtime also here. We have visited the beach with all that activities going on. A lot of younger people were there, it must be springbreak-time too.
I hope you'll enjoy the pictures and have a wonderful Friday. Weekend....yeah! Susanne
I don't know what this young lady was looking for, but it was fun looking at her and the play of the waves
splashing waves - and the next one was already building up
Complete peace equally reigns between two mental waves. ~Swami Sivananda~
Was she looking maybe for her complete peace?....*smile*...
Hi my friends,
Thank you for all the visits and for all your wonderful comments. You make my day with every single compliments. I love to share my pictures with you, love to share my thoughts and my little moments in life. Thanks to be my friend on this blog!
I wish you a good day, have a great time - and come back tomorrow. Susanne
It's all emotion. But there's nothing wrong with emotion. When we are in love, we are not rational; we are emotional. When we are on vacation, we are not rational; we are emotional.
It's well known, Florida is pretty and a beautiful destination for your next vacations :)
Thank you so much for all your nice comments and compliments to my recent posts. You all make my day with your kind words.
I'm sending you all the sunshine from the Sunshine State - there will be still more than enough left for us...*smile...
Have fun - Enjoy your day!
Susanne
Please don't forget to check out my shop, because I know, my Calendars 2010 are a wonderful gift to give for someone you love, or for a good friend or just to pep up the gray walls in your office! Thank you!
We are heading back to Florida's Peninsula. We loved the emerald green water of the Gulf of Mexico - and we had a good time there. We were even thinking to settle down in Panama City and went out looking at some houses already. But, we didn't liked anything we have seen. Yep, I know it.... probably we are not that easy people if it comes to living accommodations, we have a certain taste and a lot of expectations for our new future home! But I'm optimistic, one day we will find THAT pretty little house to call it our new home :)
Thank you so much for all your kind comments to my last post. Love you all! :)
Stay with me, see ya' tomorrow in Florida again! Susanne
