Governor's House Library Research Collection

The Research Library at Government House is the creation of the St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission, which later became the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. The Commission was created in 1959 by a state law, which was based on earlier legislation written in 1937, and authorized "to acquire, restore, preserve, maintain, reconstruct, reproduce, and operate for the use, benefit, education, recreation, enjoyment, and general welfare... [St. Augustine's] historical and antiquarian sites." The impetus for the creation of the Commission was the rapid dilapidation and disappearance of historic structures in the city, which defined the character of the city and made it a popular tourist destination.

The success of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and the looming Quadricentennial (400th) Anniversary of the city in 1965 helped to catalyze restoration efforts. The Commission decided to focus on an area in the downtown that centered on northern St. George Street, which eventually became known as the Restoration Area. "Restoration" to the Commission generally meant recreating the colonial landscape of the city by reconstructing buildings on their original foundations (determined by archaeological excavations). The work being done in St. Augustine took on a new resonance with the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966. Eventually, a foundation was established take private gifts and donations, and by 1970 the foundation had acquired 34 parcels of land on which 29 historic structures were either reconstructed or restored.

In 1968 the State of Florida adopted a new constitution, and the Commission became the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board (HSAPB). The HSAPB was placed under the auspices of the Department of State, but the governor still made appointments to the board of directors. After this change, the HSAPB did not directly control its budget or its properties. For close to thirty years, the HSAPB was involved in ongoing preservation efforts and numerous public events, such as the Days in Spain event in the early 1970s, the Sesquicentennial celebration at the Castillo de San Marcos on the 150th anniversary of the U.S. purchasing Florida from Spain in 1821, and the annual Fiesta Menéndez/Menéndez Birthday Celebration.

The library grew as an academic foundation for the interpretational work of the HSAPB and the preceding Commission. Information about how houses were constructed historically, how they were furnished, who lived in them, and the daily work and recreation in colonial times were all subjects of research for the HSAPB staff. As the HSAPB began reconstructing houses on somewhat contiguous properties and the Restoration Area in the downtown grew, it was decided that these properties should be interpreted to the public in a way that would complement the interpretation provided by the National Park Service at the Castillo de San Marcos (since this was, and remains, the most visited attraction in the city). The Castillo focused on military life in St. Augustine and the interpretation in the Restoration Area focused on domestic life.

The State abolished the HSAPB in 1997, and the City of St. Augustine assumed control of the historic properties. For over ten years, the research library in Government House was operated by the City of St. Augustine Department of Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism. In 2010 the State once again took over stewardship, and the management of the historic properties, including Government House and its library, became the responsibility of the University of Florida.