Agriculture lay at the core of Cracker life. Unlike the plantation economies of the Carolinas or Georgia, Florida’s soil and climate favored small-scale subsistence farming. Cattle and the Cow Hunter Tradition Cattle ranching was particularly important. Spanish explorers had introduced cattle to Florida in the 1500s, and by the 1700s wild herds

St. Augustine, founded in 1565 by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, is known as the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States. Its Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos, and its cobblestone streets attract millions of visitors every year. Yet the Cracker Homestead illustrates that St. Augustine’s history extends far beyond c

Florida, with its rich layers of indigenous, colonial, frontier, and modern history, is a land where stories are embedded in the soil and architecture. Among the many places that preserve and celebrate its past, the St. Augustine Rural History Museum at the Cracker Homestead holds a unique position. While St. Augustine is more widely recognized for

Today, Castillo de San Marcos is managed by the National Park Service and stands as a powerful educational site. Visitors walk its ramparts, explore its casemates, and look out over Matanzas Bay much as soldiers did centuries ago. For Floridians, it serves as a reminder of the state’s deep colonial roots. For the nation, it represents the endu