Events at this location

Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine is pleased to welcome Regina Gayle Phillips, Executive Director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, to discuss an upcoming new exhibit at the museum about the Green Book in St. Augustine. Published between 1936-1967, the Green Book, or in full The Negro Motorist Green Book, The Negro Travelers’ Green Book,  or The Travelers’ Green Book, was a travel guide published during the Jim Crow era in the United States to identify hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that accepted African American customers, making travel both more comfortable and more safe for African Americans. The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, an African American history museum located in the Lincolnville neighborhood of St. Augustine, is housed in the historic Excelsior School Building, which served as the first public Black high school in St. Johns County in 1925. Ms. Phillips will discuss the history and importance of the Green Book for African Americans, the businesses in St. Augustine that were featured in the travel guides, and the upcoming exhibit at the Lincolnville Museum.

This program is free and open to the public, and will take place at The Waterworks, 184 San Marco Ave., which shares a parking lot with the Main Library. Seating begins at 12:00 pm, and the presentation starts promptly at 1:00 pm. No reservations are required. For more information, please call the Main Library at 904-827-6940.

Ms. Phillips currently serves as Executive Director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, housed in the historic Excelsior High School. She began at the museum as a volunteer in 2015, and has been instrumental in its transformation and development over the past five years. Under her leadership the museum has established a regular schedule of operations, curated new exhibits, and developed coalitions with other institutions. A Jacksonville native, Ms. Phillips graduated from Wolfson Sr. High School, Florida Junior College, and the University of Florida School of Journalism. She is also a graduate of the First Coast Technical Institution Culinary Program. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum and the St. Augustine Historical Society, and was recently appointed to the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council. She lives in St. Augustine with her husband of 35 years, Floyd, who also serves as president of the museum’s Board of Directors.

The Waterworks is available through the generosity of the City of St. Augustine and the St. Johns Cultural Council.

The Main Library Halloween Carnival is back! This year the carnival will be held outside in the yard surrounding The Waterworks building, located right next door to Main Library.

Put on your favorite costume and come join in the fun! There will be carnival style games, crafting and treats galore for kids of all ages.

The Waterworks is available through the generosity of the City of St. Augustine and the St. Johns Cultural Council

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Waterworks was built in 1898 as the pumping station for St. Augustine’s first water utility, and remained in service until 1927 when a new water plant opened on West King. The site was then developed into Davenport Park and the building adapted for use as the City’s first Little Theatre.  Subsequent users included the St. Augustine Arts Club and the St. Augustine Garden Club.  As the new home of the St. Johns Cultural Council, The Waterworks now hosts dozens of cultural organizations and events throughout the year, presenting hundreds of opportunities for St. Johns County residents to experience high quality arts, cultural, and heritage programming.

This newly restored building may be accessed through both parking entrances of the Main Branch Library, 1960 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd.  The program is free, and no tickets or reservations are needed.

Sponsored by The Friends of The Library and The St. Johns Cultural Council.