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| The
Authentic Old Drugstore 1998 |
The older Drugstore circa 1900 |
The Authentic Old Drugstore takes you back to the early days when
St.
Augustine was but a Spanish hamlet.
It was built by Antonio
Gomaas
in 1739.
He built it as a place of revelry, within the the jurisdiction
of the city, for protection,
but away from the actual settlement.
They
sold liquor, tobacco, medicine and Indian remedies.
They also
sold
their own medical concoctions.
T.W. Speissegger, a pharmacist, bought
the
building from Gomaas decendant.
In 1880 he moved the building to 46 1/2
Bay Street and
then the moved it to 31 Orange Street during the fire of
April 1887.
The firm was registered August 1, 1875 in the
Centennial
Autographic Register and the National Directory.
This Book was
deposited
in the archives of The Smithsonian in Washinton, D.C.
The building went through many owner changes and many
renovations.
It was purchased in the late
1980's by and is still owned by the Harris Foundation.
They made
many repairs and opened this facinating Museum free of charge to the
public.
The Authentic Old Drugstore is maintained and supported by the sales in
the gift shop.
The gift shop is contained in the area that was once a
courtyard and has
made no impact on the original historic building.
The Flags below have all flown over the Authentic Old Drugstore

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