The Authentic Old Drugstore
St. Augustine, Florida
Oldest Drugstore Circa 1900
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

BACK to the Authentic Old Drugstore page | Click here for our home page