Ripley's Museum in St Augustine, Florida (1974)

Sifting through more of my old home movies in 8mm sound, I came across my visit to the original Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in St. Augustine, Florida. The St. Augustine Ripley's is located in Castle Warden, an historic Moorish Revival style mansion built in 1887. Built as a winter home for Millionaire William Warden, Castle Warden later served as a fashionable hotel owned by Norton Baskin and his wife, Pulitzer prize-winning novelist, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Since 1950 the building has been the original permanent location of Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum.
After the Museum, we stop by the Castillo de San Marcos, a fort which once guarded olde St. Augustine. The Castillo de San Marcos took twenty-three years to build but, once in place, stood as the town's stalwart defender. In 1845, Florida became the twenty-seventh state admitted to the Union. The Castillo de San Marcos was renamed Fort Marion in honor of a Revolutionary War hero.
We finish out the film along the waterway near the Bridge of Lions.
This film was shot with the first model of Kodak's Ektasound Super8 camera which recorded synchronized sound on magnetic striped film. I used a Eumig Super8 sound projector to overlay the music. Very primitive by today's standards & not always that accurate. Along with the Fort, the Ripley Museum is still open to the public.
Filmed: September 1, 1974

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• 1974
• Augustine
• Believe
• Decker
• Ektasound
• Eumig
• FL
• Florida
• home
• It
• Kerry
• Kodak
• movies
• Museum
• Not
• or
• Ripley's
• sound
• St.
• USA
• Castillo
• de
• San
• Marcos
• Bridge
• of
• Lions

[miledbill]

Very interesting, enjoyed viewing it.

Kerry I was wondering what goes through your mind when you view your old video? You must have hundreds, do you remember everything you filmed? Most of us just have some 8mm stuff (converted to vhs) and a shoebox full of snapshots.

Must be a real time warp for you.

[KKD1247]

Thanks! Yes, I pretty much remember all my old films. Each one was a "production" and took time, rather than random shots of an event. Looking back, they appear different than I remember however. The little girl in the movie is now nearly 40. The lady is now my "ex". I am now beginning to go thru my "sound movie" era & see what I find. But they are still a joy to watch - hope others like them too.

[DustyDingies]

Very Interesting & nicely done film!  DD The Creepy Clown

[trabwd]

Moved to Saint Augustine from California in '07, Prior to that I'd visited St Aug as a kid back in the 70's, really enjoyed seeing it from that perspective..I't's a great town.

[mari66101]

Great home movie...thanks for sharing. Makes me smile t o think I was only 8 years old when it was made!!!:O)

St. Augustine is a great place , i hope to move up there one day.

[Florida359]

been there twice!!! its awesome!! ilove the ghost tour!!

[krowXdoom]

been there twice....love it

[animasoucoyant]

I love St. Augustine.

It's great seeing this footage of how the city was/looked 35 years ago (which isn't unlike how it is today, minus the water in the moat of the fort!). =)

[fayeteville]

kerry i was at st augustine and i remember visiting the spanish military hospital which was really interesting and there are beautiful buildings such as flager university .Theres a plaza wiht a beautiful rotonda( thats how is called in spain) where people sit down and listen to music concerts- thanks for posting

[gloucester1066]

Thanks for posting. I grew up in St. Aug and loved that museum. Cheezy, yes, but it was a lot of fun for kids!

[whizbang47]

"Now its MY turn!" I have an ex-wife too. I'm wondering about that Mummy's sarcophagus. Is it there today or have the Egyptian antiquarians come after it? "Hair!"

hair, another ditto. Nice time machine moment. Thanks.

[OtherLives]

Many thanks.