Old City Gate – Haunted Historic Entrance in St. Augustine, Florida

Standing proudly at the north end of St. George Street, the Old City Gate marks the historic entrance to America’s oldest city, built in 1808 from coquina stone. This towering three-story structure is famously haunted by the spirit of a young girl named Elizabeth, who died during the devastating yellow fever epidemic of 1821.

Historical Background

Year Built: 1808

Original Purpose: The Old City Gate was part of the Cubo Line defense system, serving as the main entrance to fortify St. Augustine after a devastating British attack in 1702 led by Governor James Moore. The gates replaced earlier earthen walls and wooden structures that had deteriorated over time, standing as the city’s primary defensive entrance for over a century.

Significant Events: The yellow fever epidemic of 1821 claimed hundreds of lives shortly after the United States acquired Florida, with victims buried in mass graves at the nearby Huguenot Cemetery. The disease, known as “the black vomit,” first arrived in St. Augustine around 1649 and returned in deadly waves in 1839, 1841, and 1877. During the epidemic, if someone in your home had yellow fever, your house and belongings were burned to the ground to prevent the disease from spreading.

Paranormal Activity Summary

Visitors report seeing a bewildered specter wearing a Colonial-style white dress, particularly around midnight, playing and dancing along the passageway near the gates. Paranormal enthusiasts consistently describe encountering this adolescent apparition in the same location where bodies were left during the fever outbreak.

Eyewitnesses describe the sightings as incredibly vivid and real, with the young girl often waving at passersby in the late-night hours. The ghostly figure appears most frequently near the coquina columns that still stand today.

Ghost Stories & Reports

The primary ghost is Elizabeth, an adolescent girl who succumbed to yellow fever in 1821 and whose body was found unclaimed at the Old City Gate. Local legend suggests her family may have abandoned her body at the gates to avoid having their home burned down if authorities discovered the disease in their household.

Elizabeth was buried in an unmarked grave at Huguenot Cemetery directly across from the gates, and her identity remained undetermined for years. Visitors report seeing her in a lacy white dress, dancing and frolicking near the very spot where her fever-stricken body was discovered.

One eyewitness account describes driving past the gates well after midnight and seeing a little girl in a white dress waving at them, so vivid and real that their first thought was concern about where her parents were. Years later, during a ghost tour, they realized they had encountered the famous spirit of Elizabeth.

Most Haunted Spot Inside

The area directly around the massive coquina pillars themselves is where Elizabeth’s spirit is most commonly encountered, particularly in the early morning hours or late at night. The rough weathered stone columns stand at the exact location where her body was left, and she appears to be forever bound to this spot, gesturing toward Huguenot Cemetery where she was ultimately buried.

Can You Visit?

Open to the Public? Yes

Entry Fee: Free to visit the gates; ghost tours available at varying prices

Tour Availability: Multiple ghost tour companies include the Old City Gate on their nightly tours, with some offering late-night paranormal investigation opportunities. Ghost City Tours and other companies offer both family-friendly and adults-only ghost tours that stop at this location.

Photography Allowed? Yes

Visiting Hours: The gates are accessible 24/7 as they’re located on a public street, though visitors often come late at night for the best chance of paranormal encounters.

Best Time to Visit

Late at night, especially around midnight or in the early morning hours before dawn, is when Elizabeth’s spirit is most frequently spotted. Visiting after midnight increases your chances of having the location to yourself, allowing for better opportunities to potentially encounter the paranormal.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

A documented eyewitness report describes seeing Elizabeth vividly while driving past the gates well after midnight, with the spirit waving at them in her white dress. The witness initially thought she was a real child and worried about her safety before later discovering the legend on a ghost tour.

Paranormal investigators have captured photographs with unexplained orbs at the gates, claiming to have asked Elizabeth to appear in their photos during EVP sessions. Multiple visitors report similar photographic anomalies when attempting to communicate with the spirit at night.

Local Legends & Myths

The most prevalent legend suggests that Elizabeth’s parents deliberately abandoned her body at the City Gates to save themselves from having their home burned down during the yellow fever outbreak. This heartbreaking betrayal may explain why her spirit continues to linger at the spot where she died, forever waiting and waving.

Another version of the legend identifies her as a nine-year-old girl who may have been the daughter of St. Augustine’s gatekeeper, though most accounts settle on the more tragic story of abandonment during the epidemic.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

The location is featured on popular ghost tours throughout St. Augustine and has been visited by paranormal investigation teams exploring the city’s haunted history. Ghost City Tours, which operates world-famous ghost tours in the area, includes the Old City Gate as a regular stop.

Paranormal enthusiasts have conducted EVP sessions at the gates attempting to communicate with Elizabeth, with some claiming to have captured her voice and photographic evidence of orbs when specifically asking her to appear.