Pirate Museum
The St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum was a surprising delight to visit.
"It's the popular Jolly Roger design. What's so jolly about it? Nothing! Like all pirate flags, it was designed to strike terror into its victims' hearts and minds.
The name Jolly Roger probably came from the French words jolie rouge, meaning "pretty red" and referring to the days when pirate flags were often red. The skull with a pair of crossed bones underneath may have been borrowed from gravestones."
"Imagine what riches this 150-lb, 400-year-old metal chest once held! It belonged to Thomas Tew, who made an enormous fortune raiding ships loaded with precious jewels, ivory, and silk from the Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
If you look inside the lid of the ornate painted chest, you'll find shapes of mermaids worked into the design. If you explore the bottom of the chest, you'll see a small case. That's where Tew locked particularly valuable items."
