The Minorcan Studies Project
The Minorcan Studies Project provides "Minorcan" resources for researchers, students, descendants, as well as readers with a more casual interest.
The Minorcans in Florida are like the Cajuns of Louisiana-- their closest historic parallel. Both groups arrived about 250 years ago, spoke another language, and went on to stay through various changes of flags to become the old-timers.
In 1768, 1,403 Minorcans sailed to Florida as indentured laborers for the Dr. Andrew Turnbull plantation. They were the largest single group to immigrate from Europe to North America in colonial times--including the Plymouth and Jamestown settlements.
Minorcan contributions are wide-ranging and include the first U.S. Navy admiral, David Farragut; Pulitzer Prize-winning poets Stephen Vincent Benét and William Rose Benét; and Hollywood singer, actor, and comedienne, Judy Canova. Minorcans in the Spanish Balearic Islands originated mayonnaise, and today St. Augustine Minorcans market popular hot sauces with their signature Datil pepper.
The Minorcan Studies Project began in the fall of 2021 with the goal of increasing the under-appreciated national reputation of Minorcan cultural heritage. Funding has been provided by the St. Augustine Foundation. The Project has involved Flagler College students and members of the community in sponsoring speakers and exhibits, supporting Minorcan-related initiatives, and developing this digital resource.
In 2027, the Minorcans will celebrate 250 years of residence in the Ancient City of St. Augustine, Florida. An estimated 30,000 Minorcans descendants still live in the area today. In future years, the Minorcan story will be increasingly valuable to St. Augustine's national identity—and Flagler College has contributed to its 21st century renaissance.
Featured Item
Philip D. Rasico, Professor and Linguist: Creolization of Catalan in the Minorcan Story
"Nobody had really done a serious study of the language, at that time." --Philip Rasico, Ph.D., Professor of Spanish and Catalan, Vanderbilt…
Featured Collection
Literary Descriptions of Minorcans
Minorcans were first featured in American literature in the late 18th century and, since then, references can be found in the pages of many authors,…
Featured Exhibit
"Bottling Hell: Datil Peppers of St. Augustine" by Anna Hamilton
An investigation into all things Datil pepper: https://bottlinghell.wordpress.com/
Recently Added Items
The Evolution of My Minorcan Studies,
Sandie A. Stratton
Historian Sandie Stratton discusses her role in making available Fromajadas and Indigo: the Minorcan Colony in Florida (1960), a valuable and beloved…
Mayonnaise, the Minorcan Sauce that the French have said for Years that They had Invented
A newly identified manuscript documents that mayonnaise originated in Minorca.
"Carried into Minorcan Country" by Mike Adno
“The Minorcan story was a cuisine and culture borne of scarcity.”
The gauzy afternoon light fell across Robert Capo’s face as he cast a hook in a…