Top stories of 2014: Civil rights leaders mark 50 year anniversary

While it was anything but a celebration at the time, some of the civil rights leaders who were in St. Augustine in the 1960s came back this year to be honored and to share their stories of the struggle.

St. Augustine became one of the battlegrounds for the desegregation movement in 1964 when Martin Luther King Jr. led locals and out-of-town protesters alike in peaceful demonstrations that often turned violent.

Extremists sometimes attacked or intimidated demonstrators and sometimes vandalized businesses that chose to integrate.

In contrast to the establishment of the early '60s, St. Augustine leaders feted some of the surviving members of the civil rights movement this year on the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

There were several events throughout the year, including a panel discussion that brought in Dr. Robert B. Hayling. The former St. Augustine dentist had his house was fired upon and was attacked while spying on a Ku Klux Klan meeting. He later left the city.

Another event sponsored by the city was a reunion of six of the 16 rabbis who were arrested during a June 18, 1964, demonstration at the Monson Motor Lodge and Restaurant in St. Augustine.

Gathering at the Visitor Information Center, the rabbis read their famous letter that they composed during their one sleepless night in the county jail. The letter is titled "Why We Went" and was written on the back of a Ku Klux Klan pamphlet.

Among the powerful passages in the letter, the rabbis wrote: "We came because we could not stand silently by our brother's blood. We had done that too many times before."

The VIC was also host to an exhibit entitled "Journey: 450 Years of the African-American Experience," which recounted much of the civil rights history in St. Augustine.

Although the exhibit was temporary, one of the most interesting pieces lives on in St. Augustine. The Woolworth's counter that originally seated the St. Augustine Four was transferred from the VIC to the Wells Fargo on King Street. The same counter, including the original seating, menu and other relics, is nestled inside the bank where Woolworth's once stood.