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Show The oldest house in America is in St. Augustine, ; Fla. In 1M4 it was built by the monks of the Order of St. Francis, and the whole of the solid structure is composed of coquinie, a combination, of sea shells and mortar, which is almost 1 totally indestructible. When Francis Drake sacked and burned the town this ' was the only house left in his trail of de- ; striiction. It has been purchased by the wed-known traveler and antiquarian J. W. Henderson, who will make it his winter win-ter residence. The government was asked to buy the ancient house and convert it into a historical museum, but ihe government govern-ment virtually declared that it had other " uses for its money than the purchase of old buildings. |