Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

The Castillo de San Marcos has guarded St. Augustine for over 325 years. The coquina stone structure took 23 years to build (1672-1695) and would see service until the turn of the 20th Century. The fort would be under the command of four different countries, but it was never taken by military force.

Views of the exterior coquina stone walls of the fort - Doug Kerr, 2013.

The castillo would serve as the ultimate permanent replacement of nine prior wooden forts that existed in St. Augustine the century prior to the start of San Marcos' construction. The fort was attacked twice by the British in the early 18th century, 1702 and 1739, yet the fort and the city would not be captured. The fort would finally fall into British hands - and renamed Fort St. Mark - not by force, but by treaty in 1763. In the Paris Treaty signed to end the Seven Years War, Britain gained Florida from the Spanish in return for Cuba and the Philippines. A second Treaty of Paris would return Florida and the fort to the Spanish in 1784.

Interior grounds of Castillo de San Marcos

One of the many bastions of the castillo.

Spain would return the fort's name to Castillo de San Marcos and would hold the fort and Florida until 1821. On July 20 of that year, the Spanish government would cede all of Florida to the United States. The Americans would rename the base Fort Marion in honor of Revolutionary War General Francis Marion. In December 1860 when Florida seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy, Fort Marion was given to the Confederates in return for a receipt for the fort and all the contents inside. The Union would regain the fort on March 11, 1862 after Confederate forces abandoned the fort and the citizens of St. Augustine surrendered to preserve their city.

For the remainder of the fort's operation , it served predominantly as a military prison. Native Americans and deserters during the Spanish-American War would be imprisoned here. In 1924, the fort was declared a National Monument, and nine years later it would be transferred to the National Park Service. In 1942, Fort Marion was renamed Castillo de San Marcos in honor of its and the state's Spanish heritage. Today, the fort is one of the major tourist attractions in St. Augustine.

Panoramic view from Castillo de San Marcos - Tom Fearer, 2017.

All photos taken by post author - October 2011 - unless otherwise noted.

Sources & Links:

Castillo de San Marcos ---National Park Service
Virtual tour of Castillo de San Marcos ---University of South Florida
A half-day visit to Castillo de San Marcos ---National Park Obsessed

How To Get There:

Comments

Dillon Road

Dillon Road is a 34.2-mile highway located in northern Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California. Dillon Road begins at Avenue 48 on the outskirts of Indio and ends to the west at California State Route 62 near San Gorgonio Pass. Dillon Road was developed the 1930s as a construction road for the Colorado River Aqueduct. Dillon Road serves as a northern bypass to much of the development of Coachella Valley. Dillon Road is known for it's frequent dips and spectacular views of San Gorgonio Pass. Part 1; the history of Dillon Road Dillon Road was constructed as a haul road for the Colorado River Aqueduct through Coachella Valley. The Colorado River Aqueduct spans 242 miles from Parker Dam on the Colorado River west to Lake Mathews near Corona. Construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct began during January 1933 near Thousand Palms and was made functional on January 7, 1939. West of Berdoo Canyon Road the alignment of Dillon Road is largely concurrent with the Colorado

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road is an approximately 21-mile highway located in southeast Kern County. Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road begins at Tehachapi Boulevard (former US Route 466) in Tehachapi and crosses the Tehachapi Mountains via the 4,820-foot-high Oak Creek Pass. Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road enters Antelope Valley of the wider Mojave Desert and passes by the historic stage station of Willow Springs to a southern terminus at Rosamond Boulevard. Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road has historic ties to the Havilah-Los Angeles Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road due to the once reliable presence of water at Willow Springs. Part 1; the history of Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road Oak Creek Pass and Willow Springs were known to the local tribes of the Tehachapi Mountains for generations. The first documented European crossing of Oak Creek Pass was during 1776 as part of an expedition by Francisco Garces. Oak Creek Pass is as used again by John C. Fremont during an 1844-1845 expedition to e

Former California State Route 152 east of Pacheco through the San Luis Reservoir

Dinosaur Point Road east of Pacheco Pass to the waters of the San Luis Reservoir is the original alignment of California State Route 152. Since July 1965, California State Route 152 has been realigned east of Pacheco Pass via a modernized expressway. The original alignment of California State Route 152 on occasion reemerges from the San Luis Reservoir at Dinosaur Point. Pictured above as the blog cover is the original alignment of California State Route 152 at Dinosaur Point disappearing eastward into the waters of the San Luis Reservoir. Below California State Route 152 can be seen passing through what is now the San Luis Reservoir east of Pacheco Pass on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Merced County. Part 1; the history of California State Route 152 east of Pacheco Pass through the San Luis Reservoir site The present site of the San Luis Reservoir during the era of Alta California was part of Rancho San Luis Gonzaga. Rancho San Luis Gonzaga was granted to Francisco Jose Riv

Gribblenation

Search This Blog