| Castillo
de San Marcos St. Augustine, FL |
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Castillo de San Marcos, built in 1672-1695, is the oldest masonry fort in the U.S. It withstood two major sieges in the 1700s, when it protected the citizens of the city within its walls. The thick shell-stone walls have never been breached, and with cannon that could launch shot up to 3 miles, it was a formidable fortress. The 1763 First Treaty of Paris gave Florida to the British, which included the Castillo de San Marcos. In the Second Treaty of Paris, it was given back to Spain until 1821. Castillo de San Marcos was occupied by Confederates for a year during the Civil War, then taken over by Union forces. Once whitewashed, with red sentry boxes, this simply designed but highly effective stronghold has an interesting place in the history of our country. |
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"Once St. Augustine was attacked and all the people that lived there had to come to the fort for protection. 1000 people had to stay there for 50 days! Luckily, the fort was used as the city's food storehouse, so they didn't starve, and the bathrooms were flushed twice a day by the ocean tides so they didn't get sick." --Amanda |
Sixteenth-Century
St. Augustine : The People and Their Homes |
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"The men of St. Augustine took turns standing guard at the fort. This is where the 24-hour guards slept while they were protecting their city. There weren't full-time soldiers. Most men had families and regular jobs in the city, but volunteered at the fort once in a while."--Harrison |
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"This was used to heat up cannon balls to shoot ships with. It has slanted metal tracks inside where the fire is. The cannon balls are rolled down the tracks and through the fire. The hot shot is grabbed with big tongs and taken to a cannon to shoot wooden ships. They wanted hot cannon balls, because they start fires on ships."--Amanda |
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The building material available in St. Augustine proved to be very durable and withstood cannon balls and 300 years of wind and rain. It was quarried in huge blocks by black and Native American slaves and convicts. "Coquina is a 'stone' made of welded shells. It took millions of years and acid (rain) to turn some of the shells into welding material, with the shells sticking to it. The walls are made of coquina & are up to 16 feet thick! So, the fort's made of shells stuck to shells by shells!"--Harrison |
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St.
Augustine is the oldest continuous settlement in America. It was founded
in 1565, forty-two years before the English colonized Jamestown. Don
Pedro Menendez de Aviles was sent to Florida by King Philip II of Spain
after six failed expeditions between 1513-1563. He settled St. Augustine
after wiping out the nearby French garrison.
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Spanish
Pathways in Florida : 1492-1992/Los Caminos Espanoles En LA Florida
: 1492-1992