The Castillo de San Marcos

When the fort was built in the 1670s the walls were painted white and the turrets red for the colors of the Spanish flag. This photo was taken from the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse across the bay. Our trolley tour guide told us that the fort's cannons could fire cannon balls as far as the lighthouse. We found that surprising, figuring the 17th century weaponry wouldn't be that powerful.
A juxtaposition of the old and the new--the Castillo de San Marcos and the Vilano Bridge in the distance. Matanzas Bay, meaning "slaughters" in Spanish, was so named after the Spanish killed the sailors of a French fleet who were cast into the water after their ships were destroyed.


The interior of the fort. The rooms on the first story have interpretive displays and signs explaining the history of the fort and the lives of the men who manned it.
The park service hosts historical re-enactments and has staff costumed in period dress to answer questions about the fort and its history.

The Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Built of coquina, which is a natural mixture of small seashells and sand compressed to form stone which is similar to limestone, the fort was able to withstand multiple assaults. The natural properties of the coquina allows it to absorb the impact of the cannon balls and musketry without shattering, which is why the fort is still standing today. The queen of Spain insisted the fort be built of stone after several earlier forts were burned to the ground.

There are many websites on the Internet that will tell you the history of the Castillo de San Marcos, so I won't go into that here. Denny and I have visited several different forts and remains of forts in our travels, but this one amazes you with its age and sturdiness. You can see graffiti left by the soldiers carved into its walls, imagine the battles in the bay as you stand on the second story and listen to the rangers' talks on the fort if you happen to arrive in time for one of the guided tours.

The trolleys all stop here or there is plenty of parking if you drive up on your own. Since the park is a national monument, you can use your Golden Age Passport or the Golden Eagle Passport to get in free. It's all part of the St. Augustine experience, come enjoy it.