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Fort Caroline Shores in Jacksonville in Duval County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Spanish Pond

Fort Caroline National Monument

— Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve —

 
 
Spanish Pond Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, July 31, 2011
1. Spanish Pond Marker
Inscription. 500 Spanish soldiers from St. Augustine marched four days through marsh, forest tangle, fierce wind, and heavy rainfall to an encampment near here. Exhausted and hungry they rested in a downpour; at dawn they attacked and captured France's Fort de la Caroline.

In 1565 Spaniards, slogging through wetlands like Spanish Pond to overtake Fort de la Caroline, saw an inhospitable environment. Today we see backyards. An open, pristine pine flatwoods once surrounded this spot; today, a fragmented forest with thick underbrush exists. Pristine or backyard, nature is still alive at Spanish Pond.

Spring peepers, cricket frogs, and bullfrogs make choral sounds that our ears tune out. Small alligators and mud turtles laze near lily pads. Wood ducks dabble, great egrets gig frogs, and woodstorks fish, clapping bills blindly through shallow water. Sunrise after sunset the pond is here - but will it always be?

From this point take a quiet stroll along the edge of Spanish Pond or venture a more strenuous hike into the thick woods of the Theodore Roosevelt Area. Well-marked trails intersect, leading you through a variety of habitats - pine flatwoods, oak hammock, and tidal marsh. Sturdy shoes, ample drinking water, and insect repellent are recommended.

One way trail distances:
Spanish Pond Trail: 1 mile
Timucuan
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Trail: 3/4 mile
Willie Browne Trail: 1 mile
Bicycles are allowed only on the Willie Browne Trail and pets must be leashed on all park trails.
 
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial EraNatural Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1565.
 
Location. 30° 23.042′ N, 81° 29.74′ W. Marker is in Jacksonville, Florida, in Duval County. It is in Fort Caroline Shores. Marker is on Ft. Caroline Road, on the right when traveling east. Located in the Spanish Pond section of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jacksonville FL 32225, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The River of May (approx. 0.2 miles away); Timucuan Friends (approx. ¼ mile away); The Building of la Caroline (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort de la Caroline (approx. 0.3 miles away); Staking a Claim (approx. half a mile away); Ribault Monument (approx. half a mile away); New France (approx. half a mile away); Timucuan Preserve (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jacksonville.
 
Also see . . .  Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve website. (Submitted on August 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Trail Map image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, July 31, 2011
2. Trail Map
 
Spanish Pond Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, July 31, 2011
3. Spanish Pond Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,051 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on August 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

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Mar. 19, 2024