St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Tidal Toilet / Limpiado por las mareas

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

1. Tidal Toilet / Limpiado por las mareas Marker

Inscription. Tidal Toilet (English) This colonial restroom had a twice-daily, natural flushing system. Incoming tides filled the pit with seawater, and outgoing tides flushed waste out into the bay.

Limpiado por las mareas (Spanish) Este retrete de la época colonial tenía un sistema de enjuague natural que funcionaba dos veces por día. Las crecientes mareas llenaban la fosa de agua de mar. Las mareas menguantes descargaban las inmundicias hacia la bahía.

Erected 2018 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Forts and Castles • Hispanic Americans.

Location. 29° 53.863′ N, 81° 18.684′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A) (Business U.S. 1) and Cuna Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located on the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument grounds, at the southeast corner of the fort's Plaza de Armas. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 South Castillo Drive, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

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of this marker. Ramp (a few steps from this marker); Plaza-Courtyard (a few steps from this marker); Firing Steps (a few steps from this marker); Pirate Attacks (a few steps from this marker); St. Augustine's Bastion (a few steps from this marker); The Cross of Burgundy: Symbol of Spain (a few steps from this marker); Matanzas Bay (a few steps from this marker); Well (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.

More about this marker. Marker is a large rectangular composite plaque, mounted horizontally on waist-high metal posts.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

Also see . . . Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. A monument not only of stone and mortar but of human determination and endurance, the Castillo de San Marcos symbolizes the clash between cultures which ultimately resulted in our nation. Still resonant with the struggles of an earlier time, these original walls provide tangible evidence of America’s remarkable history. (Submitted on December 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Marker detail: tidal toilet diagram image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: tidal toilet diagram

• Wooden seats / Asientos de madera
• Plaster-lined pit / Fosa cubierta con enlucido
• Stone-lined sewer to and from the bay / Cloaca revestida con piedra que comunicaba con la bahía

Tidal Toilet Marker (<i>wide view; located at southeast corner of the Plaza de Armas</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

3. Tidal Toilet Marker (wide view; located at southeast corner of the Plaza de Armas)

Tidal Toilet (<i>interior view; left side of marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

4. Tidal Toilet (interior view; left side of marker)

Tidal Toilet (<i>interior view; right side of marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

5. Tidal Toilet (interior view; right side of marker)

Castillo de San Marcos Plaza de Armas Staircase (<i>Tidal toilets located under staircase</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018

6. Castillo de San Marcos Plaza de Armas Staircase (Tidal toilets located under staircase)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 14, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 856 times since then and 62 times this year. Last updated on December 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos: 1. submitted on December 14, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.