Near Crescent Beach in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Guarding Matanzas Inlet
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, August 2, 2023
1. Guarding Matanzas Inlet Marker
Inscription.
Guarding Matanzas Inlet. . In front of you beyond the marsh grass, flows the Matanzas River, an arm of the ocean beginning just to the south at Matanzas Inlet. Even in its earliest colonial days, this river was an important water approach to the Spanish town of St. Augustine, 13 miles to the north. Spain established the town in 1565. The building you see in the distance is Fort Matanzas, a unique fortified watchtower, standing today as a quiet sentinel of times past. As early as 1569, wooden watchtowers were built in the vicinity to keep an eye on the river approach to the town. In 1740, the Spanish began construction of a stone fort built from coquina, a local sedimentary stone composed of mainly mollusk shells. Fort Matanzas guarded St. Augustine's "back door" for eighty years of service and is the last remnant of St. Augustine's colonial outer defenses.
In front of you beyond the marsh grass, flows the Matanzas River, an arm of the ocean beginning just to the south at Matanzas Inlet. Even in its earliest colonial days, this river was an important water approach to the Spanish town of St. Augustine, 13 miles to the north. Spain established the town in 1565. The building you see in the distance is Fort Matanzas, a unique fortified watchtower, standing today as a quiet sentinel of times past. As early as 1569, wooden watchtowers were built in the vicinity to keep an eye on the river approach to the town. In 1740, the Spanish began construction of a stone fort built from coquina, a local sedimentary stone composed of mainly mollusk shells. Fort Matanzas guarded St. Augustine's "back door" for eighty years of service and is the last remnant of St. Augustine's colonial outer defenses.
Erected by St. Johns County.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1740.
Location. 29° 43.166′ N, 81° 14.152′ W. Marker is near Crescent Beach, Florida, in St. Johns County. It can
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be reached from Florida Route A1A 3½ miles south of Route 206. Marker is located in the Southeast Intracoastal Waterway Park near the parking area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8295 FL A1A South, Saint Augustine FL 32080, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in First Coast and in Greater Jacksonville. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
3. Southeast Intracoastal Waterway Park Entrance Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on August 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2023, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 325 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 9, 2023, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
