Green Cove Springs in Clay County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

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Fort San Fransisco de Pupo

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 2, 2012

1. Fort San Fransisco de Pupo Marker

Inscription. Pupo is first mentioned in 1716 as the place where the trail from the Franciscan Indian missions and the Apalachee (present-day Tallahassee) to St. Augustine crossed the river. The Spanish Government built the fort on the St. Johns River some time before 1737. Pupo teamed with Fort Picolata on the Eastern Shore, these forts protected the river crossing and blocked ships from continuing up stream. In 1738 after an attack by the British-allied Yuchi Indians, the fort was enlarged to a 30-by-16 blockhouse, surrounded by a rampart of timber and earth. During General James Oglethorpe's 1739-40 advance on St. Augustine, Lt. George Dunbar unsuccessfully attacked Pupo on the night of December 28th. On January 7th and 8th, Oglethorpe himself took two days to capture the Spanish blockhouses. Oglethorpe reinforced the fort with a trench, which is still visible. Upon the British retreat from Florida, Fort San Francisco de Pupo was destroyed. Though the fort was never rebuilt, the site remained a strategically important ferry crossing. In the 1820s Florida's first federally built road, the Bellamy Road, used the river crossing on the

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route between St. Augustine and Pensacola.
A Florida Heritage Landmark

Erected 2003 by Clay County Historical Commission. (Marker Number F-480.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is January 2010.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 29° 58.687′ N, 81° 37.751′ W. Marker was in Green Cove Springs, Florida, in Clay County. It was on Leonard C. Taylor Parkway (State Road 16), on the right when traveling east. Located on southeast bank of St. Johns River. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Green Cove Springs FL 32043, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in First Coast

and in Greater Jacksonville.

It was also in the American South.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

Fort San Fransisco de Pupo Marker, located on southeast bank of St. Johns River, looking east image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 2, 2012

2. Fort San Fransisco de Pupo Marker, located on southeast bank of St. Johns River, looking east

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: 5”38 Caliber Single Mount Dual Purpose Gun (approx. 1.4 miles away); Pratt Whitney R-2800 Twin Wasp Engine (approx. 1.4 miles away); “The Willys” (approx. 1½ miles away); M151 Series Military Utility Tactical Truck (approx. 1½ miles away); The M-170 Truck, Ambulance (approx. 1½ miles away); The Gama Goat (approx. 1½ miles away); LARC-LX (approx. 1½ miles away); William Bartram's Plantation (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Green Cove Springs.

More about this marker. Bridge construction for Hwy 23, the First Coast Expressway, has eliminated this marker.

Fort San Fransisco de Pupo Marker, looking west along State Route 16 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 2, 2012

3. Fort San Fransisco de Pupo Marker, looking west along State Route 16

Fort San Fransisco de Pupo Marker along the St. Johns River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Stroud, December 2, 2012

4. Fort San Fransisco de Pupo Marker along the St. Johns River

Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,323 times since then and 146 times this year. Last updated on May 22, 2026, by Larry Stephans of Oak Hill, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 28, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.