This Spanish fort, begun in 1672, stood firm against English attacks and helped Spain to hold Florida for many years. During the American Revolution, it was a British stronghold. Later it became a battery in the U.S. coastal defense system. — — Map (db m127654) HM
Before the construction of the Castillo, the people of St. Augustine were periodically raided by pirates. Since the town was never prosperous anyway, the loss of what little there was meant hard times and near starvation for all. — — Map (db m46200) HM
On this shore in 1586, Sir Francis Drake burned San Agustín and a new wooden fort called San Juan. In 1668, John Davis, an English corsair, sacked the town and almost captured its wooden fort. Many other pirates, seeking Spanish treasure ships, were . . . — — Map (db m46202) HM
Although the Castillo's high walls and moat were a substantial obstacle to anyone trying to capture the fort, the cannon here on the gundeck (or terreplein) were the were the real strength of the fort. With a range of over a mile, the cannon could . . . — — Map (db m46346) HM
Here in 1740 the sentry rang the alarm whenever he saw a puff of smoke from enemy cannon across the bay. It was the signal for prayer. Only two men in the fort were killed during the 27-day bombardment. — — Map (db m46348) HM
In 1740, General James Oglethorpe of Georgia, vowed to "take St. Augustine or leave my bones before its walls." The Spanish Governor Manuel de Montiano vowed in turn to "shed his last drop of blood" in defense of the town. Neither had to keep their . . . — — Map (db m46349) HM
Signals were exchanged between this tower and a similar one across Matanzas Bay, on the ocean shore near the present lighthouse. — — Map (db m46450) HM
You are standing in a "bastion," looking along the "curtain" wall toward another "bastion." The angles are planned to expose attackers to cross fire from several walls. — — Map (db m46454) HM
In 1682, a new engineer found that this bastion had been built 3 feet too low! By 1686, such mistakes were corrected. Labor for the fort included 100 Indians and Spaniards, plus a few convicts and slaves. Indian laborers got 20¢ per day; masons, . . . — — Map (db m46455) HM
Surrounding defenses made St. Augustine a walled town. From here you can see a reconstructed part of the Cubo Line, the log wall which barred the land approach. It extended from the fort, past the City Gate, to the San Sebastián River. — — Map (db m46509) HM
During Queen Anne's War (1702) English siege trenches came "within a pistol shot" of this point. English ships blockaded the harbor and 500 soldiers and indians took the town. The Castillo offered the only safety, so 200 Spanish soldiers and 1300 . . . — — Map (db m46510) HM
This bastion was named after the patron saint of the city. St. Augustine was established in 1565, 42 years before the English settled Jamestown - 55 years before the Pilgrims stepped onto Plymouth Rock. It grew from 800 people in 1565 to 3,000 in . . . — — Map (db m46513) HM
It enabled the sentry to watch outside the fort to the front and sides, and sheltered him from weather and enemy fire. These turrets were red against the white walls of the fort. You can help save the remaining red plaster by not touching it. — — Map (db m46514) HM
The fort was a prison for several hundred Plains Indians in 1875-78 (Comanche, Kiowa, Arapahoes, and Cheyenne) and in 1886-87 (Chiricahua Apaches). Originally confined in these casemates, they were soon moved to the terreplein to live in wooden . . . — — Map (db m46535) HM
During the American Revolution, St. Augustine was a base for British military activity in the South. The English added second floors in this and other rooms to make more space for storage and quarters. — — Map (db m46536) HM
In time of danger, the chapel was a spiritual haven for both soldiers and townspeople. Before the altar, the priest offered mass. The walls were white, with a red band at floor level. The holy water fonts are still in place. — — Map (db m46538) HM
In 1821, the United States assumed control of Florida and federal troops occupied the fort. It was renamed Ft. Marion, for the Revolutionary war hero Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox." In order to modernize the fort's defensives, the east portion of . . . — — Map (db m46542) HM
This structure is a hot shot furnace for heating cannon balls to be shot at wooden vessels and to set them on fire. It is part of the water battery built by the U.S. (1842-44) when this side of the moat was filled in and guns were mounted on the . . . — — Map (db m127657) HM
The man-made hill around the fort, called the glacis (gla'sis), "covers" or protects this area from enemy fire. Capturing a fort's covered way usually involved a bloody assault. — — Map (db m46548) HM
