On South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north. Reported missing.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
On South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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
Near South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north. Reported missing.
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
On South Castillo Drive (State Road A1A), on the right when traveling north.
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