The foundation history of the fort

It was built by the Spaniards in an effort to strengthen their position on the land they have already mastered. The construction took almost 23 years, the documents recorded the period from 1672 to 1695.

Castillo de San Marcos is not the only historical name. As a result of the War of Independence, the Spaniards ceded Florida to the United States, and the fortress began to be called Fort Marion. It was here that the glorious Osceola, the brave leader of the Hemolian tribe, languished in captivity. Adherents of the English King George flocked here. Many more famous names can be heard and more interesting facts to learn during the tour of the cult of the Spanish-American fortress.

The reason for the construction of Fort Castillo de San Marcos appeared 100 years before its foundation. In those days, St. Augustine was a tiny garrison town, vulnerable to an external enemy. And these fertile places attracted first the Protestants from France, then the storm of the Spanish Invincible Armada, to Sir Francis Drake.

He led his fleet of 20 ships to the city, and two thousand desperate English corsairs devastated and burned the first Spanish settlement of Florida. After a daring raid, the British left, leaving St. Augustine in peace until 1763. The Spanish authorities, meanwhile, were engaged in the construction of fortress walls.

Architecture Castillo de San Marcos

The composition of the fort is built on four bastions, enclosed in a single whole by curtains - connecting fortress walls. The bastions themselves look like ledges-triangles and bear the names of the saints - Augustine, Peter, Paul, Charles. On the first three are located “echaugettes” - small guard towers, and on the last - a building for viewing approaches from Matanzas Bay.

Used shell rock, so in Florida it was the only possible option of building material. A porous and not impressive in density stone suddenly proved to be a very suitable material: the cores of the cannons in it either get stuck or give the effect of a ricochet. Whereas brick constructions from large projectiles scatter a cloud of fragments. Thus, the first stone fortress of the United States appeared, bearing the status of a monument of national importance today.

What else is interesting fortress

Not only architecture and history attracts Castillo de San Marcos.

There are in the fortress and their cast. In addition to the ghost of Osceola, they say, the unfortunate unfaithful wife of the garrison commander wanders here, leaving a trail of ancient spirits. The jealous man allegedly imprisoned her and her lover in the oldest powder storage, inaccessible to officers and soldiers.

The great interest of tourists and researchers is chained to numerous graffiti. Their distant creators - grieving sentries, soldiers who dream of returning to their beloved Spain.

Modern servants of the fort, and these are mostly volunteers and rangers, do not get bored and do not allow tourists to do this.

They are happy to demonstrate the typical colonial weapons of the Spaniards, and every weekend and on Fridays they demonstrate firing of guns.

Then the program is followed by a solemn passage through the walls, in accordance with all the traditions and rules of the Spanish artillery. This is a very interesting piece of excursions to Castillo de San Marcos, which the American Butler company will be happy to arrange for you!