Day 152: Well-aged

On our drive north, we veered east to St. Augustine, the oldest European-established city in the country. It dates to the 1500s, and it is home to two related forts: the Castillo De San Marcos and its smaller cousin, Fort Matanzas. Both structures are made of a shell/limestone composite called "coquina." It doesn't shatter with the impact of cannonballs, and that characteristic is what preserved these two very old buildings.

They were built by the Spanish: the Castillo in the 1600s to defend St. Augustine, and Fort Matanzas in the 1700s, to defend the Castillo and St. Augustine from the threat of siege ships. The English ports to the north, namely Charleston and Jamestown, were Spain's main adversaries. (Although Fort Matanzas was named for, and built upon, the site of a brutal Spanish massacre, in 1565, of French soldiers from nearby Fort Caroline.) Soldiers from the garrison at the Castillo were assigned to a 30-day duty at Matanzas, where they kept an eye on the waterways leading to St. Augustine, firing warning shots at any potential threats. The defense worked; after completion of Matanzas, the Castillo and city were never again directly threatened.

The eventual demise of the Spanish influence, as the English pushed farther and farther south into "La Florida," is a chapter of our history that's often lost in the glare of the spotlight that rests on the events of New England and other places to the north. But we were reminded today of the significance of that heritage. St. Augustine is a charming town that showcases its Spanish architecture and history; and thanks in part to the sites' free admission in honor of Veterans' Day, the Castillo was packed with tourists. It was great to see so many other families exploring these parks. We sure enjoyed them!

Photos:
(1) Fort Matanzas has just two rooms and the observation deck on top accessed by ladders. But it was considered quite luxurious by the 8-10 soldiers who manned it at any one time...much larger and better equipped than their own homes.
(2) The visitor center is across the inlet, requiring a short ferry ride to access the fort. The weather today was unseasonably cold...especially out on the water!
(3) Heads up--on the roof
(4) in the guard station that's attached to the fort's corner on the main platform
(5) the moated entrance to Castillo De San Marco. It's a very large star-shaped fort, complete with drawbridge and cannon mounts in every concievable direction.
(6) One of those cannon mounts, on the balustrade overlooking the water.
(7) An interior shot...the fort's central courtyard is very large, surrounded by two-story walls that are 17-feet thick.
(8) A fort volunteer, playing the part of a Spanish soldier on this day of heavy tourism

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