What Is Castillo de San Marcos National Monument?
This national monument preserves the oldest masonry fort in the United States!
What Makes It Historical?
From its founding on September 8, 1565, San Agustín didn’t face a whole lot of threats. They readily crushed the French colony of La Caroline that same year, and the first British colony of Jamestowne didn’t pop up until 1607. So, for the first 103 years of settlement, the residents of San Agustín made do with very little funding from Spain and a wooden fort to defend themselves.
Then pirates struck in 1668, disguised as a Spanish subsidy ship, and sacked the struggling town! That was enough to spur the governor of Cuba, viceroy of New Spain, and Queen Regent Mariana to have serious talks about funding their colony in La Florida, just as Governor Francisco de la Guerra’s tenure was coming to an end!
His replacement, Don Manuel de Cendoya, left Spain in July of 1670, enlisted his 2-year old son in the military to get out of debt, and finally reached Florida, with funding, on July 6, 1671. In that time, Britain had established the colony of Charles Towne just north of San Agustín, but with engineer Ignacio Daza delayed until 1672 and a plague wiping out most of the Native folks doing the hard labor, construction was barely finished in 1695, just in time for the first siege!
Castillo de San Marcos was uniquely desiged to resist attack! It was shaped like a four-pointed star, for coverage by cannons, plus, it was built from coquina, a porous, shell-based limestone that could absorb the impact from cannonfire! So while the British burned San Agustín in 1702 and 1740, the Castillo, so long in the making, was never defeated in battle!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Volunteer at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument!
- Donate to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument!
- Be a responsible visitor! Remember the old adages: Pack out what you pack in! Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints!
How Do I Get There?
11 S Castillo Dr
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit the Park?
The Castillo is open daily from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM!
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