Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos, the immense and impressive fortress that guards Matanzas Bay, was for many years the northern most outpost of the Spanish New World Empire. The need to fortify the tiny garrison town of St. Augustine was understood as early as 1586, when it was attacked by Sir Francis Drake, an English pirate whose fleet of twenty ships and two thousand men sacked and burned the town.

Later, in 1668, the English pirate Robert Searles assaulted and plundered the settlement. At the same time the threat of English colonization in the north had significantly increased, and Queen Mariana of Spain authorized the construction of a stone fortification. In 1672 construction of the Castillo began. Faced with the growing English presence to the north, the Spanish desperately needed to strengthen St. Augustine's defenses; therefore, Spanish soldiers and Native Americans were pressed into service to build the giant structure. The fort was built of coquina, a type of shellstone indigenous to the area and quarried from nearby Anastasia Island.

Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort and the best-preserved example of Spanish colonial fortification built in the continental United States. Designed by Spanish Engineer Ignacio Daza, it was built in the form of a hollow star with a diamond shape bastion at each corner. Construction of this fort was finally completed in 1695. The physical integrity and the structural splendor of this massive fortress remain largely intact more than three centuries after its completion. The Castillo is arguably the most impressive of all the historical landmarks in St. Augustine. Thousands of visitors flock to see the unique structure and learn about its colorful history.

The Castillo was twice besieged by the British—once for 50 days in 1702 and again during a 27-day bombardment in 1740. English General James Oglethorpe attempted to subdue the town in 1740 by firing from the tip of Anastasia Island. He found his cannonballs were no match for the unusual consistency of coquina which absorbed the blast rather than crumbling. On both occasions, the Castillo held fast against its attackers; it has never been conquered. Politics, however, succeeded where cannon failed. In 1763, Spain gave Florida to the British in exchange for Havana, Cuba. For the next 20 years, the huge edifice was known as Fort St. Mark. In 1783, Florida was returned to Spain's control. The Second Spanish Period ended in 1821 when Spain gave Florida to the United States, and in 1825 the name was again changed—this time to Fort Marion in honor of Revolutionary War General Francis Marion. It retained that name from 1825 to 1942, when the Castillo appellation was restored.

During the ensuing years the old structure was used, at various times, to house Indian prisoners during the Seminole Wars; to house Confederate soldiers during the Civil War; for holding Plains Indians captured during western campaigns; and as a military prison during the Spanish American War.

In 1924, both the Castillo de San Marcos and its sister structure—Fort Matanzas, which was built by the Spanish from 1740-42 to protect the southern approach to St. Augustine—were proclaimed national monuments. Nine years later, both were turned over to the National Park Service. Recently, a $3 million construction project was completed on Castillo de San Marcos to renovate and stabilize the oldest masonry fort in the country. Contractors repaired cracks in the fort's coquina walls and replaced the concrete gun deck to prevent further deterioration. The Castillo and Fort Matanzas have been under the auspices of the National Park Service since 1933.

The fort is open to the public daily, except for Christmas.