St. Augustine

Waves, Swamps, & Bayous: Southeastern Waters - Part 4

Tuesday, 13 November 2018

Lon grew up in south Georgia and made many visits to north Florida, but I’d never been to St. Augustine. So on our way to south Florida we stopped at St. Augustine. Because it was part of the Spanish New World, it does not get its due recognition as the oldest settlement in the US (1565). As a northerner, I learned about Jamestown (1607) and the Pilgrims in Massachusetts (1620), but not a peep about the Spanish in Florida, Texas, or Mexico

The Castillo de San Marco is one of (if not the) the major tourist sites in St.Augustine. It’s an old Spanish fort that was never overtaken by force, although it did change hands numerous times through treaties and alliances. It’s now run by the National Park Service as a National Monument.

Defensive cannons on the roof.

This special furnace was used to head cannonballs to about 1500°F -- hot enough to start a fire on an attacking ship.

The dry moat around the castillo.

A view of the cathedral roof from the castillo.

The castillo was made of “coquina”, a young (geologically speaking) loose limestone comprised of tiny shells. The stone absorbs the shock of incoming cannon and atillery shells without cracking or crumbling. The photo above shows what’s left of the quarry where this stone was mined. The floor has filled with a few feet of sand and clay. Today it’s part of Anastasia State Park.

A trail leading out of the quarry at Anastasia State Park. This park, on Anastasia Island just outside St. Augistine, has a nice beach and a large campground.