Castillo de San Marco

First on our list of things to do in Saint Augustine was Castillo de San Marcos.  This fort was built by the Spanish to protect their claim along the Florida coast.  The fort we toured today was not the first one on this site.  There were nine wooden structures before the one that still stands today.

The present fort was built during the 1670s and 80s and is the oldest masonry fort in North America.  It is built in the shape of a square with triangles (bastions) at each corner.  The result looks somewhat like a 4-pointed star.  The lower level consists of storage rooms around an open courtyard.  Cannon occupy the second level.

Although the flags of several countries, including Spain, England, and the US, have flown over the fort, it has never been taken in battle.  It has passed from country to country by treaty in exchange for something else.

Castillo de San Marcos came under the direction of the National Park Service in 1933.  Today, the lower level houses exhibits, a small theater, and a small gift shop.  Cannon still occupy the second level.  Volunteers in period costume wander around the fort answering questions and giving demonstrations.  We were lucky today and got to witness the firing of the cannons.

There is very little free parking in Saint Augustine (unless you have purchased sightseeing train or trolley tickets) and that includes the parking lot in front of Castillo de San Marco.  This parking lot was closed this morning when we arrived, so we parked a block away on the street.  We fed the meter 2 hours worth of quarters.  That turned out to be plenty of time to tour the fort.

We got home in time for lunch.  Gene is currently outside rubbing on the Everest again.  I have been busy with soup and salad preparations for dinner.  Friends, Darrell and Judy Patterson, arrived about noon.  They have spent the past two weeks on a Habitat for Humanity build a few miles south of here.  We have invited them over for dinner and are eager to hear about that endeavor.

We’ll probably do the historic Saint Augustine walking tour tomorrow.  What little bit we saw today was intriguing.