St. Augustine, part 2
For most tourists to the city, the part of St. Augustine's tradition that they find most satisfying is the city's military history. At the center of this history is the town's 310 year-old fort, the Castillo de San Marcos. Historical reports indicate that a succession of 9 wooden forts were built in the first 100 years of the settlement before San Augustin got its noted Castillo, which was constructed from 1673 to 1695. As you will no doubt hear many times in a tour of the city, the walls of this fort are built of a rare substance called coquina, a unique formation of crushed seashells that occurs in the area. The material itself looks like a block of hardened oatmeal. Coquina is rare but was in abundant supply on the nearby island of Anastasia, and it proved to be a dynamic defense against cannon balls. The coquina stone breaks off with the scratch of a finger nail, but the stone would stop a cannon ball much like a marble hurled at a high speed into a wheel of cheese. The ball would either embed itself in the wall or else bounce harmlessly back. With 500,000 of these coquina blocks, the Spanish had found their defense.
In prior years, some invaders had made a better run of the city. Sir Francis Drake, the English legitimized pirate, attacked and burned the city in 1585. St. Augustine would in fact have many types of visitors over the years. Other visitors included runaway slaves who eventually settled Ft. Mose, north of St. Augustine, an assembly of various displaced Indian tribes which would be known collectively as the Seminole, and Spanish settlers from other colonies in the New World. Of the latter group, one of the earliest was a band of refugees from Ft. Elena to the north (in South Carolina), who were transported down to St. Augustine when their fort fell to enemy attacks. In 1668, a pirate named Robert Searles ransacked the settlement, taking the lives of 60 people and kidnapping the wives and daughters of several prominent citizens (source: Presido de San Augustin web site). Five years later, the Council of the Indies financed the construction of the new masonry fort.
Visitors to the fort are impressed by its elegant and simple form, consisting of a rectangle coquina structure surrounding a large courtyard. The four impressive walls showcase four bastions at the wings of the fort. The walls are not high by our skyscraper standards, but one can easily see the comfort that would have been felt by those inside when an attack was looming in the harbor.
In 1702, the Castillo de San Marcos was put to a stringent test of its design when Governor James Moore of the Carolina Colonies of the British Empire led his forces down to St. Augustine to uproot the Spanish. The residents of the town moved into the fort, and Moore stormed into town and besieged the fortress for 58 days. As a historical footnote, the destruction of a number of mission outposts on the way destroyed much of an extensive system of church-established missions that had flourished in the first century and a half of the Spanish establishment in Florida. The fort held, and Moore left, preserving the continuance of Spanish rule in the area for a longer period. However, the town itself was burned to the ground and had to be rebuilt. It is at this time that we start to see some of the early buildings that still exist. The Gonzalez-Alvarez House is traced back to the early 1700's, which makes it (to some) the oldest house in this colony, although New England settlements have dwellings which predate the house. There is some argument about what house is actually the oldest in St. Augustine, but nevertheless a structure dating back 300 years remains to be seen by the enterprising visitor to this city.
An interesting fact of St. Augustine is that, after a number of fights and raids in which the Spanish remained entrenched, the city and fort would eventually be turned over to the English in 1763 through the treaty ending the French & Indian War. As the ever-popular red sightseeing train tour guides would say, "This just goes to show that the pen is truly mightier than the sword."
The 75-minute train ride is one of the best experiences of the city and will have you little guessing as to the merits of this city. The tour takes you past the Castillo de San Marcos and Matanzas Bay and into the heart of the old town. One building gives you an example of the various changes in occupancy over time that is so common throughout St. Augustine. The Francis Barracks building is a marvelous, yellow edifice in the Spanish style. It is now occupied by the Armed Reserve of Florida and is patrolled diligently by armed, uniformed Army guards, an amusing and yet startling sight in this quaint little vacation town. The barracks' previous uses were as that - a military barracks, for not only the Spanish but the English and Confederate soliders as well - and prior to that a home for Franciscan believers.
One humorous aspect of the tour is along the plaza that marks the downtown market square of the city. Here, off to the side, stands a statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, famed explorer of lands in the New World. And behold! The statue stands only about 5 feet tall. The ever-helpful train guides tell you that this is a life-sized statue - that men back in de Leon's day were much shorter, at an average height of 5'6" to 5'8". Mr. de Leon checked in at a very high 5'11" - he was noted for his height on deck. That is to say, 5'11" including hat and shotes. When you discover that the Timacuan Indians he met were very tall at 6'6", you have the makings of a very funny first encounter!
In prior years, some invaders had made a better run of the city. Sir Francis Drake, the English legitimized pirate, attacked and burned the city in 1585. St. Augustine would in fact have many types of visitors over the years. Other visitors included runaway slaves who eventually settled Ft. Mose, north of St. Augustine, an assembly of various displaced Indian tribes which would be known collectively as the Seminole, and Spanish settlers from other colonies in the New World. Of the latter group, one of the earliest was a band of refugees from Ft. Elena to the north (in South Carolina), who were transported down to St. Augustine when their fort fell to enemy attacks. In 1668, a pirate named Robert Searles ransacked the settlement, taking the lives of 60 people and kidnapping the wives and daughters of several prominent citizens (source: Presido de San Augustin web site). Five years later, the Council of the Indies financed the construction of the new masonry fort.
Visitors to the fort are impressed by its elegant and simple form, consisting of a rectangle coquina structure surrounding a large courtyard. The four impressive walls showcase four bastions at the wings of the fort. The walls are not high by our skyscraper standards, but one can easily see the comfort that would have been felt by those inside when an attack was looming in the harbor.
In 1702, the Castillo de San Marcos was put to a stringent test of its design when Governor James Moore of the Carolina Colonies of the British Empire led his forces down to St. Augustine to uproot the Spanish. The residents of the town moved into the fort, and Moore stormed into town and besieged the fortress for 58 days. As a historical footnote, the destruction of a number of mission outposts on the way destroyed much of an extensive system of church-established missions that had flourished in the first century and a half of the Spanish establishment in Florida. The fort held, and Moore left, preserving the continuance of Spanish rule in the area for a longer period. However, the town itself was burned to the ground and had to be rebuilt. It is at this time that we start to see some of the early buildings that still exist. The Gonzalez-Alvarez House is traced back to the early 1700's, which makes it (to some) the oldest house in this colony, although New England settlements have dwellings which predate the house. There is some argument about what house is actually the oldest in St. Augustine, but nevertheless a structure dating back 300 years remains to be seen by the enterprising visitor to this city.
An interesting fact of St. Augustine is that, after a number of fights and raids in which the Spanish remained entrenched, the city and fort would eventually be turned over to the English in 1763 through the treaty ending the French & Indian War. As the ever-popular red sightseeing train tour guides would say, "This just goes to show that the pen is truly mightier than the sword."
The 75-minute train ride is one of the best experiences of the city and will have you little guessing as to the merits of this city. The tour takes you past the Castillo de San Marcos and Matanzas Bay and into the heart of the old town. One building gives you an example of the various changes in occupancy over time that is so common throughout St. Augustine. The Francis Barracks building is a marvelous, yellow edifice in the Spanish style. It is now occupied by the Armed Reserve of Florida and is patrolled diligently by armed, uniformed Army guards, an amusing and yet startling sight in this quaint little vacation town. The barracks' previous uses were as that - a military barracks, for not only the Spanish but the English and Confederate soliders as well - and prior to that a home for Franciscan believers.
One humorous aspect of the tour is along the plaza that marks the downtown market square of the city. Here, off to the side, stands a statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, famed explorer of lands in the New World. And behold! The statue stands only about 5 feet tall. The ever-helpful train guides tell you that this is a life-sized statue - that men back in de Leon's day were much shorter, at an average height of 5'6" to 5'8". Mr. de Leon checked in at a very high 5'11" - he was noted for his height on deck. That is to say, 5'11" including hat and shotes. When you discover that the Timacuan Indians he met were very tall at 6'6", you have the makings of a very funny first encounter!
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posted by David at 12:13 PM
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