Fort Matanzas

Castillo De San Marcos in St. Augustine was completed in 1695  as the heart of Spain's coastal defense of Florida.  However,  Matanzas inlet 14 miles to the south of St. Augustine proved to be a weakness to the defense of Castillo De San Marcos.    James Oglethorpe gave the Spanish good reason to fear when his troops blockaded St. Augustine Inlet for a 39 day siege. Eventually Oglethorpe gave up and returned to Georgia.  For Matanzas built of the local shellstone coquina,  was almost complete in 1742 when Oglethorpe arrived again, but the fort's cannons pushed Oglethorpe back.  This would be the last time that the fort fired its guns in battle.  Florida was transferred to Britain in 1763 and then after American Revolution a treaty returned Florida to Spain in 1784.  By the time Spain transferred ownership of Florida to to the United States in 1819, Fort Matanzas was so deteriorated that is could no longer be occupied.  The US took possession of the fort in 1821 but never occupied it. Tours and upkeep are a part of the National Park Service today.  It has been restored and repaired and is now open to the public. We took the dinghy over to the welcome center for the Fort Matanzas tour.  The tour and ferry ride to Rattlesnake Island on which the Fort is built is free. 

Joy