State: Florida

Most known for:

The oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States

Basic Info:

The Castillo de San Marcos is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. The In 1924, it was designated as a National monument. In 1942, in honor of its Spanish heritage, Congress authorized renaming the “Fort Marion” as Castillo de San Marcos.

History:

Castillo de San Marcos stands today as a monument to the Spanish empire’s 300-year occupation of Florida and to the interaction and clashes of cultural groups that built the unified nation that is the United States today. Construction began in 1672 when Florida was part of the Spain Empire to protect Spain’s settlement in St. Augustine from pirate raids, hostile American Indian tribes, and neighboring imperial powers.

The Spanish designed Castillo de San Marcos to withstand the impact of a cannonball, using the bastion system developed by Italians in the 17th century. Resembling the medieval castle, or castillo, the bastion design lowered the castle walls and placed mounds of earth around the exterior to reinforce the walls. At each corner of the castle walls, the Spanish placed a circular tower to protect the fortress from every angle. To secure access into the castle, drawbridges were constructed. The core of the current fortress was completed in 1965, although its underwent many alterations and renovations over the centrals during different periods of its occupation by the Spanish (1513-1748, 1784-1821), English (1748-1784), and Americans (since 1821).

Reference: NPS, Wikipedia