Park rangers ferry visitors over to the fort where they can
see what life was like for the soldiers stationed at the outback
garrison, 14 miles south of the old city and the main fort,
Castillo De San Marcos. Fort Matanzas was built of coquina
in 1740-1742 to replace a less formidable wooden watchtower
built in 1569. Coquina withstood gunshot from enemy ships
and provided a bird's eye view of Matanzas Inlet. The inlet
was further south at that time, and the fort's cannons could
easily strike approaching enemy vessels. From here you still
can see the Matanzas Inlet, Anastasia Island, where the
national park grounds and nature trail are located and
where the slaughter of 1565 took place,
and Summer Haven, the barrier island on the south side of
Matanzas Inlet where Crane's Roost is located.
Take the National Park Service's
virtual tour of the fort. More information can be found
at these websites:
http://www.staugustine.com/visit/history/fort_matanzas.shtml
http://www.staugustine.com/explorer/stories/102900/att_1023000042.shtml |
