Life in and Around Castillo De San

¶ … Life in and around Castillo de San Marcos

One of the most popular and scenic places in St. Augustine, Florida is the old Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos, which was built in 1672. Because the Spanish realized the vulnerability of St. Augustine, the massive fort Castillo de San Marcos was built. For many years, the fort stood firm against pirate raids and English attack and helped Spain to hold Florida. During the times of the American Revolution, the fort served as a British stronghold. In later years, it became an important structure in America's coastal defense system.

The fort Castillo de San Marcos was never conquered and still endures as the nation's oldest and only remaining 17-century stone fort. Today, visitors can tour the fort's interior and see how the soldiers lived and fought.

The entire town of St. Augustine has a historical feel. There are a lot of traces of Spanish culture so it is easy to see how it was once a Spanish city. The fort seems to have had a fiery and troubled existence. In the 1600's, a pirate named Robert Seales sacked the city resulting in the construction of the fort, which was built from a local sedimentary rock called Coquina. This rock was very useful in keeping the enemy from penetrating the walls.

The people of St. Augustine knew that the town was an important landmark for Spanish settlers and free African-Americans. Most of the buildings were made of wood and clay, which made them vulnerable to attacks and raids. The fort was viewed by the people of the town as its main form of protection from invasion.

After each of many attacks, historians say that the people of St. Augustine immediately returned to the ruins and began to rebuild the damaged parts of the fort. They knew that the fort was crucial to their existence. The fort served primarily as an outpost of the Spanish Empire, also protecting the sea route for treasure ships returning to Spain.

The fort gave the residents of St. Augustine a sense of security for the first time, which prompted them to make the town a permanent settlement. As the fort grew, so did the people's confidence in making Florida their home.

With the security of the fort, people established gardens, raised livestock and created a community. The town firmly supported a strong military presence as a necessity in case of an attack or storm. The fort was built to include a military chapel, which shows that they had strong religious beliefs.

The fort was entirely self-contained. Its central grounds gave people a place for their families and livestock to retreat until danger had passed. During times of need, the fort protected the community.

Life in and around the fort seems to have constantly changed. As there are many signs of Spanish culture in St. Augustine, there are also many traces of British culture. The British took reign of the city in the 1700's and began a trend of trade and commerce. This caused an increase in population, as St. Augustine's culture and economy was heavily influenced by the British well into the 20th century.

Eventually, the British gave the peninsula back to the Spanish, who did not hold it for very long before the United States took the town as its own. This was not the end of the struggle for power in St. Augustine, however.

The Indians felt threatened by increasing American occupation of what had been their land and lashed out at St. Augustine, causing the ruin of the rural economy in the town.

St. Augustine and the fort saw peaceful times in the late 1800's and the town was ready for growth and new economy. Northerners came south to visit the town's history of Spanish years and enjoy its semitropical weather. St. Augustine responded by upgrading its landscape to include streets, waterworks, gas lines and even electricity in the 20th century.