Castillo de San Marcos by TwoPynts

Photography • Historical • posted on Sep 30, 2005

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Description

"In order to master the unruly torrent of life the learned man meditates, the poet quivers, and the political hero erects the fortress of his will." --Jose Ortega y Gasset

Arguably the most prominent landmark in St. Augustine is the old Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos. If you only go to one place while you are there (and you won't), then make it this impressive and history filled structure. The inset image on the right is a page from a plan of the fort made written in 1677. The Castillo is built of large blocks of a kind of rock called coquina (koh KEE nuh). Coquina was cut in a quarry on nearby Anastasia Island and taken by raft across Matanzas Bay to the site of the Castillo. Coquina was ideal in one way for a fort--when cannonballs hit, the walls were not broken, but only dented. This happened because coquina is very porous, or full of tiny holes. These holes, however, caused a problem. They let water pass through the walls, making many of the rooms in the Castillo damp. This was bad for soldiers, bad for food, and bad for gunpowder. To solve this problem, the outside of the fort was painted. The paint kept out much of the moisture. Being white, the paint also made the Castillo easier for ships to see. There is an interesting story about the Castillo based on its painted walls and on the way coquina acted when hit. It's said that after British attacks, the Castillo's soldiers were let down over the outside walls at night to dab fresh white paint on the places where cannonballs had hit. The next morning, when the British returned to attack it looked as if their cannonballs had done nothing to the walls. No one is sure if this story is true, but if it is you can imagine how amazed and discouraged the British must have been! ----- Castillo de San Marcos National Monument The Castillo de San Marcos, built 1672-1695, served primarily as an outpost of the Spanish Empire, guarding St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States, and also protecting the sea route for treasure ships returning to Spain. Although the Castillo has served a number of nations throughout its history, it has never been taken by military force. During the 18th century, the Castillo went from Spanish control to British and back to the Spanish, all by treaty. The Spanish remained in power in Florida until the area was purchased by the United States in 1821. Called Fort Marion at this time, the Castillo was used by the US army until 1899. The Castillo was made a National Monument in 1924 and became part of the National Park system in 1933. In 1942, Congress restored the original name. The park consists of the original historic Castillo fortress itself with its attendant grounds, some 25 total acres. Throughout its history, the Castillo de San Marcos has been closely intertwined with the city of St. Augustine and the neighboring structures which served as the city's outer defenses for many years - Fort Mose to the north and Fort Matanzas to the south. The Castillo and St. Augustine serve as outstanding reminders of the might of the early Spanish empire in the New World. You can take a virtual tour of the Castillo HERE. ----- Thanks for stopping by and for your lacey comments on yesterday's photo, Period Dress.

----- Olympus C8080WZ & PhotoshopCS. (445)

Comments (26)

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rayburg

7:40AM | Fri, 30 September 2005

I remember that fortress..they have some nice canons mounted up there..Kort, anther fine pic and history lesson..

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marybelgium

7:55AM | Fri, 30 September 2005

beautiful pano and interesting too !

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DELMUR

8:00AM | Fri, 30 September 2005

interesting visit!! and for the pic , love the crop and the proportions!

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grrrduhbear

8:03AM | Fri, 30 September 2005

great view , and this holds alot of history , thanks ~~~GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

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Zacko

10:20AM | Fri, 30 September 2005

BRILLIANT WORK MY GOOD MAN!!!! I love those saturated colors. Those people in the red t-shirts really did make themselves visible didnt they. A most perfect pano-crop as well...it is a crop isnt it? Excellent work Kort...why does grrrduhbear sounds so angry? Have a dandy weekend!!! #:O)

PhotoSmith

10:55AM | Fri, 30 September 2005

Wow - love the scope of the scene! Wonderful lite and color and life.

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TwoPynts

11:30AM | Fri, 30 September 2005

Hey, you can check out an ariel view of it here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=29.897778,-81.311681&spn=0.007316,0.006839&t=h&hl=en

Tedz

1:06PM | Fri, 30 September 2005

Such a nice Scene....but...I am pre-occupied with the Quotation...."...the political hero erects the fortress of his will."....I would like to tell You Kort...right at this instant...I am sitting here in My Undies. being the Hero....and Erecting sigh My Fortress of Will....I may take a Photo of it....salute

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Margana

2:04PM | Fri, 30 September 2005

I love the saturated colors,Kortalouche.It gives the shot a lovely postcard quality.Enjoyed the info,too.Have a great weekend!-HP ;) LOL!

donvino

2:39PM | Fri, 30 September 2005

love the historical information .. and arch/ture.. beautiful pov.. on this composition

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bkhook

2:47PM | Fri, 30 September 2005

'Laffin @ Tedz. Lordy lordy, I hope someone bends his will real quick. Excellent shot of the old fort of St. Augustine. That whole area is a lovely area to visit. Thanks for the history too as I really don't recall much of it. Also, isn't that area also famous for the sponge diving?

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kimariehere

3:11PM | Fri, 30 September 2005

thanks for this information and the link to the tour this kinda thing faciates me so much!! i love history!!! awesome shot and write up nicely presented!

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jcv2

3:19PM | Fri, 30 September 2005

St. Augustine seems to have a pretty military history, you're showing us a lot of historic sites related to warfare between the Spanish and the American nation! Superb work, you could publish a book with gorgeous photo's about St. Augustine!

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