Fort Matanzas was built in 1742 on the Matanzas River Inlet 14 miles south of the military outpost town known as St. Augustine. It was built to protect the Castillo de San Marcos from enemy attack from the rear out of reach of the Castillo's cannon. The Spanish had first been attacked by Francis Drake's raid in 1586 and England continued to repeatedly harassed the Spanish colony. To prevent the British from controlling the inlet and starving St. Augustine into surrender, carpenters and masons began building Fort Matanzas, with labor supplied by convicts, slaves, and additional troops from Cuba. When Spain transferred ownership of Florida to the United States in 1819, the fort was so badly deteiorated that its soldiers could no longer live inside. Today, Fort Matanzas is a National Monument maintained by the National Park Service. It can be reached via A1A on Anastasia Island and is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily; closed on Christmas. There is no admission to the park and visitors may enjoy an eight minute film about the fort and the area's history as well as a ferry ride that carries visitors to the fort, weather permitting."Sharing Our Community with Buyers & Sellers...One Snippet at a Time"Brought to you by:
Team Gledhill, Prudential Network Realty
Buying or Selling Property in St. Johns Co?
Call 904-874-2588 or email info@teamgledhill.com
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