Castillo de San Marcos

Castillo de San Marcos

Fort St. Mark

Fort Marion

1672 - 1695

1740s - 1750s

1808

1842

2011

The original purpose of this building was as a fort.

This building served as both a fort and a military prison during the American Revolution (for rebelling colonists), during the 2nd Seminole War (for Seminoles), in the 1870s  (for Plains Indians), and in the 1880s (Apaches).

This building serves as a living history museum as part of the National Park Service.

Before the construction of the large coquina fort, there were a series of nine wooden watchtowers/forts used to defend St. Augustine. The building of the Castillo was necessary to prevent easy destruction. Governor Don Manuel de Cendoya oversaw the beginning of the building of a new, larger, more durable fort.

Castillo de San Marcos took from 1672 to 1695 to be constructed. It was built by a combination of Spanish, Florida and Georgia Indian (Guale, Timucua, and Apalache), convict, and slave laborers. Unless a convict or slave, all the men were paid, although the payscale for a day's work was not equal:
Spanish = 10 to 12 reales ($2-$2.40 in 1977 currency)
Spanish laborer = 4 reales (80 cents in 1977 currency)
Indian laborer = 1 real (20 cents in 1977 currency)
Indian carpenter = 8 reales ($1.60 in 1977 currency)
Convicts and slaves = food and housing

In 1702 the Castillo withstood a British siege that ended with the burning of the city. In 1740, it withstood another British siege under the command of James Oglethrope. From the 1740s to 1750s, the fort was renovated to strengthen its defenses and increase the size of the rooms. In 1763, Florida was handed over to the British who changed the name to Fort St. Mark.

In 1783, Florida was returned to Spanish rule, and in 1821 St. Augustine became part of the new U.S. Florida Territory. In 1825 the name was changed to Fort Marion in honor of South Carolina's "Swamp Fox," Francis Marion. The most famous prisoner held at Fort Marion was Osceola during the 2nd Seminole War. In the 1840s, the U.S. Army improved the weaponry defenses of Fort Marion.

The fort served as part of the Confederate coastal defenses from 1861 to 1862 before peacefully surrendering to the Union Army and Navy. In 1875, Plains Indians were brought to the fort as prisoners where attempts to Anglicize and Christianize them were undertaken. In the late 1880s, a second group of Native Americans, the Apaches, were brought to Fort Marion for a brief imprisonment before being transferred elsewhere.

In 1933 the fort was transferred from the U.S. Army to the National Park Service. In 1942, its name was changed back to Castillo de San Marcos.

The Castillo de San Marcos has been a part of military installations for the Spanish, English, Americans, and Confederates.

The Castillo de San Marcos is part of the National Park Service.

The Castillo is open to the public. For tour information, please refer to Basic Information - Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).

Castillo de San Marcos
11 S. Castillo Dr.
St. Augustine, FL 32084

The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:

Photograph 1 (c.1671): [Montanus, Arnoldus Montanus. De nieuwe en onbekende Weereld: of beschryving van America en 't Zuid-Land, vervaetende d'Oorsprong der Americaenen en Zuid-landers, gedenkwaerdige togten derwaerds, Gelegendheid der vaste Kusten, Eilanden, Steden, Sterkten, Dorpen, Tempels etc. : Verciert met Af-beeldsels na 't leven in America gemaekt, en beschreeven. Amsterdam, c.1671.]

Photograph 2 (c.1870s): Courtesy of the Flagler College Archives. https://library.flagler.edu/college-archives/.

Photograph 3 (c. 1900s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Charleston, SC: Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 4 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "A Picture of the Castillo de San Marcos (1)." March 11, 2023.

Photograph 5 (1902) & 6 (c.1910s): Bowen, Beth Rogero, and the St. Augustine Historical Society. St. Augustine in the Gilded Age. Charleston, SC: Acadia Publishing, 2008.

Photograph 7 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "A Picture of the Castillo de San Marcos (2)." March 5, 2023.

The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:

Arana, Luis Rafael and Albert Manucy. The Building of Castillo de San Marcos. [Washington, D.C.]: Eastern National Park & Monument Association for Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, 1977.

National Park Service “Castillo de San Marcos.” Brochure. Located on National Park Service: NP Gallery; Digital Asset Management System. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/188aafad-3506-4320-bb18-291db7524e33/original?.

Tikkanen, Amy, reviewer. “Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Castillo-de-San-Marcos-National-Monument.

Flagler College Special Collections is neither the original nor current copyright owner for the photographs. Please contact the publisher or source cited for each photograph to obtain a copy and/or permission to reproduce these items.

This record was last updated on March 30, 2023.