Florida National Monuments

Fort Caroline National Memorial

• Located in Jacksonville in the northeastern part of Florida, the Fort Caroline National Memorial is a monument dedicated to the battle between Spain and France for control of the area.

  Since the beginning of the 16th century, the East Coast of the United States had been claimed by Spain. However, in 1562, France made a claim on this area of Florida when Jean Ribault explored the eastern coast, erected a monument at St. John's River and claimed it for the French king. The French settlers, who were Protestants, tried to enforce this claim two years later and began to colonize the area around the mouth of the St. John's River and named it La Caroline. Fort Caroline became the French's protection against the more powerful Spanish. When King Philip II of Spain heard about the French Protestant settlers standing their ground in Fort Caroline, he ordered his army to remove the non-Catholic heretics. Spanish soldiers stormed the fort in September 1565, easily capturing the French in a bloody massacre. The Spanish then set their sights on Jean Ribault and his army of 350 soldiers and sailors, massacring them at Matanzas Inlet. La Florida once again was fully owned by Spain.

  Fort Caroline National Memorial is located on Fort Caroline Road in Jacksonville and is open to the public daily. There is no fee.

  Fort Caroline National Memorial
  12713 Fort Caroline Road
  Jacksonville, FL 32225
  904-641-7155
  nps.gov

Castillo de San Marcos

• This Spanish fort located near St. Augustine, 40 miles south of Jacksonville, Florida, was first named Fort Marion and served the area for more than two hundred years under the control of several different governments. Originally constructed in 1672, it was a stronghold for the Spanish while fighting the British; it was under British control during the American Revolution; it was under the control of the Confederacy in the Civil War; and it was under U.S. control in both the Seminole and Spanish-American Wars. This active fort was made a National Monument in 1900.

  Castillo de San Marcos
  1 Castillo Drive
  Saint Augustine, FL 32084
  904-829-6506
  staugustine.com

Fort Matanzas

• This Spanish fort, constructed in 1740 and located 15 miles south of St. Augustine, Florida, was built to guard the Matanzas Inlet and the mouth of the Matanzas River, the main access point to Spanish-controlled St. Augustine. In 1740, Fort Matanzas stood on an island less than two acres large. Today, due to tide changes and environmental factors, the island occupies more than 200 acres and is referred to locally as "Rattlesnake Island." The only way to visit this National Monument is by boat. The Matanzas Queen II ferry holds 22 passengers and makes trips daily. The Fort was named a national monument in 1924 and is now in control of the National Park Service.

  Fort Matanzas National Monument
  8635 A1A South
  St. Augustine, Florida 32080
  904-471-0116
  nps.gov