The Wandering Disciple

A battery of canons overlook Matanzas bay, providing the Old City with its first line of protection against an attack by sea. Castillo de San Marcos is located along the bay just north of the city and along with nearby Fort Matanzas protect the colonists from the enemy.  Built by the Spanish in 1672, Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry structure in the United States. It has been held by four military forces; Spanish, British, American and Confederate. Today the fort is part of the National Parks system and is open for tours giving visitors a look into coastal fortification and early Spanish life in St Augustine.  Taken: November 12, 2011 at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (St Augustine, FL)

The last line of defense Castillo de San Marcos was one of several forts that helped protect St Augustine from enemy fighters.   The fort is the largest and oldest masonry fort in the United States and has protected the city from 1672 until 1900 under five different flags.   (Photo: November 12, 2011)

Tall coquina wall topped with turrets and cannons were the last line of defense for the Spaniards as they attempted to hold off their city of St Augustine from invaders.  Constructed by Spain over the period of 1672-95, Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States.  (Photo: November 12, 2011)

A soldier patrols the grounds of Castillo de San Marcos.  The fort has been occupied by four separate nations (Spanish, English, American and Confederate) during its over 300 year history.  Built in 1672, it is the oldest masonry fort in United States.  (Photo:November 12. 2011)

The canons of Castillo de San Marcos helped protect St Augustine from attacks from Matanzas Bay. The fort began construction in 1672 and is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Built by the Spaniard, the fort has been occupied by the British, Americans and Confederates during its long standing history. The fort was removed from active duty in 1900 after 205 years of service. Today the fort is a national monument and is operated by the National Park Service. (Photo: November 12, 2011)

One of the turrets at Castillo de San Marcos. The turrets were part of the fort’s defense system to help defend the city. The fort was built in 1672 and over its storied history was occupied by the Spanish, British, American and Confederate forces. (Photo: November 12, 2011)

A Spanish Soldier stands guard at Castillo de San Marcos. The fort was built by the Spanish in 1672 to protect the city of Saint Augustine. Today the park is operated by the National Park Service who provide history interpreters dressed like Spanish soldiers to tell the story of the fort. (Photo: November 12, 2011)

Built by the Spanish in 1672, the Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. During its history, the fort operated under four separate commands; Spanish, British, United States and Confederate States. (Photo: November 12, 2011)

St. Augustine, Florida: Standing guard over St. Augustine for over 300 years, Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest fort in the United States. The fort has been home to four separate military occupations and now spends its days as a national monument. When the Spaniards founded the city of St. Augustine in 1565, it quickly went to work building a series of wooden forts to protect the city. However, several pirate attacks demonstrated a weakness in the wooden forts and the Spanish Crown ordered the construction of a masonry fort. Construction of the fort began in 1672 and lasted until 1695. It was constructed with a mixture of small shells and sand called coquina which was mined from nearby King’s Quarry located at present day Anastasia State Park. The coquina was strong enough to build a long-lasting fort while having enough absorption to allow cannon balls to stick in the wall rather then going straight through. The fort saw its first battle in 1702 at the hands of English forces. The...

St. Augustine, Florida: Well we made it through the cold night. The lowest I noticed the temp overnight was 40 degrees. That last minute stop at Wal-Mart to grab a heater paid off as it did the trick to keep the tent just warm enough to get through the night. Now if only I wouldn’t had forgotten the air mattresses. The cold night rewarded us with a spectacular sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. We headed to the boardwalk overlook to watch the sun peak over the horizon and welcome us to a new day of adventures. Today was going to be a busy day so we began by heading for breakfast. We decided to have breakfast at Wildflower Café on A1A in St. Augustine Beach. They were highly recommended locally so we gave them a try. It was a bit pricey for breakfast but the food was delicious. My wife had a ham and cheese omelet and my son and I had pancakes. The best part of the meal was the bacon, I could have eaten a lot more but we had a town to explore. After breakfast we headed to Fort Mose Histori...