What makes the perfect man cave? Well, as a female, maybe I can’t tell but I’m supposing that it is for only guys, has no nagging wife, no nagging boss, has a big screen TV for watching the NCAA, you can do what you want like hunting and fishing, Hmmm, maybe we found almost a perfect man cave today, on an island near St Augustine. But first we need to get there.
It’s a great day - it’s sunny, the temperature is supposed to get up to 80, let’s explore. Actually we’ve got 4 good days this week followed by 3 rainy, cool, breezy days so these 4 days are going to be busy. One of our goals in travel is to see all of the National Parks and National Monuments - but of course, this number keeps increasing. President Obama just declared 3 new ones last month. I’m going to have to live longer if I want to keep up with a moving target. But, today we are off to Fort Matanzas NM just 10 miles south of St Augustine, yet still very strongly connected to StA history.
Beautiful day for a drive, fluffy white clouds, just enough to keep it from becoming too humid and hot. We got there in jig time and got our tickets for the ferry across the river to the Fort. It’s 1st come, 1st served for these tickets and we got right in. (If we had come 1 hour later, we would have had to wait. I was surprised at how many people wanted to see Fort Matanzas today - but, then, it’s a good day for a drive.) We could see the Fort across the river, kind of tiny and insignificant. Why would anyone build such a small fort and expect it to do anything? Well, how about a bit of history as we are crossing the river? Just what you wanted, you say.
It’s the 1600’s and 3 nations are vying with each other for colonies on the Atlantic seaboard of America: Great Britain, France and Spain. Both Spain and France were establishing colonies: Spain in St Augustine the French in Fort Carolina in Jacksonville. 1564 looms as a year of conflict as both countries sent competing colonists and soldiers to their respective colonies: the Spanish sent 800 under the command of Pedro Menendez de Aviles and the French sent 600 under the command of Jean Ribault, but these were Huguenots, French Protestants, anathema to the Catholic Spanish.
Menendez arrive in August, shortly after the French. On September 10, Ribault sailed south to attach the Spanish but a hurricane wrecked his ships on the coast south of StA, killing many while 130 barely made it ashore. Meanwhile, Menendez headed north on foot through the same storms to Fort Caroline and easily captured the town since Ribault and his forces were gone. He returned to StA, learned that a group of white men were on a beach a few miles south. He marched there and confronted the French. He told them he had captured Fort Caroline and told them to surrender with no promise of clemency or convert to Catholicism. They refused to convert but did surrender. And he slaughtered them all, except for 16, some who professed to be Catholic and 4 who were artisans that he needed at his new settlement.
2 weeks later, close to 250 more survivors, including Ribault, arrived and they met the same fate. From that time on the inlet was called Matanzas, the Spanish word for ‘slaughters.’ The question always has been: why? Was it vengeance? Was it religious fervor? Or, was Menendez merely preserving his own colonists and colony since food was scarce? Did he fear that 380 more mouths in StA might cause all to starve? Who knows? History is often vicious and cruel.
Meanwhile the Spanish are building impregnable Fort Castillo de San Marcos but still worry that others will attack them. The British do - twice unsuccessfully. But, to prevent any attack from the south, the Spanish build Fort Matanzas in 1742. With cannons here, no ship could sail up this inlet, the ‘back door’ to StA and attack. The Castillo de San Marcos could protect the city itself but some fortifications were needed here to prevent any enemy from attacking from the south.
OK, we’ve arrived at the Fort and it’s time to explore. First, note that the fort is made out of Coquina, the quintessential building block of this area. It is square with 50’ on a side and a 30’ tower. It mounts 5 cannon. We were surprised to learn that 2 of these cannon are original. They have sat here since 1742 and no one had pilfered them. Imagine. Well, they are a bit heavy but, still, larceny usually knows no bounds.
The fort was barely complete when its garrison engaged in its only battle. British commander Gov. James Oglethorpe of Georgia arrived off Matanzas Inlet in 1742 with 12 ships. Small boats from the fleet pulled into the inlet and were quickly detected by the Spanish soldiers in the fort.
A single cannon shot from the fort drove off this scouting expedition and the British soon departed. It was the only hostile shot ever fired from the fort. The fort changed hands several times depending up on who owned Florida and, since it was never garrisoned again, slowly deteriorated until the US Park Service began to recondition it for tours. Look at this great view out the bedroom window.
It must have been the perfect man cave for the soldiers here: no nagging wife, only one nagging officer, lots of hunting and fishing, lots of free time - what more could one ask for? Oops, it was a dry fort and there was no TV to watch the games. Shucks, well nothing is perfect.
Here are 3 of the cannons on the fort. The nearest one is ‘Old Paco’ one of the original cannons that the Spanish had in the fort. It’s a bit beat us - but, it’s been here since the 1700’s. I'd have more wrinkles than an ugly fruit if I were that old.
Here is the room for the soldiers, note that there are only 4 beds for the 6 soldiers - obviously 2 must be on guard duty. 4 bunks for 6 guys - none of whom bathes on a regular basis. Bedbugs, anyone?
Lots of time to while away. Note the ‘board’ made out of canvas with the black squares painted on.
We climbed up to the top of the fort for the view down the river. (I always seem to get a butt shot.)
They even had a cistern for catching rain water since there is no potable water on the island.
And, that’s that. Small fort, small tour. But a significant part of history as the guard for the southern entry to St Augustine.
We then crossed the highway and onto the public beach on the other side of the island. Beautiful beach and, a perfect place to get a great walk in.
We walked around the peninsula, finding this poor little guy drying out in the sun.
Finally, we were back at the Fort VC and, at 1:00 it’s time for lunch. We found a picnic table under this marvelous stand of oak trees and relaxed over lunch.
Next is the St Augustine Lighthouse.
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