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Fort Matanzas National Monument

March 17, 2024

Fort Matanzas National Monument (Spanish: Fuerte Matanzas) was designated a United States National Monument on October 15, 1924.[2] The monument consists of a 1740 Spanish fort called Fort Matanzas, and about 100 acres (0.4 km2) of salt marsh and barrier islands along the Matanzas River on the northern Atlantic coast of Florida. It is operated by the National Park Service in conjunction with the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in the city of St. Augustine.

Fort Matanzas National Monument
View of fort's western and southern facades
LocationSt. Johns County, Florida, US
Nearest citySt. Augustine, Florida
Coordinates29°42′55″N 81°14′21″W / 29.71528°N 81.23917°W / 29.71528; -81.23917
Area227.76 acres (0.91 km²)
Built1740-42
Visitation1,002,444 (2005)
WebsiteFort Matanzas National Monument
NRHP reference No.66000098[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NMONOctober 15, 1924

History edit

Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish in 1742 to guard Matanzas Inlet, the southern mouth of the Matanzas River, which could be used as a rear entrance to the city of St. Augustine. Such an approach avoided St. Augustine's primary defense system, centered at Castillo de San Marcos. In 1740, Gov. James Oglethorpe of Georgia used the inlet to blockade St. Augustine[3] and launch a thirty-nine-day siege. St. Augustine endured the siege, but the episode convinced the Spanish that protecting the inlet was necessary to the security of the town.[4] Under Gov. Manuel de Montiano's orders, construction of the fort began that year and was completed in 1742.[5] Engineer Pedro Ruiz de Olano, who had worked on additions to the Castillo de San Marcos,[6] designed the fortified observation tower.[7] Convicts, slaves, and troops from Cuba were used as labor to erect the structure, which was sited on present-day Rattlesnake Island[8] and had a commanding position over Matanzas Inlet.[9]

The fort, known to the Spanish as Torre de Matanzas (Matanzas Tower),[10][11] is a masonry structure made of coquina,[12] a common shellstone building material in the area.[13] The marshy terrain was stabilized by a foundation of pine pilings[7][14] to accommodate a building 50 feet (15 m) long on each side with a 30-foot (9.1 m) high tower. The standard garrison of the fort was one officer in charge, four infantrymen, and two gunners,[15] though more troops could be stationed if necessary. All soldiers at Fort Matanzas served on rotation from their regular duty in St. Augustine. Five cannon were placed at the fort—four six-pounders and one eighteen-pounder.[16] All guns could reach the inlet,[7] which at the time was less than half a mile away.

In 1742, as the fort was nearing completion, the British under Oglethorpe approached the inlet with twelve ships.[17] Cannon fire drove off the scouting boats, and the warships left without engaging the fort.[18] This brief encounter was the only time Fort Matanzas fired on an enemy. Spain lost control of Florida with the 1763 Treaty of Paris, and regained control with the 1783 Treaty of Paris. With the Spanish Empire falling apart, Spain spent little effort maintaining the fort after this time. When the United States took control of Florida in 1821,[19] the fort had deteriorated to the point where soldiers could not live inside.[20] The United States never used the fort and it became a ruin.

Fort Matanzas was named for the inlet, which acquired its name after the executions, or matanzas (Spanish: slaughters),[21] on its north shore, of Jean Ribault and his band of Huguenot Frenchmen, the last of the Fort Caroline colonists,[22] by the Spanish in 1565.[23][24]

Restoration and modern use edit

In 1916, the U.S Department of War began a major restoration of the badly deteriorated fort. By 1924, three vertical fissures in the wall were repaired and the structure was stabilized;[25] in the same year, National Monument status was proclaimed. Fort Matanzas was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service on August 10, 1933. As a historic area under the Park Service, the National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Headquarters and Visitor Center edit

Fort Matanzas NM Headquarters and Visitor Center
 
Location8635 A1A S.,
St. Augustine, Florida
Built1936
ArchitectNPS Eastern Div. of Plans & Design
Architectural styleNPS Rustic
MPSFlorida's New Deal Resources MPS
NRHP reference No.08001245[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 31, 2008

The Fort Matanzas National Monument Headquarters and Visitor Center, located at 8635 A1A about 15 miles (24 km) south of St. Augustine, Florida, was built in 1936. Located on Anastasia Island, it services the Fort Matanzas National Monument, a five-minute boat ride away. It was designed by the National Park Service's Eastern Div. of Plans & Design in what is called National Park Service Rustic architectural style, and includes a museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The listing included two contributing buildings and one contributing site on 17.3 acres (7.0 ha).[1][26]

The main building is a two-story building with an arched walk-through breezeway that serves as the visitor center and includes a ranger residence as well. The walls of its first floor are made of coquina block masonry, and the second floor is wood framed with wood siding. It has a hipped roof.[26]

The one-story second building, 50 feet (15 m) to the north, is also hip-roofed and has coquina walls. It is a utility building that now serves as a ranger office.[26]

Visitors wait at the center to take a five-minute boat ride to the historic Fort Matanzas, which is located across Matanzas Inlet on Rattlesnake Island.[26]

The buildings and the surrounding landscaping was designed by architects of the Eastern Division Branch of Plans and Design of the National Park Service.[26]

Additional designed features include flagstone walkways and sidewalks, an exterior staircase, a retaining wall, parking areas and roads and curbs.[26]

Gallery edit

  •  
    Sentry Box on barbazan, Fort Matanzas, 1937
  •  
    Fort Matanzas in the distance
  •  
    Map showing strategic location of Fort Matanzas
  •  
    Visitor center
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
    Interior
  •  

See also edit

References edit

  • National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Fort Matanzas - Official Map and Guide. 2002.
  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Luis R. Arana; Jean Parker Waterbury (1999). Defenses and Defenders at St. Augustine: A Collection of Writings. St. Augustine Historical Society. p. 145. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  3. ^ Albert C. Manucy (1945). The History of Castillo de San Marcos & Fort Matanzas: From Contemporary Narratives and Letters. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. p. 22. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  4. ^ A. M. De Quesada (30 August 2006). A History of Florida Forts: Florida's Lonely Outposts. The History Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-59629-104-1. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  5. ^ Richard R. Henderson; International Council on Monuments and Sites. U.S. Committee; United States. National Park Service (March 1989). A Preliminary inventory of Spanish colonial resources associated with National Park Service units and national historic landmarks, 1987. United States Committee, International Council on Monuments and Sites, for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. p. 88. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  6. ^ James D. Kornwolf (2002). Architecture and town planning in colonial North America. JHU Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-8018-5986-1. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Harvey H. Kaiser (20 March 2008). The National Park Architecture Sourcebook. Princeton Architectural Press. p. 338. ISBN 978-1-56898-742-2. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  8. ^ United States. National Park Service (1968). Explorers and settlers: historic places commemorating the early exploration and settlement of the United States. United States Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. p. 152. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  9. ^ Verne Elmo Chatelain (1941). The defenses of Spanish Florida, 1565 to 1763. Carnegie Institution of Washington. p. 167. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  10. ^ Arana Waterbury 1999, p. 134.
  11. ^ "Fort Marion and Fort Matanzas NM: Guidebook (1940)". National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  12. ^ Alejandro de Quesada; Stephen Walsh (20 April 2010). Spanish Colonial Fortifications in North America 1565-1822. Osprey Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-84603-507-4. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  13. ^ Geological Survey (U.S.) (1897). Bulletin - United States Geological Survey. The Survey. pp. 121–122. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  14. ^ Arana Waterbury 1999, p. 95.
  15. ^ "Fort Matanzas National Monument Florida". National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Fort Matanzas -" (PDF). National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. p. 1. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  17. ^ David Marley (2008). Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere, 1492 to the Present. ABC-CLIO. p. 397. ISBN 978-1-59884-100-8. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  18. ^ Larry E. Ivers (1974). British Drums on the Southern Frontier: The Military Colonization of Georgia, 1733-1749. University of North Carolina Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-0-8078-1211-2. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  19. ^ Philip Coolidge Brooks (1939). Diplomacy and the Borderlands: The Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. University of California Press. p. 205. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  20. ^ Arana Waterbury 1999, p. 110.
  21. ^ Richard R. Henderson; International Council on Monuments and Sites. U.S. Committee; United States. National Park Service (March 1989). A Preliminary inventory of Spanish colonial resources associated with National Park Service units and national historic landmarks, 1987. United States Committee, International Council on Monuments and Sites, for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. p. 87.
  22. ^ United States. Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation; Luis R. Arana (1967). Castillo de San Marcos National Monument ... and Fort Matanzas National Monument ...: historical research management plan. p. 24. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  23. ^ Woodbury Lowery (1959). The Spanish settlements within the present limits of the United States. Russell & Russell. p. 195. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  24. ^ David J. Weber (17 March 2009). Spanish Frontier in North America: The Brief Edition. Yale University Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-300-15621-8. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  25. ^ Richard R. Henderson; International Council on Monuments and Sites. U.S. Committee; United States. National Park Service (March 1989). A Preliminary inventory of Spanish colonial resources associated with National Park Service units and national historic landmarks, 1987. United States Committee, International Council on Monuments and Sites, for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service. p. 87. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  26. ^ a b c d e f Cynthia Walton (June 16, 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Fort Matanzas NM Headquarters and Visitors Center (HQ/VC)". National Park Service. Retrieved October 2, 2016. with 12 photos from 2008

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. FL-15-5, "Fort Matanzas, Saint Augustine, St. Johns County, FL", 19 photos, 13 measured drawings, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page, supplemental material
  • Web Archive, read online Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas National Monuments, Florida: Historical Research Management Plan
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Matanzas National Monument.

March 17, 2024
fort, matanzas, national, monument, spanish, fuerte, matanzas, designated, united, states, national, monument, october, 1924, monument, consists, 1740, spanish, fort, called, fort, matanzas, about, acres, salt, marsh, barrier, islands, along, matanzas, river, . Fort Matanzas National Monument Spanish Fuerte Matanzas was designated a United States National Monument on October 15 1924 2 The monument consists of a 1740 Spanish fort called Fort Matanzas and about 100 acres 0 4 km2 of salt marsh and barrier islands along the Matanzas River on the northern Atlantic coast of Florida It is operated by the National Park Service in conjunction with the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in the city of St Augustine Fort Matanzas National MonumentU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National MonumentView of fort s western and southern facadesShow map of FloridaShow map of the United StatesLocationSt Johns County Florida USNearest citySt Augustine FloridaCoordinates29 42 55 N 81 14 21 W 29 71528 N 81 23917 W 29 71528 81 23917Area227 76 acres 0 91 km Built1740 42Visitation1 002 444 2005 WebsiteFort Matanzas National MonumentNRHP reference No 66000098 1 Significant datesAdded to NRHPOctober 15 1966Designated NMONOctober 15 1924 Contents 1 History 2 Restoration and modern use 3 Headquarters and Visitor Center 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory editFort Matanzas was built by the Spanish in 1742 to guard Matanzas Inlet the southern mouth of the Matanzas River which could be used as a rear entrance to the city of St Augustine Such an approach avoided St Augustine s primary defense system centered at Castillo de San Marcos In 1740 Gov James Oglethorpe of Georgia used the inlet to blockade St Augustine 3 and launch a thirty nine day siege St Augustine endured the siege but the episode convinced the Spanish that protecting the inlet was necessary to the security of the town 4 Under Gov Manuel de Montiano s orders construction of the fort began that year and was completed in 1742 5 Engineer Pedro Ruiz de Olano who had worked on additions to the Castillo de San Marcos 6 designed the fortified observation tower 7 Convicts slaves and troops from Cuba were used as labor to erect the structure which was sited on present day Rattlesnake Island 8 and had a commanding position over Matanzas Inlet 9 The fort known to the Spanish as Torre de Matanzas Matanzas Tower 10 11 is a masonry structure made of coquina 12 a common shellstone building material in the area 13 The marshy terrain was stabilized by a foundation of pine pilings 7 14 to accommodate a building 50 feet 15 m long on each side with a 30 foot 9 1 m high tower The standard garrison of the fort was one officer in charge four infantrymen and two gunners 15 though more troops could be stationed if necessary All soldiers at Fort Matanzas served on rotation from their regular duty in St Augustine Five cannon were placed at the fort four six pounders and one eighteen pounder 16 All guns could reach the inlet 7 which at the time was less than half a mile away In 1742 as the fort was nearing completion the British under Oglethorpe approached the inlet with twelve ships 17 Cannon fire drove off the scouting boats and the warships left without engaging the fort 18 This brief encounter was the only time Fort Matanzas fired on an enemy Spain lost control of Florida with the 1763 Treaty of Paris and regained control with the 1783 Treaty of Paris With the Spanish Empire falling apart Spain spent little effort maintaining the fort after this time When the United States took control of Florida in 1821 19 the fort had deteriorated to the point where soldiers could not live inside 20 The United States never used the fort and it became a ruin Fort Matanzas was named for the inlet which acquired its name after the executions or matanzas Spanish slaughters 21 on its north shore of Jean Ribault and his band of Huguenot Frenchmen the last of the Fort Caroline colonists 22 by the Spanish in 1565 23 24 Restoration and modern use editIn 1916 the U S Department of War began a major restoration of the badly deteriorated fort By 1924 three vertical fissures in the wall were repaired and the structure was stabilized 25 in the same year National Monument status was proclaimed Fort Matanzas was transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service on August 10 1933 As a historic area under the Park Service the National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15 1966 Headquarters and Visitor Center editFort Matanzas NM Headquarters and Visitor CenterU S National Register of Historic Places nbsp Location8635 A1A S St Augustine FloridaBuilt1936ArchitectNPS Eastern Div of Plans amp DesignArchitectural styleNPS RusticMPSFlorida s New Deal Resources MPSNRHP reference No 08001245 1 Added to NRHPDecember 31 2008The Fort Matanzas National Monument Headquarters and Visitor Center located at 8635 A1A about 15 miles 24 km south of St Augustine Florida was built in 1936 Located on Anastasia Island it services the Fort Matanzas National Monument a five minute boat ride away It was designed by the National Park Service s Eastern Div of Plans amp Design in what is called National Park Service Rustic architectural style and includes a museum It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 The listing included two contributing buildings and one contributing site on 17 3 acres 7 0 ha 1 26 The main building is a two story building with an arched walk through breezeway that serves as the visitor center and includes a ranger residence as well The walls of its first floor are made of coquina block masonry and the second floor is wood framed with wood siding It has a hipped roof 26 The one story second building 50 feet 15 m to the north is also hip roofed and has coquina walls It is a utility building that now serves as a ranger office 26 Visitors wait at the center to take a five minute boat ride to the historic Fort Matanzas which is located across Matanzas Inlet on Rattlesnake Island 26 The buildings and the surrounding landscaping was designed by architects of the Eastern Division Branch of Plans and Design of the National Park Service 26 Additional designed features include flagstone walkways and sidewalks an exterior staircase a retaining wall parking areas and roads and curbs 26 Gallery edit nbsp Sentry Box on barbazan Fort Matanzas 1937 nbsp Fort Matanzas in the distance nbsp Map showing strategic location of Fort Matanzas nbsp Visitor center nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Interior nbsp See also editFort Matanzas National Monument Headquarters and Visitor Center List of national monuments of the United States For the etymology of Matanzas see Matanzas River Hispanic Heritage SiteReferences editNational Park Service Department of the Interior Fort Matanzas Official Map and Guide 2002 a b c National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 Luis R Arana Jean Parker Waterbury 1999 Defenses and Defenders at St Augustine A Collection of Writings St Augustine Historical Society p 145 Retrieved 1 May 2013 Albert C Manucy 1945 The History of Castillo de San Marcos amp Fort Matanzas From Contemporary Narratives and Letters U S Department of the Interior National Park Service p 22 Retrieved 2 May 2013 A M De Quesada 30 August 2006 A History of Florida Forts Florida s Lonely Outposts The History Press p 43 ISBN 978 1 59629 104 1 Retrieved 2 May 2013 Richard R Henderson International Council on Monuments and Sites U S Committee United States National Park Service March 1989 A Preliminary inventory of Spanish colonial resources associated with National Park Service units and national historic landmarks 1987 United States Committee International Council on Monuments and Sites for the U S Dept of the Interior National Park Service p 88 Retrieved 2 May 2013 James D Kornwolf 2002 Architecture and town planning in colonial North America JHU Press p 83 ISBN 978 0 8018 5986 1 Retrieved 2 May 2013 a b c Harvey H Kaiser 20 March 2008 The National Park Architecture Sourcebook Princeton Architectural Press p 338 ISBN 978 1 56898 742 2 Retrieved 2 May 2013 United States National Park Service 1968 Explorers and settlers historic places commemorating the early exploration and settlement of the United States United States Dept of the Interior National Park Service p 152 Retrieved 2 May 2013 Verne Elmo Chatelain 1941 The defenses of Spanish Florida 1565 to 1763 Carnegie Institution of Washington p 167 Retrieved 2 May 2013 Arana Waterbury 1999 p 134 Fort Marion and Fort Matanzas NM Guidebook 1940 National Park Service U S Department of the Interior Retrieved 2 May 2013 Alejandro de Quesada Stephen Walsh 20 April 2010 Spanish Colonial Fortifications in North America 1565 1822 Osprey Publishing p 11 ISBN 978 1 84603 507 4 Retrieved 1 May 2013 Geological Survey U S 1897 Bulletin United States Geological Survey The Survey pp 121 122 Retrieved 2 May 2013 Arana Waterbury 1999 p 95 Fort Matanzas National Monument Florida National Park Service U S Department of the Interior Retrieved 3 May 2013 Fort Matanzas PDF National Park Service U S Department of the Interior p 1 Retrieved 2 May 2013 David Marley 2008 Wars of the Americas A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere 1492 to the Present ABC CLIO p 397 ISBN 978 1 59884 100 8 Retrieved 2 May 2013 Larry E Ivers 1974 British Drums on the Southern Frontier The Military Colonization of Georgia 1733 1749 University of North Carolina Press p 172 ISBN 978 0 8078 1211 2 Retrieved 2 May 2013 Philip Coolidge Brooks 1939 Diplomacy and the Borderlands The Adams Onis Treaty of 1819 University of California Press p 205 Retrieved 1 May 2013 Arana Waterbury 1999 p 110 Richard R Henderson International Council on Monuments and Sites U S Committee United States National Park Service March 1989 A Preliminary inventory of Spanish colonial resources associated with National Park Service units and national historic landmarks 1987 United States Committee International Council on Monuments and Sites for the U S Dept of the Interior National Park Service p 87 United States Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation Luis R Arana 1967 Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and Fort Matanzas National Monument historical research management plan p 24 Retrieved 1 May 2013 Woodbury Lowery 1959 The Spanish settlements within the present limits of the United States Russell amp Russell p 195 Retrieved 1 May 2013 David J Weber 17 March 2009 Spanish Frontier in North America The Brief Edition Yale University Press p 49 ISBN 978 0 300 15621 8 Retrieved 1 May 2013 Richard R Henderson International Council on Monuments and Sites U S Committee United States National Park Service March 1989 A Preliminary inventory of Spanish colonial resources associated with National Park Service units and national historic landmarks 1987 United States Committee International Council on Monuments and Sites for the U S Dept of the Interior National Park Service p 87 Retrieved 2 May 2013 a b c d e f Cynthia Walton June 16 2008 National Register of Historic Places Registration Fort Matanzas NM Headquarters and Visitors Center HQ VC National Park Service Retrieved October 2 2016 with 12 photos from 2008External links editOfficial website Historic American Buildings Survey HABS No FL 15 5 Fort Matanzas Saint Augustine St Johns County FL 19 photos 13 measured drawings 5 data pages 1 photo caption page supplemental material Web Archive read online Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas National Monuments Florida Historical Research Management Plan nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Matanzas National Monument Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fort Matanzas National Monument amp oldid 1164900873, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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