Today, Castillo de San Marcos is managed by the National Park Service and stands as a powerful educational site. Visitors walk its ramparts, explore its casemates, and look out over Matanzas Bay much as soldiers did centuries ago. For Floridians, it serves as a reminder of the state’s deep colonial roots. For the nation, it represents the endu
Twentieth-Century Rediscovery and Public Engagement
In the twentieth century, Castillo de San Marcos became a focal point for tourism and education in St. Augustine. Visitors from across the nation came to explore its walls, learn about colonial history, and view it as a link between past and present. Archaeological excavations revealed artifacts of daily life, from pottery shards to musket balls
Decline and Preservation in the Late Nineteenth Century
By the late 1800s, advances in military technology rendered masonry forts obsolete. Rifled artillery and steam-powered navies made structures like Fort Marion vulnerable. As a result, the U.S. Army decommissioned the fort in 1900. Rather than being abandoned, however, the site entered a new phase as a historical monument. Preservationists recogn
The Second Spanish Period and a Changing Florida
Spain’s second tenure in Florida was marked by decline. Weakened by wars in Europe and independence movements in Latin America, Spain struggled to maintain its North American possessions. The Castillo remained a vital outpost, but Florida increasingly became a contested zone between Spanish authority, American expansion, and Native resistance.