FORT MATANZAS FIELD TRIP

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We took a field trip to Fort Matanzas in Crescent Beach, FL to satisfy a Cub Scout requirement for Kelly.  Fort Matanzas is just south of St. Augustine, Florida on the intracoastal waterway, near the Matanzas Inlet.  
Fort Matanzas is part of the National Park Service (so be sure to bring those National Park Passports, if you have them) and is known for it's role as a protective fort for St. Augustine as European nations fought for control of the New World.  
One of the most famous battles at this fort occurred between the Spanish and the French Huguenots.  The Spanish, under command of Menendez slaughtered over 250 of the French Huguenots in 1565.  This is where the Fort and the inlet get the name Matanzas, meaning slaughters in Spanish.  The Fort wasn't built until 175 years later to help protect the Spanish city of St. Augustine from a rear attack by the British.  Later, in 1821, the United States took possession of Florida and Fort Matanzas, but the Fort had deteriorated to a point in which soldiers could no longer occupy the fort and the US never did.
The Fort measures 50 feet by 50 feet with a 30 feet high tower.  The Fort is built from coquina and lime made from burning oyster shells.  The Fort is built on what is essentially a marsh swamp and is stabilized by over 300 pine pilings driven down into the marsh.  One cabo (officer-in-charge), four infantryman and two gunners typically manned the Fort, but 50 soldiers could be assigned to this Fort during times of tension. 
Today, the park features a short hiking trail (boardwalk) that loops through the Florida coastal flora and fauna.  On the day we visited, we saw cedars, palms, a gopher tortoise, and lots of birds.  To see the Fort, you take a quick ferry ride across the Matanzas River.  You'll get a very interesting history lesson about the Fort and surrounding St. Augustine from a park ranger before being released to explore the Fort.
The diminutive size of this fort is stunning and I can't help but feel for the soldiers that must have been cramped inside this fort.  A great history lesson for the kids and myself. 


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Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• fort matanzas
• field trip
• st augustine
• florida

[Antlerdreamer]

Good history lesson