The castle is the oldest masonry fort in the continental US, and did you know that the word ''castillo'' means castle? It was built from 1672 to 1695 out of stone blocks, in St.Augustin, Florida. The fort was held by the Spanish until 1763 when it was handed over to the English. There is no visitor center, but there are some museum exhibits in some of the rooms in the ruins. There are re-enactors portraying Spanish soldiers. If the weather is aproppriate, there may be cannon and/or musket firing.

The monument is open to the public from 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM every day except Christmas Day. Visitation is quite high in the summer with an average of 35,OO people per day.

FUN FACT :
The monument was proclaimed as Fort Marion National Monument on October 15, 1924; and was changed to its present name on June 5, 1942.

 

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