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The Visitors Center for Fort Matanzas. This national monument is about 100 acres in size; visitors arrive at the
visitors center then take a ferry to the fort.
Display in the center showing construction of the fort.
The ferry at the dock behind the visitors center. The fort can be seen behind the ferry across the Matanzas River.
The fort; An information display:
The Spanish builit Fort Matanzas in 1740-42 to control Matanzas inlet, the back door to St. Augustine.
Much earlier, in 1565, Spain had bloodly crushed here a French challenge to her control of Florida by killing
the remnants of a French colony from Fort Caroline, 40 miles to the north.
Fort Matanzas became a national monument in 1924, preserving this unique speciment of a vanished style military
architecture and engineering.
Troops quarters, next four pics.
Cannon on the gundeck. The entrance to the Matanzas River was shallow and any vessel entering would be relatively
small. The cannons could fire up to a mile in distance, greater than any fire power from an approaching vessel.
Officer quarters on top floor. next few pics.
Access to roof was a ladder in center of the officers quarters..
Another view of fort.
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