
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
America begins here! Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections. In the 16th century, many European powers were fighting for control of the New World. With wealth and territory at stake, how could then guard their colonial outposts from enemy attack and pirates? In 1565, Spain established St. Augustine to protect its trade route along the Gulf Stream and anchor its claim to La Florida. The Spanish built nine wooden forts before constructing the stone castle you see today and once completed, it never fell in battle.
Castillo de San Marcos is just one of over 400 units of the National Park System waiting for you to explore! Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their stories with more than 318 million visitors every year. But our work doesn’t stop there. We are proud that tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individual citizens ask for our help in revitalizing their communities, preserving local history, celebrating local heritage, and creating close-to-home opportunities for kids and families to get outside, be active, and have fun. Taking care of the national parks and helping Americans take care of their communities is a job we love, and we need—and welcome—your help and support.
The National Park Service strives to make Castillo de San Marcos National Monument more accessible. Through ongoing self-assessment, and with the assistance of the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards, we are identifying and eliminating barriers to accessibility. https://www.nps.gov/casa/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm
The NPS Castillo de San Marcos National Monument App on Android and iOS includes up-to-date accessibility information. All of the entrances and park exhibits are audio described and videos are captioned. The app includes alternative text for images, combined with your device’s built-in accessibility features. Download it for free before you arrive, as cellular service can be poor inside the walls of the fort.