Thursday, September 29, 2011

All along the watchtower


Fort Matanzas was built by the Spanish in 1740 to control the Matanzas inlet, the so-called back door to St. Augustine FL. The word fort is a misnomer. It's too small to be classified as a fort and is more properly called a watchtower. Seven men at a time were posted here. If an unknown ship was spotted, big cannons fired warning shots.

Fort Matanzas is located about 14 miles south of St. Augustine. It's on an island and visitors have to take a U.S. National Parks ferry to tour it.

You can read more about it if you click here.


Above: A U.S. Park Ranger stands next to one of five cannons.


Above: I wasn't the only tourist with a camera.


Above: Fort Matanzas offers a unique glimpse of a vanished style of military architecture and engineering.

Photos by MOJO and taken with my Canon. Click on images to enlarge.

6 comments:

  1. I was there a few years ago. My photos weren't nearly as good as yours. Bet you have more, too.

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  2. There must be some way outa here, said the joker to the thief...

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  3. We were there in 1988! Very interesting. I have some photos of it someplace!

    By the way, your "MOJO's" cafe has moved out of downtown into a strip center near the police station. I wonder if there was a reason for that? :-)

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  4. @Jacob: they are where the police can keep an eye on them, lol.

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