Fort Matanzas
Somewhere
between modern-day Matanzas Inlet and Marineland, two infamous massacres took
place in September and October 1565. The 250 or so men (numbers vary) who were
slaughtered here were French Protestants whose religion and country of origin
made them “undesirables” in the eyes of Spanish settlers. Though the exact
place is not known, the Fort Matanzas nature trail offers an outlook over the
Matanzas River where some believe the massacre may have taken place. Whether or
not that's true, this is a scene right out of “old Florida”, with no modern
encroachments whatsoever. If you were a French or Spanish soldier straight out of 1565, you would find nothing out
of place.
Castle Warden
If
you’ve ever visited Ripley’s Believe It or Not in St. Augustine, you’ve
probably heard that the building which houses all those fantastical exhibits
began its life as “Castle Warden.” It was constructed in 1887 --- the same time
period in which Henry Flagler’s three magnificent hotels, now Flagler College,
Casa Monica Hotel, and Lightner Museum, came into being --- and was inhabited
by William G. Warden and his family. It’s not all that unusual to find a castle
in St. Augustine; you’ll also find a 19TH century “palace” modeled
after the Alhambra in Granada, Spain; a 17TH century Spanish
fortress; and other amazing architectural beauties.
(c) 2015-2017 St. Augustine Fridays
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