Fort Caroline

There is actually quite a bit of overlap between Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve and Fort Caroline.  The Fort's website is actually located on the Timucuan website and the fort itself is located right next to one of the Preserve's visitor centers.  According to Wikipedia (yeah, I know, it may not be reliable) the site is technically independent but managed as part of Timucuan.

"Three hundred colonists left France to establish a permanent settlement in North America. Included were some of the leading families of France, wearing gilded armor and brightly colored clothes. Other representatives of French society included artisans to provide entertainment and produce drawings, and laborers to build the fort. The desire for permanency was illustrated by the inclusion of women, of whom at least four had husbands. Most were Huguenots, but there were also Catholics and agnostics. The colonists were seeking opportunity and freedom in a distant land."
~Fort Caroline website, Explorers & Settlers of Fort Caroline

Starting at the back of the visitor center the "0.5-mile French Memorial Trail leads to a large scaled exhibit of Fort Caroline, a memorial to the first planned French colony established in what is now the United States.  In 1564, France built a fort and village somewhere near here as it was beginning to challenge Spain, the world's leading power, for the resources of the New World.  All but a few of the 300 settlers at la Caroline were Huguenots, Protestants fleeing persecution by Catholics in France and seeking freedom to worship in this new land.  The hopes and dreams of all the colonists were tragically short-lived."
~from exhibit signage

The path wasn't the smoothest, but once again I was grateful that we have a rather rugged stroller that can go off-road.

 The first stop we came to along the path was a recreation of a Timucuan shelter.

At first I thought the structure was an accurate recreation, then I realized it was a look-a-like.  The roof was actually a well camouflaged plastic material that looked just like leaves.

The area also included a dugout canoe in process of being made.  You can read more about it here.

This dock is obviously a quite modern addition, but the girls loved running to the end and watching a ship come up the St. Johns River.

 A tugboat came up to the container ship as we watched.

 As the fort was just for protection the village would have been outside of its walls and colonists would only have retreated inside the walls when it was necessary for defense.

 Speaking of walls the recreated fort includes a moat just outside the walls.

"The original size and exact placement of the colony and fort are still a mystery to historians.  In 1964, 400 years after the establishment of la Caroline, the fort you see before you was built by the National Park Service.  It is not a reconstruction of the original; it is based on educated guesswork and serves only to bring the fort story alive."
~from exhibit signage

 Here you can get a glimpse of the entire side of the fort.

When you walk through the gate of the fort you immediately realize it isn't very large at all.  Several signs explain the history of the area including the massacre that made the place infamous.
"At the break of dawn on September 20, 1565, about 400 Spanish troops under Pedro Menéndez de Avilés stormed the sparsely defended fort and massacred 130 people.  About 70 colonists fled into the woods or to ships anchored in the river.  Those survivors who made it to the ships headed back to France.  On September 23 Menéndez left most of his soldiers behind to hold the fort and with only 50 men rushed back to defend his newly settled colony of St. Augustine."
~from exhibit signage

 Of course there were more cannons inside the fort!

 It was late as we explored the fort, so the sky looked great.  Here you can see quite a bit of the interior of the fort.

 The girls couldn't look over the wall but they could look through it to see the river.

 As the signage I quoted above noted the exact placement of the fort is unknown and there are a number of other mysteries.

 The girls loved running up to the cannons and looking over the walls.

I really liked the entrance with the crest at the apex of the arch.  Who knows if it is accurate, but it makes the fort quite recognizable.

It was another fun fort to explore and a great way to give the kids exercise as they ran down the path to and from the fort.  You can see all of the pictures of the fort that I uploaded in this album.

~Matt

Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve

After we left Fort Pulaski we drove south towards Florida.  There were a couple forts along the way that we wanted to visit, but unfortunately didn't have time.

Fort Frederica is a National Park site located on one of the outlying islands and is the location of a battle between the British and Spanish.  "Georgia's fate was decided in 1742 when Spanish and British forces clashed on St. Simons Island. Fort Frederica's troops defeated the Spanish, ensuring Georgia's future as a British colony. Today, the archaeological remnants of Frederica are protected by the National Park Service."

Fort King George is a state historic site managed by the state of Georgia.  "This is the oldest English fort remaining on Georgia's coast. From 1721 until 1736, Fort King George was the southern outpost of the British Empire in North America. A cypress blockhouse, barracks and palisaded earthen fort were constructed in 1721 by scoutmen led by Colonel John “Tuscarora Jack” Barnwell."

The last time we drove to Florida we were late arriving in the Jacksonville area and weren't able to visit Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, which contains Fort Caroline.  This time we didn't want to miss this stop so we passed up Frederica and King George and decided to save them for another trip.

As you come up to the visitor center you'll see massive trees covered in Spanish Moss.

 The preserve is quite large and the part we visited only a small section of it.  We'll definitely be back to visit more the next time we're in the area

 "The Preserve encompasses 46,000 acres of wetlands and uplands, including some of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic coast....  Come explore the biologically rich ecosystems and significant historic sites that make the Preserve a special part of our national heritage.  Discover the diverse plants and and meet the many human cultures that have been drawn to the bounty of the Timucuan Preserve."
~exhibit signage

This exhibit explored the life of a marsh and how it is influenced by the tides.  It included several signs and even some interactive elements.

 I enjoyed this detail from the marsh painting.

"Scattered through the Preserve are mounds of oyster and clam shells left by yet another spcies fond of feasting on the marsh's bounty."

This exhibit shows how so many elements from nature can be used to produce tools and other artifacts.

 This shell gorget is just one example of the many artifacts.

Near the end of the exhibits was a section that covered the influence of various European powers upon the area.

 Did you know that the French first landed at Cape Canaveral when they arrived in Florida?  They then headed north.

 Fort Caroline was established by the French and mostly consisted of Huguenot Protestants.  More about that in the next blog post covering our visit to the site of the fort.

 More recent artifacts from the period after European colonization were on delay.

 I'm always a sucker for cannons.

 The French presence in Florida didn't last too long.  In fact it connects with what we saw the next day.  Some of the French that fled a Spanish attack were massacred at what later became the site of Fort Matanzas as matanzas translates as slaughter/massacre.

The Spanish controlled Florida for quite a while though there was a British interregnum where East and West Florida were to some extent the fourteenth and fifteenth American colonies.

 The girls loved an area with natural artifacts that they could touch and hold.

You can view all of the photos I took in and around the visitor center in this Google Photos album.

The next post will explore the replica of Fort Caroline just down the shore from the visitor center.

~Matt

Fort Pulaski - Part IV

After exiting the actual walls of Fort Pulaski we weren't quite ready to leave the island.  We did head back towards the parking lot, but then headed towards the nearby short trail that we spotted.  According to the signage it was North Pier Trail.

"Cockspur Island has changed tremendously in the last 200 years.  Before the early 1800s, the island was mainly a salty grass marsh with a few forested bits of dry land.  With the US Army's decision to construct a fort here, they cut down trees to create a clear view of approaching ships or enemy forces.  The army prevented trees from growing on the island while they occupied Fort Pulaski.  After the military abandoned the fort in the late 1800s, tons of sand and silt dredged from the Savannah River were heaped on the Cockspur Island shoreline.  Trees and brush grew on this higher ground and the maritime forest you see before you began to emerge."
~from exhibit signage

 Along the trail we saw several interesting signs that explained more about the area.

 It was great to have a chance to get the kids to stretch their legs and to see some beautiful scenery.

 This fortification was called Battery Hambright and was part of Fort Screven on Tybee Island constructed after the Spanish American War to protect the approach to Savannah.  It was intended that guns would be installed here to cover the minefield to the north, but for some reason guns were never installed.

When the army occupied the island and fort there was a very busy wharf here on the north side of the island.  Apparently traffic was quite brisk between the island and Hilton Head island.

The girls couldn't understand why I wouldn't let them go play on the beach and build a sandcastle.  I tried to explain that it wasn't an incredibly warm day and they'd get cold rather quickly, but I don't think they wanted to listen, ;-).

 When we got to the end of the path we saw the remnants of the wharf.

Amy had waited at the treeline while the girls and I went to the end of the wharf.

 Interestingly in light of the later history of the island during the war, Cockspur Island has a connection to Robert E. Lee when he was a young US Army engineer.  In 1829 he "designed and began the system of drainage and dike protection for the island, and located for what was to become Fort Pulaski....  Lee oversaw the construction of 3.2 [k]m (2 miles) of dikes, and ditches within, a formidable first step in the construction of the Fort."

As we walked through the wooded area we saw quite a few branches that had fallen and been trimmed where they'd fallen over the path.

All in all the fort was a great place to visit and I'd definitely go back when next we're in the area.  You can see all of the pictures I took and uploaded in my Google Photos album.

~Matt

Fort Pulaski - Part III

When we came back down to the parade ground we found a guy sitting next to the wall with a map spread out in front of him.  The map was a nautical map of the area's waterways including the Atlantic, the Savannah River, and several other smaller bodies.

He had a number of routes and notations marked on the map.  Abigail asked him where we were located, so he showed her Cockspur Island on the map.

He then proceeded to explain the different places on the map and how they were relevant to the purpose of the fort and the battle to take control of the fort.  He did a great job answering the questions of two very young children.

This room served as Colonel Olmstead's quarters when the Confederates occupied the fort.  He surrendered to the Union attackers on April 11, 1862.

 This room was the commanding officer's quarters when the Union troops held the fortifications.  According to the signs "Colonel Brown's wife added a woman's touch in these harsh surroundings by acquiring furniture confiscated from Southern homes in Bluffton, South Carolina," located just north of the border.

 This was the Federal medical dispensary where medicine was stored and wounded men were treated.

 Federal Officer's Mess.

When we wandered into the Federal Officers' Quarters we found a fire going as staff were awaiting the arrival of a group.  The signage explained that "[t]he officers' casemates were more comfortable than those of the enlisted men, still there was a great scarcity of furniture.  After several expeditions to Southern homes at Bluffton, South Carolina--miles by boat--the quarters were useful and attractively furnished."

 Soldiers reported to the guardroom for two-hour shifts.  They would be on-shift for two and then off for four hours in a cycle that lasted for the whole day.

 Here you can see the drawbridge mechanism.  As is typical of a defensive structure, raising the drawbridge was the easy part, involving releasing brakes.

"To lower the drawbridge, four men inserted bars in the drums at either end of the crankshaft and wound the iron balls back into place.  As the bridge went down, the portcullis withdrew into its slot above the door."

Though the visitor center was closed there was a well-stocked bookstore inside the fort.

 The entrance of the fort looks quite impressive and defensible from inside.

 As I left the fort it was quiet so I was able to grab a couple 360° shots without interference.

I took my shots just in time as I went to leave the demilune I ran into a large school group just entering the area for a field trip.  I'm quite glad that local kids get to take field trips like this, but I'm just as glad when I'm not touring a fort along with dozens of rowdy kids.

Though we still had a ways to drive we decided to explore just a bit more of the island before we left.  I'll cover that in my next post.

~Matt