EPILOGUE: A HERITAGE

From the beginning of the United States occupation, the old fortifications were regarded as obsolete. True, some effort was made to modernize Fort Marion, but Matanzas was forgotten. Before the outbreak of the War between the States, Fort Marion had been strengthened by the emplacement of new guns, but there was little major action in Florida during the war, and none at all at the fort, though the Confederate flag flew over the battlements for some 14 months.

Early in the American regime, however, the Spanish castle was recognized as being of great historical interest, and public realization of its value as a national heritage reached a peak when in 1921 the War Department considered relinquishing ownership of the weathered old structure. Public reaction was strong and immediate, for it was felt that the fort should remain Government property. Consequently, in 1924 Forts Marion and Matanzas were proclaimed national monuments, and in 1933 both areas were transferred to the Department of the Interior, to be protected for all time by the National Park Service. By an act of Congress approved June 5, 1942, the name of Fort Marion was changed to the time-honored name of Castillo de San Marcos.

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Last Modified: Thurs, Sep 11 2003 10:00:00 pm PST http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/source/3/sb3n.htm