Last updated: March 11, 2021
Place
Guarding the Back Door Wayside
![Along the top half of the slanted panel, against a light blue background, black text in English and Spanish reads: Guarding the Back Door. The Spanish built the Castillo de San Marcos along the winding, shallow channel of the Matanzas River. Any ships entering the inlet faced the fort head on, unable to deploy their guns broadside. The strategic location kept marauding pirates and attacking British warships at bay. During the 1740 British siege, ships from Cuba used the inlet at the southern end of Anastasia Island to resupply the town. After the siege, knowing enemies could also use the inlet, the Spanish built Fort Matanzas to protect St. Augustine’s back door. End of Text In the center between the 2 columns of text, 2 square color photos: on the left, the Castillo de San Marcos. The brown wedge-shaped stone walls of the fort and tower at the front right corner, face the green, water battery below. A grey stone seawall separates this area from the Matanzas River. Beyond the fort and to the right, are 5 palm trees. Below, black text in English and Spanish reads: Castillo de San Marcos secured Florida for Spain and protected St. Augustine from attack. End of Text In the color photo at the right, Fort Matanzas: a beige L-shaped stone structure with a lower section at the left, connected to a taller rectangular section at the right. 3 horizontal cannons poke out over the fort’s left wall; a small stone tower at the left corner. On the right, behind the cannons, a wooden staircase rises half-way up the side of the taller, rectangular section. On top of the rectangular section of the fort, flies a Spanish flag from its first military era. The fort sits on a grassy area, lined with brown boulders overlooking water. Below, black text in English and Spanish reads: Fort Matanzas protected the southern approach to St. Augustine. End of Text Below, on the lower half of the panel, a horizontal, bronze touchable map. Along the top, the Atlantic Ocean and winding water passages run through the landmass below. At the lower left, just below a wide water passage, a small raised metal square marks the Castillo De San Marcos; to its right, an arrow with “You are Hereâ€, in tan text. At the far, right side of the panel, encircled by water, is Fort Matanzas. Above the left corner of the touchable map, black text in English and Spanish reads: The shifting sands of barrier islands have changed the landscape since these forts were built. Directly in front of the panel, the fort’s low, light grey stone wall with views of the Matanzas River beyond the lower outer wall; along the far shore of Anastasia Island, views of houses and tree tops. To the left of the panel, several low wooden platforms, some with artillery set on blocks of wood. [End of Message]](/common/uploads/place/import/7f15025d-ed70-4e35-8be6-d439082de972_image_350.jpg)
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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Tactile Exhibit
The Spanish built the Castillo de San Marcos along the winding, shallow channel of the Matanzas River. Any ships entering the inlet faced the fort head on, unable to deploy their guns broadside. The strategic location kept marauding pirates and attacking British warships at bay. During the 1740 British siege, ships from Cuba used the inlet at the southern end of Anastasia Island to resupply the town. After the siege, knowing enemies could also use the inlet, the Spanish built Fort Matanzas to protect St. Augustine's back door.