The History of St. Augustine - The National Park Service offers a concise history of French and Spanish settlements in the 16th century, and an overview of how Florida came to be part of the United States.

Forts Were Important Until the advent of heavy artillery in the 19th century, coastal defense depended on masonry forts at strategic locations. Several such forts were important in the history of the St. Augustine area. The Park Service explains coastal fortification building in this web page.

Fort Caroline Was First - This fort was built by the French in 1562. It lasted only a few years until the Spanish arrived to claim the territory. You can visit a reconstruction of the fort buildings.

• View a map of Ft. Caroline

Visit Fort Matanzas, one of the areas original Spanish fortifications. This fort was built to defend against English attacks from the south.

• View a Map of the site, suitable for on-screen viewing or printing.

Castillo de San Marcos was built to defend St. Augustine. There is a lot to see at this location, along with explanations of how the forts protected settlers.