Why are there so many Forts in Florida??

[TwingleMum]

My 7 yr old DS asked me why there are so many Forts in Florida--- Ft. Lauderdale, Ft Myers, FT walton Beach, Ft Pierce etc..... I told him maybe a long time ago they had real Forts that protected the people that lived there. Anyone know the real answer??? Thanks

 

[Rumpus]

My 7 yr old DS asked me why there are so many Forts in Florida--- Ft. Lauderdale, Ft Myers, FT walton Beach, Ft Pierce etc..... I told him maybe a long time ago they had real Forts that protected the people that lived there. Anyone know the real answer??? Thanks

Many were established and used as actual forts during the Seminole Wars from the early to the mid 1800's.

 

[TwingleMum]

Thank you I tried to google but couldn't find anything. He'll be very interested to hear the answer

 

[Bilberry]

I'm not sure, but I'll soon be a full time Florida Fort resident myself. I've noticed several of the stories of the area involve pirate raiding at one time. I'd guess Forts were built to keep buccaneers away.

 

[Agri]

Florida is a peninsula - think about how many sides it could be attacked from. Add to that Native Americans, the Spanish, and then the pirates and you have a need for a lot of military presence. Essentially, Florida has changed hands a few times over the years and most people tend to want to build their own forts.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I really can't speak to the Atlantic, but there were a LOT of forts all up and down the Gulf Coast; most have gone under the ocean since they were built, although a few still exist and can be seen by boat. Florida's geology is a bit different from Louisiana and Mississippi's though and their forts are still on dry land.

I believe it was part of the defensive strategy of the US in the early 1800's time to have lots of coastal forts.

 

[Planogirl]

The Spanish seemed to build a lot of forts too. I recommend touring the wonderful fort in St Augustine, a city that isn't even named Ft "something".

 

[Rumpus]

Recall what happened in the 1800's. The Trail of Tears. That didn't just come about in a vacuum.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

The Spanish seemed to build a lot of forts too. I recommend touring the wonderful fort in St Augustine, a city that isn't even named Ft "something".

I know that the orginal fort in St. Augustine was Spanish, but unless I'm mistaken, isn't the current iteration the one that was built in the 1820's? Fort Mark or Marion or something "M"y I think. . .

The Spanish had a grand time calling every little settlement a "fort" and building plans for them. I've done a lot of digging at a site that had grand plans for forts. . .the reality was likely something a little (lot) less grand that rotted away.

The forts we all like to visit are mostly American and 1800'sish, I think, even if there was an earlier fort on the location. The Americans built in stone and brick and there hasn't been any regime change since those forts were built, sooooo. . .

But, again, I don't do much in military history. Just enough to get me by. . .

 

[Planogirl]

I know that the orginal fort in St. Augustine was Spanish, but unless I'm mistaken, isn't the current iteration the one that was built in the 1820's? Fort Mark or Marion or something "M"y I think. . .

The Spanish had a grand time calling every little settlement a "fort" and building plans for them. I've done a lot of digging at a site that had grand plans for forts. . .the reality was likely something a little (lot) less grand that rotted away.

The forts we all like to visit are mostly American and 1800'sish, I think, even if there was an earlier fort on the location. The Americans built in stone and brick and there hasn't been any regime change since those forts were built, sooooo. . .

But, again, I don't do much in military history. Just enough to get me by. . .

The Castillo de San Marcos was renamed Fort St Mark and Fort Marion later on when the British took over. The British made improvements but I believe that the basic structure of the fort is original.

I don't know much about forts either. I find them fascinating to tour but couldn't in most cases say how authentic most of them are.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Heh! Wikipedia is my friend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_de_San_Marcos

Saint Augustine was actually well built of native materials; it was St. Mark for most of its tenure, but of course, the US had to rename it Marion and put in a few touches.

That star shape though, it's sooooo Spanish! They planned a lot of forts that way. Nice to see one still in existence.

You know what, now I know where this stuff in a glass jar at my mom's house came from. It's cochina material that washed up on the beach when we went to Florida (and stayed on the beach) for 2 weeks back when I was itsy. . .I had totally forgotten that!

 

[Planogirl]

The Spanish loved cochina. We were told during the tour that it's very durable too. The fort was bombarded by the English but they never could knock it down. They only got their hands on it through treaty.

Enough OT now!

 

[FireDancer]

Florida was a constant battleground in early colonial times and continuously switched hands. The Spanish (on multiple occasions), French, English, United States, and Confederate States all had control over much of modern Florida at one time or another between 1513 and 1865.

Florida also has more coastline than any other state in the country (1,350+ miles) and the way to defend yourself against naval attack for much of history was with strategically placed forts.