American Travel Journal: Fort Caroline National Memorial

In early February, 2013, we visited the Fort Caroline National Memorial. This memorial is near the site, most probably lost to the St. Johns River, of the French settlement of La Caroline. This was France's first attempt at a permanent settlement in North America. An exploratory expedition was conducted by Jean Ribault in 1562, but the settlement did not begin until a second expedition landed on June 22, 1564, with approximately 200 people. In addition to seeking gold for France, the colony was to be a refuge for the French Huguenots. In 1565, an additional 600 French soldiers and settlers arrived. By this time, the Spanish had learned of the settlement and planned to force the French out. The Spanish reinforced St. Augustine in preparation for an attach on La Caroline. The French went on the offensive and sailed down the coast to attack St. Augustine. However, a hurricane scattered the French fleet and forced them far down the coast. Seizing the initiative, Admiral Pedro Menédez marched 500 men north. On September 20, his troops massacred 140 settlers leaving only approximately 60 women and children. Menédez then marched his men south to find the shipwrecked Frenchmen. The French threw themselves on his mercy, but to him they were heretics and enemies of his king. Menédez's men killed about 350 men at a place later named Matanzas (slaughter). The French made one additional foray into Florida in 1568, attacking the fort and killing everyone defending it, but they never seriously challenged Spanish claims in Florida again.

Although rather small, the visitor center has an excellent display entitled "Where the Waters Meet." As we have come to expect, the volunteer on duty was both friendly and knowledgeable.

Visitor Center

While the original site of the settlement and fort have been lost over the centuries, a fort exhibit has been constructed at the memorial based on drawings made by French mapmaker, artist and settler Jacques le Moyne de Morgues. The fort exhibit contains approximately one-third the area of the actual fort and was constructed by the National Park Service in 1964 for the four hundredth anniversary of the establishment of la Caroline. The nearby Timucuan shelter is also an approximation based on French and Spanish records. While once numbering in the tens of thousands and having lived in the area for hundreds of years, only 550 Timucua were recorded in the Spanish records of 1698.

A 1.3 mile loop trail leads from the visitor center to the Timucuan exhibit and fort before winding through an oak and pine forest before returning to the parking lot. In addition, there is a boardwalk out to a modern dock for visitors arriving by water. There are also a series of trails to the east and south of the visitor center into the Theodore Roosevelt Area of the 46,000 acre preserve.