Beginning our journey north, we explored a few new areas.
WASHINGTON
OAKS
The first was Washington
Oaks Gardens
State Park.
In 1818 Jose Mariano Hernandez bought the land and named it “Bella Vista.” His daughter married a relative of George Washington, which explains the park’s name. Later it was owned by Owen Young, a founder of the RCA Corporation. He and his wife built a home and the gardens. His family gave the land to the state in 1964 specifying that the gardens be maintained for public enjoyment. One side of the park, the side by the Intracoastal Waterway, contains the lovely formal garden, with a rose garden, fountains, and a variety of plants under a live oak hammock. We enjoyed strolling in the garden and ate a picnic lunch overlooking the water.
The other side of the park abuts the ocean. This area is
known for its coquina rock formations.
This rock is made of sand, shells, and water.
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| coquina close-up |
Doesn’t quite look like Florida!
FORT
MATANZAS
The second place we visited was Fort Matanzas
National Monument. We saw
a video about the fort, an effort by the Spanish to protect St Augustine. The fort was built of coquina. A
ferry used to shuttle park visitors over to the island fort, but due to damage
from last year’s Hurricane Matthew we could only see the fort from across the
water.
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schematic from brochure
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FORT
MOSE
The third place we checked out was Fort
Mose Historic
State Park outside of St Augustine. This was a
long abandoned village turned fort for freed slaves. The Spanish offered a
sanctuary for slaves who escaped from the Carolinas
if they converted to Catholicism and joined the militia. No buildings remain,
but the visitor center has a video and museum.
Archaeologists discovered the ruins of this fort in the
middle of what is now swamp land.
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the distant island
where the fort once stood
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