Fort San Nicholas

Fort San Nicholas (1740-1817) - A Spanish Colonial fort established in 1740 by Governor Manuel de Montiano in present day Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. Abandoned in 1817. Fort San Nicholas Marker Locale Fort San Nicholas Marker Text Downtown Jacksonville, Florida, from the Fort San Nicholas Site Locale History A Spanish Colonial blockhouse fort was established in 1740 by Governor Manuel de Montiano in anticipation of an attack from the English under James Oglethorpe. The blockhouse was located at a strategic crossing of the St. John's river and remained in use until the British occupied Florida in 1763. The British may or may not have garrisoned the fort during their 20-year occupation of Florida between 1763 and 1784. The Spanish returned in 1784, refurbished the blockhouse, and added a 100-foot square moat around it. In 1796, John H. McIntosh captured and destroyed the fort as revenge for the Spanish appropriations of his property. The fort was rebuilt only to be destroyed again during the Patriots War and rebuilt after that. The Spanish abandoned the fort on 4 Jul 1817 according to the marker. After the Spanish ceded Florida to the U.S. in 1821 the old fort was used by the Americans as a customs house and to prevent smuggling. Current Status Marker only in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. The marker is located in the median of Atlantic Blvd. at White Avenue. The fort site is indicated, on the marker, as being 1530' north of the marker, shown by the fort map point. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida. Maps & Images Lat: 30.306467 Long: -81.639050 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 206 Links: North American Forts - Fort San Nicholas Visited: 25 Feb 2012 Locale