• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
San Marcos de Apalache

Exploring San Marcos de Apalache

Where the Wakulla and St Marks Rivers meet, explore San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park, a small piece of ground with a deep history under five flags.

June 21, 2016    John Keatley

170 shares

Sometimes, my timing is just right. We were in St. Marks doing trail research, but today wasn’t a day I could join in.

Instead, with our friend Peter, I dropped off Sandy at Shell Island Fish Camp and watched her and our friend Dawn catch a boat ride down the Wakulla River.

St. Marks River Florida Trail crossing
Sandy and Dawn departing the Shell Island Fish Camp boat to start their Florida Trail hike on the other side of the St. Marks River

They were headed to the Florida Trail on the other side of the St. Marks River, the only way to traverse the Florida Trail between St. Marks and St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

After they vanished down the trail, Peter and I decided to visit San Marcos de Apalache State Park, at the tip of the peninsula between the rivers.

San Marcos de Apalache
Sandy’s view of San Marcos de Apalache from the boat, as the peninsula where rivers meet

We were lucky: it was a Thursday. The park is open Thursday through Monday 9 to 5. I had tried to visit the park twice before, but never on a day it was open.

We arrived as Ranger Terri was just unlocking the gate. We followed her in. Once the lights were on in the museum, she played the movie for us. It’s a clever presentation.

The main movie is accompanied by the ghosts of those who lived in the fort telling their stories on a second screen on the other side of the room.

Ranger Terri at San Marcos de Apalache
Ranger Terri in the museum gift shop

After checking out the museum, we took the self-guided nature hike around the grounds. Reaching the junction of the Wakulla and St Marks Rivers, we stood on a small piece of ground with a deep history, starting in 1528.

That’s when Spanish first visited, it’s thought. Supposedly Pánfilo de Narváez, a Spanish Florida governor and explorer, stopped here with his men to build rafts at this peninsula.

Over 150 years later, in 1679, the first Spanish structure was built: Fort San Marcos de Apalache. A wooden fort built by colonists, it would later be painted to look like stone.

Confluence of the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers
Confluence of the St. Marks and Wakulla Rivers as seen from the peninsula

The fort would be attacked and taken by the French, English, and Indian raiders, only to be retaken by the Spanish.

Eventually, due to a strong British presence in Florida and ongoing threat of pirate attacks, the Spanish burned down their wooden fort and abandoned San Marcos for a long time. They didn’t return until 1718.

Spanish soldiers then built a sturdier wooden fort to establish a stronger defense against attackers. By 1739, they began constructing a large stone fort.

The stone fort was still under construction when Spain agreed to give Florida to Britain in a 1763 treaty.

San Marcos de Apalache archaeology
An excavated portion of the fortress walls

Twenty years later – as part of a series of treaties between the newly formed United States of America, France, Spain, and Great Britain – Florida was returned to Spain.

With Britain removed from the region, the Spanish occupied Fort San Marcos de Apalache a third time. San Marcos was small, but continued to be an important and thriving center for Indian trade.

In the late 1790s, Spain lost the fort briefly to a British renegade named William Augustus Bowles, an “adventurer” who led a small army of American Indians, Europeans, and Africans.

Bowles and his army held the fort for several weeks until a Spanish force came from Pensacola to take it back. Not ready to face an attack from Spanish cannons, Bowles and his men slipped away.

San Marcos de Apalache museum
Exhibits in the museum explain the history of San Marcos de Apalache

During this brief occupation, the sun flag of the State of Muskogee waved over the fortress walls.

Spain lost the fort for the last time in 1818, when Andrew Jackson invaded Florida during the First Seminole War.

Not long after the fort fell, political unrest in Mexico and the assertiveness of Americans led Spain to cede Florida to the United States.

In 1821, the United States government sent troops to occupy San Marcos while the government took control of its new territory.

Military cemetery on the site of Fort St. Marks
Military cemetery on the site of Fort St. Marks

Fourteen years after Florida became a State, the United States Marines established a Federal hospital at San Marcos to serve victims of yellow fever, which plagued the Florida coastline at the time.

They used limestone and flint rock from the Spanish stone fort to build the hospital, finishing it in 1858. Soon after the yellow fever epidemic, the Civil War began.

Prior to the war the nearby St Marks lighthouse was being threatened by erosion. A third lighthouse was built further inland and the large limestone rocks from the old fort were moved and used as the foundation.

In 1861, the Confederate army occupied San Marcos, and renamed Fort Ward. The Confederates built earthwork fortifications to defend Florida from the ships of the Union, which blockaded the St. Marks River throughout the war.

Earthworks at San Marcos de Apalache
Earthworks at San Marcos de Apalache

Fort Ward holds a unique footnote in history, since the Confederate troops held the fort until May 10, 1865. That made it the last coastal fort of the Confederacy to lower its flag.

For a century after the Civil War, the San Marcos de Apalache fort site was under private ownership, only accessible by boat, and overgrown and hidden by vegetation.

Rumor says that some of the original stones from the fort were reused during this time, some to rebuild the St. Marks Lighthouse.

In the 1960s, the historic site became a National Historic Landmark. Florida bought the land to turn it into the San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park.

San Marcos de Apalache sign
Entrance sign for this state park historic site

This included part of the marsh that once separated it from the mainland. The state built the road, the parking lot, and the museum.

Little remains of the early Spanish occupation, only the stone ruins of the third Spanish fort. A walk along the nature path takes you past the Confederate earth works.

Look closely and you will see that the museum sits on top of the Marine hospital and the original fort’s stone foundation is still visible.

To remind us of the many occupiers of this little spit of land throughout the centuries, four flags greet you as you enter this historic grounds: Spanish, British, United States and the Confederate South.

San Marcos de Apalache museum cistern
The museum was built atop some of the historic ruins

Inside the museum, after watching the short movie about the history of the Fort, if you look closely you will find the missing fifth flag, the sun flag of the State of Muskogee.

It’s a small museum with a few cases of artifacts and a lot of history told along the walls. If you’re a history buff, or just passing through the area, the museum and fort grounds are well worth a visit.

Explore More

Learn more about San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park

San Marcos de Apalache

San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park

With a historic timeline dating back five centuries, San Marcos de Apalache protects layers of history accumulated at the confluence of the Wakulla and St. Marks Rivers

San Marcos de Apalache Interpretive Trail

San Marcos de Apalache Interpretive Trail

The site of the first coastal fortress in Northwest Florida, San Marcos de Apalache has a 0.6-mile interpretive trail at the confluence of two major rivers

Category: Articles, Northwest Florida, TravelTag: Big Bend Scenic Byway, Florida State Parks, Historic Sites, San Marcos de Apalache State Park, St. Marks, St. Marks River, Wakulla, Wakulla River

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

NORTHWEST FLORIDA

NORTHWEST FLORIDA OVERVIEW
Florida Trail

Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

Our Newest Books

The Florida Trail Guide

The Florida Trail GuideOur definitive guidebook to planning backpacking trips on the Florida National Scenic Trail, now in its fourth edition. Full data charts and maps. B&W, 356 pages. $19.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes

Florida Trail Hikes 2nd edition coverFifty of the best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.

Order Now


Discovering the Florida Trail

Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock
A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax & shipping.
Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida 3rd edition
Explorer's Guide North Florida & The Panhandle guidebook
Five Star Trails Gainesville & Ocala guidebook

Florida Trail Apps

Farout GuidesFarout Guides Comprehensive logistics and offline maps for the
Florida National Scenic Trail (1,500 miles), the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail (108 miles), and the ECT Florida Connector (92 miles).

Explore More

Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Sunlight streaming through morning fog

Wakulla State Forest

Wakulla State Forest
Pitcher plant slope

Florida Trail, Hutton

Florida Trail, Hutton
Waterfall at Weeping Ridge

Weeping Ridge Trail

Weeping Ridge Trail
Blooming season at Maclay Gardens

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park

Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2023, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact