The Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine, Florida.
Many believe the American permanent settlement began with Jamestown or the Pilgrims in Massachusetts.
In fact, this surprising location is St. Augustine, Florida.
The Castillo de San Marco in St. Augustine, Florida. (Photo: Roman Eugeniusz viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
Spain had tried several times to start a permanent settlement in the New World, but had found success.
However, Spaniard Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles would change that fate.
The Spanish settlers met (and forced out) French forces to lay claim to the region.
Among their numbers were bothfree and enslaved African people.
The settlement remained and grew.
Eventually, a fortress called theCastillo de San Marcoswas built in the late 17th century.
