Explore 500 years of history at Florida’s San Marcos de Apalache State Park

San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park is in Wakulla County on Florida’s north-central coast. It’s located at the confluence of the Wakulla and St. Marks Rivers before they spill into the Apalachee Bay. It’s more than water that meets here. This area has a known history dating back to 1528.

Fast-forward about 500 years. My wife and I arrived on a beautiful late January morning. The weather was perfect: a comfortable 70 degrees with a slight breeze and not too humid. The sky was a deep blue dotted with big, white fluffy clouds.

We pulled up to a nearly empty parking lot—about 20 spaces—and were unsure what to expect. We had just spent the morning on a boat, taking in an impressive wildlife display at nearby Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park. San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park was only about 15 minutes down the road, so we decided to squeeze it in on our road trip. I am thrilled we did! This place is fabulous!

Getting out of the car, we immediately headed towards some informational signs. “Wow, this place has a much longer history than I expected,” I said, surprised to my wife. Many flags have been planted at the fort, and many have laid claim to the land, including the Spanish, Indian, British, Spanish, United States, Confederate, United States.

Exploring San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park

We decided to walk the third-of-a-mile self-guided interpretive trail, which weaves past historic ruins throughout the park. We passed historic rock walls, remnants of the Spanish Fort that was once here, and the foundations of other buildings that once stood in the area. Earthworks, graves, and sweeping views of the rivers were also along the way.

The views were beautiful, but the park’s amazing history was the star of our visit.

San Marcos de Apalache has a long, storied history

The site is a part of the first expedition by a white man to explore the North American Continent. In 1528 Spanish Conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez set out from present-day St. Petersburg, Florida. He would eventually arrive at the Wakulla and St. Marks Rivers confluence, home to the now-extinct Apalachee people. Narváez’s expedition first entered Apalachee territory on June 15, 1528. With no gold and growing weary of fighting with the Apalachee, Narváez and his men constructed rafts and left the area. These would become the first ships made by the Spanish in the New World.

In 1539, Hernando de Soto and 600 men followed the same route Narvaez took. De Soto would fight with the Apalachee before eventually leaving their territory.

In 1679, the Spanish Governor of Florida ordered a fort constructed on the site they called San Marcos de Apalache. The fort was short-lived; pirates looted and burned it three years later.

In 1718, Captain Jose Primo de Ribera arrived to construct a second wooden fort. Then, in 1758, a hurricane destroyed the fort, drowning a garrison of troops.

In 1759, construction began on the first stone fort. Progress was slow it was not even half finished when the Spanish ceded control of the land to the English after the French and Indian War ended in 1763. Afterward, the site was used as an Indian rendezvous and trading post. 13 years later. The Spanish would regain control of the fort

During this time, American settlers began to move to the area. In 1819, General Andrew Jackson occupied the fort and used it for raids during the Seminole Wars. Jacksons’ actions would ultimately be a precursor for then Secretary of State John Quincey Adams to negotiate the Spanish ceded Florida to the United States.

In 1861, with Florida seceding from the Union, the Confederacy took over it until 1865.

Eventually, it became the state park we know today. Few places in the United States pack as large a historical punch as San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park. I can’t recommend visiting enough.