I visited both Ft Caroline and the Mantzas site in 2008.
Ft Caroline was made into a national park in the 70’s I think but did not get fully developed for some time. It is a sop to the French who were left out of the Park Service efforts. The property was given to the government by two brothers.
Growing up, my favorite book, read and reread several times, was the Flamingo Feather by Kirk Munroe. It is the story of Ft Caroline and was written in 1854. I read the book again as a 50 something adult and tried my best to associate the rivers and lands described with places on the map. I was trying to associate the colony with the St Mary’s river and Okefenokee Swamp just a little north at the Georgia line.I have Visited St Mary’s and the Cumberland Island National Sea Shore many times and knew that the places in the book were dead on to the St Mary’s area. Turns out, I was one river too far north.
While visiting Florida and headed to St Agustine on A1A I saw Ft Caroline on the map. Hey!!! I know that area well. There is no such National Park. To my wonder and absolute amazement it is not only there but has wonderful exhibits and reconstructions.
It turns out that the Book of The Three Voyages by René Goulaine de Laudonnière was the basis for the Flamingo Feather. Laudonniere wrote his book in 1586 and out in Kansas Kirk Munroe in 1854 used it to construct a wonderful fictional account of the fort, the protagonist Rene who was adopted as an Indian Prince, and the royal symbol of a Flamingo Feather headdress.
If you are interested in the period history, I definitely recommed the book Three Voyages. It details all the intrigue and political infighting that was associated with the founding and destruction of Fort Caroline and the Spanish settlements to the south. It details the absolute stupidity and arrogance of the French nobles who couldn’t make things work. Most importantly, It is a very readable first hand account of those important historical events.
As You can tell by the length of this post, it is high on my list of neat places.
St Augustine is number one on my list of favorite motorcycle rides.
We stay at a wonderful timeshare right on the beach with a biker bar on the corner.
It’s five hours away from where I live so it is a healthy ride to and from.
Every restaurant has LIVE music and it’s all OLD SCHOOL CLASSIC ROCK.
And the HISTORY in that area is phenomenal, and most places are either free or under $10.00.
Just the thing for this Bass Playing Biker History loving Irish Indian!