St Augustine was a Spanish outpost; a stop along sea routes to here and there in the world - a place where a few determined settlers stuck it out in spite of hurricanes, drought, Indian and pirate attacks, cold and sickness. These settlers had nothing - nothing - with which to build and maintain their lives. They put up thatch-roofed shacks with their hands, they ate whatever they could kill, catch or coax from Florida's sandy soil, and they wore what they had until it was rags. As a result, the tiny Spanish colony was easy pickings for anyone who decided to beat them up.

And they were beaten up - time and time again. But the townspeople persisted and fought for their foothold in their place in the world. And they were willing to do whatever it took to hang on. After the raid of pirate Robert Searles and his crew in 1668, the good people of St Augustine and Spain decided to take matters into their own hands and defend themselves the best way they knew how: behind walls of stone.

In October of 1672, enough materials had been gathered and enough labor recruited to begin construction on the fort that would stand impenetrable for over three hundred years. Florida Governor Manuel de Cendoya and his staff chose the location and design of the fort, ground was broken and construction began. The decision to build the fort had actually been made in 1669, but it additional time was necessary to cut and move enough coquina from Anastasia Island to actually build a structure of the magnitude of the Castillo.

So - the walls of the mighty fort began to rise. And as the fort began to take shape, so did the lives of the people who would make St Augustine a permanent settlement. As the Castillo grew, the townspeople began setting down firm roots in Florida; establishing gardens, raising cows and pigs and chickens for food sources, and managing their lives a little better and ensconcing themselves more firmly in their town. Realizing the need for a strong military, the town firmly supported its troops and its own defense. The result was a strong, secure shelter in desperate times of attack or a storm.

The fort was completely self-contained; there is a well present, and the central grounds where families and their livestock could camp and stay until all danger had passed. Many of the rooms of the fort are connected to each other from within, so it is possible to travel most of the perimeter without having to go outside the walls into the courtyard. The gun deck overlooks the water and the bastions at each corner allow for observation from the fort without making the observer vulnerable to a shot from below. It is a large and secure structure, but remember that the entire town and its livestock had to stay there in times of danger. Today, the fort green is lovely and manicured; however, in 1740, when James Oglethorpe came down from Georgia to attack St Augustine with every intention of taking the great fort down, it was a dark, muddy and filthy place. But it was safe. And safety was paramount to survival.

Those who have lives within the walls of the great fort have left their mark. In one of the rooms, a military bunkhouse, pictures have been scratched into the walls by ancient visitors; perhaps soldiers who longed for open waters and to return to their beloved homeland? Who knows - they left only their artwork to show us what they were thinking in one frozen moment in time.

One of my favorite rooms in the Castillo is the Chapel of St Mark. Even in a military structure, the chapel conveys the serenity and allows for the solitude that one might find in any church. I can only imagine those who have visited that chapel in the past, in times of need or danger, praying for guidance, hoping for deliverance from whatever troubles plagued the town and plagued their lives.

Evening and nightime are particularly lovely times to view the old Castillo. Beautifully lighted on its manicured hill, it lies silent, yet always telling stories... always singing... always talking to those who can hear what it has to say.

The Castillo has stood solid and firm through countless attacks, storms and disasters in St Augustine. Cannonballs were simply absorbed into the coquina sides, plucked out after dark, and fired right back at attackers. Fire could do no harm to the thick stone walls. Storm after storm has lashed the mighty fort for days at a time and it remains steadfast where it has stood for three centuries. But a silent threat is slowly taking its toll on the old structure - time. Time is doing what pirates, Indians and storms could not - time is causing the ancient walls to crack and crumble and the foundation to slowly die. Please handle the old fort gently, and touch it only with your eyes. The Castillo is capable of handling many, many visitors each year, and will be able to do so for many years to come if it is protected and loved, as its caretakers and the City of St Augustine wish it to be.

The National Park Service operates the Castillo de San Marcos today. Carefully tended by park rangers and staff, the old Castillo stands as it always has, silent yet singing stories of survivors. Stories of a community that joined hands and came through when times were at their worst.