Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail
OLD SPANISH CHIMNEY AND WELL
Location:Intersection of Old Beach Rd. and Riviera St.
County: St. Johns
City: St. Augustine
Description: These ruins are all that remain of what was probably a Spanish barracks which housed the quarry overseer, master masons, and stonecutters who were involved in the construction of the Castillo de San Marcos. The quarry, located directly across the road from this site, contained rich veins of coquina which the Indian workers shaped into rough blocks. Under the supervision of the quarry overseer, Alonso Diaz Mejia, the blocks were transported by wagon and then by raft to the site of the Castillo. Completed in 1695, the great fortress was the keystone of the Spanish system of defense of Florida.
Sponsors: Sponosred by St. Johns County Historical Commission In Cooperation With Department of State
