Fort Picolata (St. Augustine, Florida)
St. Augustine · Florida · War of Jenkins' Ear
History & Significance
Built soon after 1700 as an outpost of the military defensive network of St. Augustine, the first defense works were little more than a sentry box surrounded by a palisade. In 1734, Governor Francisco del Moral y Sánchez ordered the fort rebuilt to anticipate English and Native American attacks.
By 1737 the structure had become dilapidated; it was reconstructed in 1738 as a thirty-foot-high wooden tower with machicolation. In December 1739, Lieutenant George Dunbar led a British and Native American attack; despite mortar fire, seven Spanish soldiers held the wooden fort.
General Oglethorpe's assault in January 1740 succeeded in burning the fort to the ground. Spanish reconstruction using coquina stone did not occur until after Oglethorpe's failed second invasion attempt in 1743.
The 1755 rebuild was a coquina stone tower 2½ stories high, enclosed by a palisade. After the 1763 Treaty of Paris transferred Florida to British rule, they maintained Fort Picolata as part of St. Augustine's defenses.
From November 1765, the fort hosted important diplomatic congresses between British officials and Lower Creek and Seminole leaders, resulting in a treaty by which Native Americans ceded over two million acres in northeast Florida. During the Second Seminole War, first-lieutenant William T. Sherman was stationed at the fort between 1841–1842. The fort completely disappeared before 1856.
Key Facts
Map
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Picolata
- https://history.domains.unf.edu/floridahistoryonline/projects-proj-b-p-html/projects-plantations-html/hierarchy-of-plantation-pages/fort-picolata/
- https://governorshouselibrary.wordpress.com/2023/11/15/fuerto-picolato-fort-picolata/
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=64001
- https://bartramtrailsociety.com/searching-for-fort-picolata/
- https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/war-of-jenkins-ear/
- https://jaxtoday.org/2025/12/19/picolata-history/