History Detectives at Fort Caroline
Did you know that Jacksonville has a dark and tragic history? It’s true. The French built the first European settlement in NE Florida in 1564 and called it La Caroline. They had high hopes for their fort. Not only would it offer religious freedom for the persecuted French Huguenots, but it would give them a leg up on their Spanish enemies. The Spanish already had successful colonies in South America, and La Caroline gave the French easy access to the Spanish shipping lines. The New World was full of hope and possibility. Little did they know that within a year, most of them would be dead.
We’ve been to Fort Caroline before, but on Monday returned with some of our history-loving pals from our homeschool group. I feel deep ties to the area. Not only am I writing about it for my master’s history paper, but my children’s novel also has a lot to do with La Caroline. The story is haunting and largely forgotten. The original site of the fort is unknown, lost to its bloody and torrid past. All that remains today are whispers of the truth and a few amazing first-hand accounts from the lucky few who escaped.
When the Spanish King learned of the French Colony, he was furious. Pedro Menendez de Avilez was ordered by Spain’s King Philip II to destroy the French Protestant colony and start a Spanish Roman Catholic colony. The original agreement between Spanish council and Pedro Menendez de Aviles, signed by King Philip II, on March 20, 1565 still exists: “He [will go]… to the Coast of Florida… If there on the said coast or land some… settlers or any other people not subject to His Majesty, arrange to throw them out by the best means possible, which seem best to him. Take the land of the said Florida for His Majesty and to his royal name, attempting to bring its natives to obedience of His Majesty.”
Menendez and his men arrived at the Native American city of Seloy on September 8, 1565 and founded St. Augustine, the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the United States. The French colonists were angered and frightened by the arrival of the Spanish and they decided to attack. Leaving only a small garrison behind, they set sail for St. Augustine and arrived on September 11th. They observed Spanish ships departing and chased after them. A huge storm was brewing, and not just figuratively. The French were caught in a hurricane and unable to return to land for weeks. Menendez saw his chance. He marched his soldiers 50 miles north to La Caroline through the storm, his hatred and duty to Spain so strong that not even a hurricane could stop him.
On September 20, 1565, Menendez and his men attacked La Caroline. The French settlement was under protected and taken easily. It was a bloodbath. The Spaniards massacred the settlers, sparing only a few women, children, and Catholics. These people were taken as prisoners. The Fort was destroyed. Some people escaped and a few lived to tell their stories. Most were not so fortunate. Menendez hunted down most of them and killed them. When he learned that the French ship had shipwrecked, he searched for survivors and killed them. Menendez is easily one of the cruelest men in American history.
The fort today is a small-scale replica. It is extremely underfunded and there’s not much to see, but the history is what draws one there. For centuries now, historians have been trying to locate the exact location of La Caroline. There are clues in the writings of Captain René Goulaine de Laudonnière, the French Captain who helped found the colony, as well as the writings of an artist. There are many theories as to where it was. Only one thing is certain: it’s most likely not where the replica fort was built. It may be somewhere nearby, but no one knows for certain. It’s a real history mystery.
La Caroline’s history was short and mostly forgotten to time. A replica fort was built there in the 1960s and destroyed the same year by a hurricane. The present fort was built soon after. It’s much smaller than the original La Caroline, but a great reminder of the area’s past. There is a small museum about La Caroline and the park guides are very knowledgable. It’s a really neat part of American history that shouldn’t be forgotten!
Since this time in history interest me a lot, I’ve taught Alex all about it. It was great for her to get a feel for the area firsthand and to be able to share what she knows about the Fort’s history. We had fun talking about it with our homeschool friends and exploring too. After touring the small fort inside and out, we hiked the nature trail. It’s much more intense than it looks! René Goulaine de Laudonnière’s accounts recall a large mountain being near the Fort and this seems counterintuitive considering that most of Florida is very flat. Once you get back in those woods, though, there is indeed a very steep hill! It’s quite difficult to tackle with a toddler-filled-stroller. Whew! I got my workout in! It’s a gorgeous trail and really connects you with natural Florida.
I hope that by the time we move from Florida, Alexandria has a pretty good grasp of the important role the Spanish (and French!) played in American history. I had no idea what a rich and complex past Florida had, nor the significance of the Spanish colony before we moved here. It is a vital part of American history and one I think more kids should learn about (especially outside of Florida). There are so many interesting stories around us, so many unsolved mysteries. History doesn’t have to be a boring thing one learns from a textbook. It’s real, in-your-face, dramatic, and breathtaking. My history detectives had a great time at Fort Caroline. It’s really an adventure to be had. All it takes is a bit of research, a little imagination, and the willingness to let the past reveal its spellbinding stories and tragic, twisting tales. It has a lot to say and real life is way more interesting than anything on TV. 
Related articles
- Lots of mystery and intrigue in Mayport’s 450-year history (jacksonville.com)
- Jacksonville celebrates inaugural ‘French Week’ (jacksonville.com)
Happy National Coffee Day!
Today is national coffee day! What better excuse does one need to settle down in a comfy chair with a steaming cup of coffee and a good book? I don’t need a better reason.
Life is beautiful. Celebrate its small blessings. Savor its precious moments. It’s the tiny things that make every day sweet… like a hot cup of coffee with English toffee creamer. Mmmmm.
Happy National Coffee Day!
Top 5 Back-To-School Apps!
Image via Wikipedia
If there was one tool that has completely revolutionized education, it’s got to be the iPad. I mean, seriously. There are hundreds of thousands of amazing apps right at your fingertips and new ones being created daily. Whether your student is learning their ABC’s or fractions, studying the fundamentals of French or prepping for the SAT, there’s a high-quality and effective app out there. This is not just for homeschoolers, but for anyone with a school-aged child. Here are the top 5 educational apps we love:
Stack the States
Learning US geography has never been easier. This colorful, dynamic learning game offers a great challenge: answer the questions correctly to earn a state and built a pile of states high enough to reach the checkered line. Alex, my first-grader, loves this challenging game and barely even realizes she’s learning state capitals and shapes, state abbreviations, locations on the map, landmarks, bordering states, and more. In a very short period she’s memorized the location of all the states and tons of other useful facts. She enjoys increasing the difficulty level and collecting states for her personalized map. Geography has never been more fun. For more advanced students, Stack the Countries is a great tool too! That one is even challenging for me.
Dinopedia
If you’ve got a dinosaur lover on your hands, then the National Geographic Society Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever is one of the best investments ever. There are more than 700 dinosaurs in this interactive app featuring brilliant pictures, videos, fun facts, interesting dinosaur profiles, and all kinds of dinosaur related information. Alex has spent hours upon hours studying the dinosaurs and surprises me with all she learns and retains. This is the best dinosaur app we’ve found, and we’ve tried lots of them. If it’s from National Geographic, you know it’s quality and accurate. We love this app!
This one is a recent discovery for us and one that’s been used over and over again. The best part is that it’s free and works well on the iPad, iPhone, and the iPod touch. BrainPop features a different educational movie each day. The videos are simple and feature the same two characters each time, but delve into lots of interesting topics. We’ve learned about hurricanes, Mars, Jane Goodall, The Civil War, Wind Energy, Nutrition, Cameras, and so much more. Alex can hardly wait to see what her next movie will be and we’ve had so many interesting conversations as a result. She loves it so much that she was really concerned when we went camping. “But mom,” she complained, “I’m not going to be able to upload my BrainPop movie without the Internet!”
Piano Complete
This is the most expensive app in this list, but it’s also downright amazing. Better Day Wireless Piano Complete with 500+ Songs offers over 1000 piano lessons! It doesn’t matter if you’re a complete beginner either. You can learn with just one hand or both on either sheet music or by following falling notes. There are over 500 songs in many categories, including classical music and children’s songs. Alex has taken piano lessons for a year now and this is an excellent supplement. She enjoys practicing now more than ever and learning new songs on the iPad, then performing them on the full-size piano. It makes practicing away from home much easier and keeps her occupied too.
Rocket Math (Free)
If you’re looking for an easy way to get your child to practice their math skills, this just may be it. Build your own rocket, blast off into outer space, and play a math mission. It’s fun and challenging to build a rocket that will actually stay in orbit without crashing back to earth and steering while answering math questions makes it a challenging video game. There are many math missions with several difficulty levels. Topics include addition, subtraction, telling time, counting money, shapes, multiplication, division, fractions, more. We’ve been using this app for several months and it’s not only provided lots of math practice but also hours of fun.
Related articles
- Improve Your Kids’ Basic Math Skills With The Help Of MathBoard [iPad] (makeuseof.com)
- Get ready to Discover Dinosaurs on your iPad (themactrack.com)
- Apps I’m Lovin’ (angelamaiers.com)
- Math on the iPad: Just Skill and Drill? (integratetech.wordpress.com)
- Educational Apps (tadtown.wordpress.com)
