Old Fort Park Archeological Site
- 115 Julia St, New Smyrna Beach, FL
The Old Fort Park Archeological Site is a nice little stop when visiting New Smyrna Beach’s downtown area. It is easy to drive by without stopping, but is definitely worth taking a moment to check out!
The Canal Street district is a common destination for tourists. It is chock full of art galleries, shopping, restaurants and historical sites. The Old Fort Park Archeological Site is close by, just not always at the top of people’s lists of things to see. It is located at 115 Julia Street which is just over from Canal Street and near the River Deck restaurant and Indian River/Intracoastal.
At the same site is the old public library and the New Smyrna Museum of History is located just across the street. The park hosts special events and summer concerts outdoors, a Farmer’s Market on Saturdays until 12:00 PM, and is the site of the New Smyrna’s annual “Art Fiesta” held each February.
As far as the ruins themselves, there is a bit of mystery surrounding their origins. New Smyrna Beach was originally colonized by Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician, in 1768 on behalf of the country of England. He was hoping to establish infrastructure to grow indigo, sugar cane, hemp and other crops. He and his nearly 1500 settlers abandoned the area less than 10 years later due to food shortages, Indian attacks, heat, mosquitoes, inadequate housing and intense labor that resulted in massive sickness and death. The ruins are generally believed to be the remains of a partially built mansion that Dr. Turnbull was building for himself.
In recent years, however, the coquina foundation, location of the ruins, and thick exterior walls (thought to be for defense) have made the case for the ruins actually being the original “Castillo de San Marcos” a fort built by the Spanish well before the arrival of Dr. Turnbull.
Regardless of who built them, today the ruins are a great reminder of the long history of the New Smyrna Beach area. It is well worth your time if you are in the area to wander among them and take a break on one of the park benches beneath the canopy of oak trees and enjoy the space.
