The Fort at San Luis
San Luis de Talimali was established in 1656 in its present location, in what is now Tallahassee. A wooden blockhouse, built in 1697, was fortified further in 1702 with a palisade of heavy poles and a moat. In 1704, the English and their Creek Indian allies swept through the region. As their enemies approached, the residents of San Luis burned the mission and fort and fled.
In 1679, Spaniards built a fort approximately twenty miles south of San Luis, at the confluence of the Wakulla and St. Marks rivers. Constructed of wood in 1679, this fort was given a lime covering to create the appearance of stone. The ruse was unsuccessful in deterring pirates, who attacked and destroyed it. A later wooden fort also proved to be inadequate. In 1739, work began on a new fort made of limestone blocks. It was less than half completed when Spain ceded Florida to England in 1763.
Map of the Fort at San Luis
The enlarged drawing of the fort is part of a map of the Apalachee region, drawn in 1705 during a Spanish reconnaissance, the year after the site was abandoned.
Courtesy of Mission San Luis, Florida Division of Historical Resources
