Within Anastasia State Park lies the Spanish Coquina Quarries, the primary source of coquina, a variation of limestone consisting of sand and mollusk shells. This material was used to build the famous Castillo de San Marcos and other buildings in the Spanish colonial town of St. Augustine.
The fort, with its durable construction, protected the seat of Spanish colonial power in La Florida in the 17th century. The quarries were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 23, 1972. The quarries provided the building blocks for this ancient city and still serve at the building blocks for education and park interpretation.
The coquina from this site was the foundation of the history of St. Augustine and of Florida. Without its discovery, there are many “what ifs” that come into play.
Sixteen Coquina Quarries and most of the 36 surviving colonial residences in St. Augustine contain walls built with the stones dug from these quarries. The Castillo De San Marcos was quarried from the area within Anastasia State Park and shows the ingenuity of man and the majesty of nature while providing us with a look into the history of this great city and state.
