Battle of Marianna Anniversary is This Weekend

Reenactments, a parade, special observances and even a bluegrass festival are being staged in Marianna this weekend to commemorate the 145th Anniversary of the Battle of Marianna.

The little known but bloody Civil War encounter took place on September 27, 1864, when Union troops attacked the Northwest Florida city at the culmination of the deepest Federal penetration of Confederate Florida during the entire war. When the attack on the city took place, it was resisted by a force of several hundred Southern regulars, militia, volunteers, home guards and walking wounded. A severe fight followed that was called by some participants the most violent they saw during the war in any battle, regardless of size. By the time it was over, 25% of Marianna's male population had been either killed, wounded or captured. On the Union side, the 2nd Maine Cavalry had suffered its bloodiest day of the Civil War.

The battlefield is marked today by interpretive signs, monuments and tombstones. If you are interested in learning more, please consider the book: The Battle of Marianna, Florida. It is available through www.amazon.com. You can also learn more by visiting www.battleofmarianna.com. If you are interested in a schedule for this weekend's events, please click here.

The Fountain of Youth - St. Augustine, Florida

Ok, admittedly its a bit of a stretch, but a popular tourist attraction in St. Augustine has billed itself as Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth for more than 100 years. Millions of tourists have visited the grounds through the years.

What is not a stretch, however, is that this 15 acre park contains some of the most significant historic sites in the United States. While no one knows for sure the precise site of Juan Ponce de Leon's landing in 1539, an old tradition holds that it took place at the Fountain of Youth Park and that he sampled the water from a small spring there. The spring is now enclosed in a picturesque stone building that also features a life-size recreation of Ponce de Leon coming ashore in Florida.

While the legend may or may not be true, archaeologists have uncovered another fact that makes the park one of the most unique in America. Excavations near the waterfront have revealed the remains of the original fort and village built by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565 when he arrived and founded St. Augustine. These archaeological remains represent the founding moments of the oldest city in the United States.

Archaeologists have also discovered the site of the original Mission Nombre de Dios on the grounds. It was the oldest permanent Christian site in the continental United States.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fountainofyouth.

Fort Caroline National Memorial - Jacksonville, Florida

Jean Ribault's 1562 exploration of the area around the mouth of the St. Johns River convinced Huguenot (Protestant) leaders in France that it was the ideal setting for their planned colony in the New World.

With approval from the King, 200 soldiers and colonists arrived in Florida in 1565 and built a triangular fort of earth and wood on St. Johns Bluff, within the limits of the modern city of Jacksonville. A village grew beside the fort, the first attempt to establish a settlement devoted to religious freedom in what is now the United States. The Hugenot settlers were fleeing persecution from followers of the Catholic Church in France, and hoped to open the way for more Protestants to follow.

The settlement was named Fort Caroline and the French referred to the surrounding area as La Caroline. Despite the initial promise of the settlement, life there quickly became difficult. Relations with the local Timucua Indians soured, provisions ran short and sickness and disease were rampant. Some of the settlers gave up and left, but others held on until Jean Ribault arrived with supplies and 600 more soldiers and settlers in 1565.

Despite the arrival of Ribault's massive relief expedition, the days of Fort Caroline were numbered. The French settlement on the St. Johns would soon come to a bloody end at the hands of Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who was sent by King Phillip II to expel the French.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortcaroline.

Ribault Monument - Jacksonville, Florida

Located at St. Johns Bluff in the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, the Ribault Monument has been a Jacksonville landmark for many years.

A replica of the original column erected at the mouth of the St. Johns River by French explorer Jean Ribault in 1562, the monument stands on one of the highest points in the Jacksonville area.

Ribault was sent to America in February of 1562 with the approval of the King of France to locate a site for a colony where the country's Huguenot (Protestant) population could find refuge. The Huguenots then faced severe persecution from France's Catholic majority, which considered them heretics.

Sailing west, Ribault arrived at the mouth of the St. Johns in May of 1562 and erected the monument to mark France's claim to the North American coastline north of that point. He also made contact with the local Timucua Indians before sailing north and establishing a small and short-lived fort in South Carolina.

The French returned to the Florida coast in 1564 to establish a Huguenot colony on the St. Johns River. Despite starvation, disease and enormous difficulty, Fort Caroline survived its first year and might well have become a permanent French settlement had not the Spanish destroyed it in a brutal attack in 1565.

To learn more about the Ribault Monument and see a 16th century sketch of the original, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ribaultmonument.