Old Spanish Chimney

Old Spanish Chimney

The ruins of an old Spanish chimney and well are the remains of what was probably a Spanish barracks that housed the quarry overseer, master masons and stone cutters who were involved in the construction of the Castillo de San Marcos.  The quarry, located directly across from the site of the chimney and well contained rich veins of coquina.   Coquina, a sedimentary rock composed of small pieces of shells and coral found in the coastal regions of Florida, was used for construction during the Spanish colonization period. The old Spanish chimney and well are located at the intersection of Riviera and Old Beach Road in St Augustine.

Indian workers shaped the mined coquina into rough blocks.  Under the supervision of the quarry overseer, Alonso Diaz Mejia, the blocks were transported by wagon and then by raft to the site of the Castillo.  Completed in 1695, the fortress was the keystone of the Spanish system of defense in Florida