St. Marks is a small town with a big history
By Dr. Judy Bense
September 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM CDT
Tucked away on Florida’s “Forgotten Coast” just south of Tallahassee, lies the small town of St. Marks with a big history.
St. Marks lies at the confluence of two rivers that flow into the Gulf, making it the only port on the northern Gulf coast. Starting in 1679, it was a port for shipping goods from the nearby Spanish Apalachee agricultural missions and private ranches to St. Augustine via the Suwannee River, cutting weeks off the traditional travel time by land.
READ MORE: Check out more Unearthing Florida segments
The first Spanish fort there, San Marcos de Apalachee, is the second-oldest surviving Spanish fort in Florida. You can see parts of the limestone walls of the fort discovered by archaeologists. There is also a cemetery from an early American hospital there with the remains of Andrew Jackson’s army, who died from yellow fever in the early 1800s. I happened to be a young student on the crew that discovered that the marsh had preserved their wooden coffins.
Take the time to visit St. Marks State Park. The museum and fort are interesting, and the seafood there is remarkable.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
St. Marks lies at the confluence of two rivers that flow into the Gulf, making it the only port on the northern Gulf coast. Starting in 1679, it was a port for shipping goods from the nearby Spanish Apalachee agricultural missions and private ranches to St. Augustine via the Suwannee River, cutting weeks off the traditional travel time by land.
READ MORE: Check out more Unearthing Florida segments
The first Spanish fort there, San Marcos de Apalachee, is the second-oldest surviving Spanish fort in Florida. You can see parts of the limestone walls of the fort discovered by archaeologists. There is also a cemetery from an early American hospital there with the remains of Andrew Jackson’s army, who died from yellow fever in the early 1800s. I happened to be a young student on the crew that discovered that the marsh had preserved their wooden coffins.
Take the time to visit St. Marks State Park. The museum and fort are interesting, and the seafood there is remarkable.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.