THE COVER Fort Matanzas, like its elder companion Fort Marion, 16 miles away at St. Augustine, is a venerable coquina stronghold built on the Matanzas River to protect the interests of Spain during the dramatic period of international rivalry for possession of sunny Florida. Matanzas means bloody and the fearsome name was derived from the slaughter of some 300 French Huguenots in the vicinity in 1565. The 40-foot-square fortress, situated on Rattlesnake Island to guard the south inlet of the river, became a national monument by presidential proclamation of October 15, 1924. It is pictured on the cover by Samuel 0. Smart, Assistant Landscape Architect. |