Fort San Carlos de Austria

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San Carlos de Austria
The barrancas
Builder Jaime Franck
Construction materials pine stakes & logs; sand
Size quadrilateral, about 100 yards square
In use 1698-1719
Demolished 1719
Controlled by Spain
Armament Twelve 8- and 10-pound guns (1698)
28 guns (1718)
Garrison between 100-400

Fort San Carlos de Austria was the first European fortification established in the Pensacola area, a Spanish redoubt built on the barrancas by the 1698 Arriola expedition. It was designed by Austrian engineer Jaime Franck and named for Charles VI, 13-year-old Habsburg cousin to King Carlos II and claimant to the Spanish throne.

References

  • James C. and Irene S. Coleman. Guardians on the Gulf: Pensacola Fortifications, 1698-1980. Pensacola Historical Society, 1982.