Sunday, August 27, 2017

Mission San Luis

Ahoy Mates, and welcome once again to Shipwreck's Hideaway. Today's tale is one of adventure and exploration. Although not about piracy, it may perhaps tie into it towards the end. Yours truly had the opportunity to visit the Mission San Luis in Tallahassee Florida. Its a great historical site and the people are courteous and willing to answer any questions you may have.
But before the tour is talked about, it is best for the reader to know a little more of the pre-European aspect and the events leading up to it, The peoples of the region, were Native American, and their tribe were the Apalachee. The area in which their lively hood was an area called the red hill region, and from the info I have been able to gather, stretched from the Aucilla on the east to the Ochlocknee on the west and as far North as what is known as the Georgia state line. That is where the know information ends and the speculation part begins. It seems that, at least by an information board at the Lake Jackson Indian Mound Site, that there were trade routes with other tribes, such as the Etowah in Northern Georgia and even as far as Tennessee. The Apalachee were part of the Missippian culture of mound builders, according to references.
Getting back on track, the Chief 's of the Apalachee sent for a Friar from St Augustine, according to the tour guides, and the first ones came in 1608. The Chiefs formally requested a mission to be built in 1612, but the first mission effort didn't start till 1633.
In 1656, the site was moved to the present day area due to military strategy reasons, and the community was established. It was there until the English raids in 1704 when it was destroyed by residents before the English could take it over.
     As you walk into the settlement of you find the Mission, the living quarters of the Friar and the Priest, a Spanish settler house, a Blacksmith Shop, and the Council House of the Apalachee Chiefs.
There is a Museum, just before you enter the settlement which explains a lot of the diet and culture of the settlement. On the far end of the settlement, is the fort. Which is more of a blockhouse with cannons. The Fort itself is not very large but would probably be enough to fend off attacks. It looks like it had 4 cannons, one on each side. It looks like the corners are cut to fit a canon on the corner. There is a palisade around the fort and a dry moat, and according to one of the information boards, was filled cactus. This would make anyone think twice about trying to cross over it. The fort was going through repairs so there wasn't any chance of going inside on this visit.
The Spanish Mission is some 40 ft high at it's peak, 30 ft wide and I believe the Guide said 60 ft long, and capable of holding upwards of 1000 people. Standing room only. Literally! No furniture. You either kneel or stand. The pulpit is on a center post above the audience. It would most likely give him a larger than life appearance, being above everyone like that. The confession and the baptistry are in the back of the mission and so is the choir loft. It has lots of very beautiful paintings. As with all of the Spanish type buildings it has a clay type wall with a whitewash.. a limestone type mix to keep the inside cool. The roof is thatch.
The Friar quarters has a study for the friar, a choir loft, much like that of the mission, only this one is more for teaching the songs to children, who will eventually be in the choir. It has a small chapel on the inside as well as prayer area. In the middle part is a storage room foe medical supplies. In the back of that is a sleeping area and dining area, in the back part, away from the main house, there is a separate room for cooking. To the side of the house is a garden for growing medical herbs.
The settler's house is not very big. Can't recall the exact dimensions, but it's something like 20 feet wide and 30 ft long. This according to the guide, it was elaborate for the time. A place to eat, an a place to sleep was about all the room you had. Outside was a little garden with beans, squash and corn, the main staples of the settlement. Meat was usually brought in by the hunters, if you were lucky that day.
The Blacksmith's shop was close to fort, for obvious reasons. If he had to make some sort of weapon, he could get it to them without much effort. Also for repair items such as nails could be passed off rather quickly.
The Council house was some 120 in diameter and could hold upwards of 1000 people. It is very tall, much like the Mission, so in estimation it could possibly 40-50 foot high in the center. This where the chiefs would hold their important meetings, and celebrations would go on throughout the night.
There is your basic layout of the Mission. The Garrison according to sources were only about 25 strong. The natives would make up the rest of the defenses. Trading was important to the colony, but getting supplies would come from traders in the Caribbean. From the Saint Marks area, or San Marcos, as the Spanish called it, would be brought to the Fort by an ox team, and trade goods going to Havana would be taken back. The typical trade route could last as little as four days to 15 depending on weather. Now that is the one stop back and forth trade route. A trader would usually make many stops and be gone months at time. And once back would spend many days and nights trading goods with the locals until he had enough goods to trade with other ports to start again. This would then bring us to the pirates. The traders bringing goods to the mission would be an easy target for pirates during this time period. The mission built in 1656 and lasting till 1704 and the golden age of piracy running from 1650 to 1730, the traders would be targeted for the goods coming from the Caribbean to Florida. There was one story told to me about the St Marks fortification being raided during the time of the Mission's existence, but the only documentation was I could find was after the Mission was burnt down.
So if your looking for something to do, go check out Mission San Luis. Native American history, Florida history, wars, and a hint of piracy all wrapped in one place. A great place to go and spend a little time!




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