Munitions and Black Powder Storage Rooms

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Casement Rooms 10 and 11 sit strategically within the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a prominent landmark in St. Augustine, Florida. Access to Casement 10 is gained from the courtyard, where it's believed to have served as a storage facility for munitions used by the Castillo's defenders. The types of ammunition stored here included solid ball shot, grape shot, and cannister shot designed specifically for cannon use. Additionally, grenades and musket shot would also have been kept in this room for easy access during battles. Unfortunately, visitors to the monument cannot enter Casement 10 due to ongoing reenactment firing practices that utilize ammunition from this area. In contrast, the adjacent Casement 11 stored black powder, a crucial component used with weapons deployed at the fort and along St. Augustine's walls. Historical records show an impressive 32,000 lbs. of black powder were once stored in Casement 11, as documented in a manifest dated 1745 within NPS archives.