The Spanish first constructed this building along the edge of the walled city for use as Franciscan monastery during 1577. Following the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, the British occupied St. Augustine converting the building for use as a military barracks. The building has since served as a military structure and is now the Florida State Arsenal and headquarters of the Florida National Guard.

The land now occupied by the National Cemetery originally housed additional colonial era wooden barracks. In 1792, the Spanish demolished the temporary structures and converted the foundation into a jail. Archaeological investigations uncovered evidence establishing the years of military presence on the site, including, rifle flints, pipe stems, metal shoe buckles, lead bullets, and buttons from numerous military regiments.

In 1821, the US army took control of the barracks and set aside land for use as a military cemetery. The earliest graves in the cemetery belong to soldiers stationed at the St. Francis Barracks and casualties of Seminole Wars of the mid-19th century.

In 1881, the United States designated the land a National cemetery. The cemetery contains two notable monuments, both dedicated to the Dade Massacre, the engagement that ignited the 2nd Seminole War.

Researched, written, and narrated by University of West Florida Public History Student Kelcie Lloyd