Often a historical settlement is well known to historians. But, to archaeologists they can be very elusive. Such is the case with the French Fort Caroline, near present day Jacksonville.

It was in 1564 that French Huguenots, seeking to escape religious persecution, built Fort Caroline on the banks of the St. Johns River.

Only a year after it was constructed, the starving Huguenots who lived there were attacked by the Spanish who considered their presence a threat.

Admiral Pedro Menendez and his men massacred most of the settlers, considered by the Spanish Catholic king to be “heretics.” And, Fort Caroline was destroyed. Within a few months, the Spanish established St. Augustine.

A replica of the fort stands today at the Fort Caroline National Memorial, but this is not the original location of the site. In fact, the original remains have never been found.

However, over the last decade archaeologists from the University of North Florida have searched in vain for any clue of the fort. Starting this summer, they will lead the first concerted search for Fort Caroline, as its 450th anniversary approaches.