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The establishment of Charleston by the English in 1670, and the
threat of occupation by the pirate Robert Searles finally made the
Spanish Crown willing to invest seriously in St. Augustine as a
strategic military point in the Spain's protection of her Caribbean
possessions. The construction of a stone fort was begun in 1672
and completed in 1695. During that time the garrison was enlarged
and strengthened, as English designs on Spanish Florida became ever
more aggressive.
The strengthening of the garrison and an influx of immigrants and
refugees to St. Augustine caused the town to grow dramatically after
1700 both in size and population. It became in many ways more diverse
and more connected to the larger world. Trade opportunities increased
through both legal and illegal means, and attempts of develop local
agricultural industries began. This growth ended abruptly in 1763,
however, when Florida was traded to England in exchange for Cuba
at the end of the Seven Years' War. Nearly the entire population
- Spaniards, Christian Indians and Africans - left St. Augustine
and went to Cuba.
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