St. Joseph Peninsula

It is a 15-mile long spit, extending northward from Cape San Blas between the Gulf of Mexico to the west and St. Joseph Bay to the east.

In 1701 they built a fortification, the Presidio Bahía de San José de Valladeres, on the mainland opposite St. Joseph Point, with a lookout post on the point, but left two years later.

With the loss of Pensacola to France that year, the new presidio was designated the capital of the newly created Province of the Principality of Nueva Asturias.

The light was discontinued in 1847, after the town had been abandoned, and the unused tower was destroyed in a storm in 1851.

As of 2020[update], the state plans to rebuild the access road to the northern part of the park.