Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the mysterious “Turnbull Ruins” are located within Old Fort Park off Riverside Drive in New Smyrna Beach. Constructed of coquina, the foundation features walls five-and-a-half feet thick. Some historians believe that the ruins may have once served as the foundation a Spanish fort that predates the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, while others claim they are simply the ruins of a mansion belonging to Scottish physician Andrew Turnbull (1718-92), who established the colony of New Smyrna in 1768.

A historical marker at the site reads: “This coquina foundation rests within a shell midden from the Timucuan Indian era. Mystery still surrounds the origin of this foundation. Jane and John Sheldon built a large hotel on this mound circa 1859. During the Civil War, the structure was destroyed by cannon fire from Union ships. After the Civil War, Jane Sheldon built a smaller structure that served as a pioneer general store, port collector’s office, boarding house and print shop, which published The Florida Star, one of the region’s early newspapers. Structural problems forced the building’s removal circa 1900.”

Old Fort Park also serves as the home of the historic New Smyrna Beach Free Library, which today houses the New Smyrna Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. In addition, the New Smyrna Museum of History can be found at 120 Sams Avenue, just one block from Old Fort Park (115 Julia Street).