“Fort Mose is more than the building. Fort Mose represents the people…a diverse group of men, women and children who came to this place to carve a life for themselves out of this wilderness.” -Alma Melvin, Fort Mose Historical Society Re-enactor Jan. 19, 2024, will go down in St. Augustine’s modern history as a […]Read More
From the first note of the Fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series to the final bow, artists and attendees know they aren’t at just a concert; they’re at a profound moment in time. A shared experience where history, music and community align on sacred ground. The Fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series materialized through collaboration […]Read More
Fort Mose May Be St. Augustine’s Best-Kept Historic Secret While the area may be best known as America’s oldest city, just as fascinating are some of the lesser-known historic sites — like Fort Mose. The site — just two miles north of St. Augustine — is where the first legally sanctioned free African settlement was established by […]Read More
The reconstruction of Fort Mose will add another layer to the rich history in St. Augustine and St. Johns County. Another potential project on the horizon could be the icing on the cake. Preliminary work is underway on a project creating the Florida Museum of Black History and St. Augustine is one of the communities […]Read More
Locals and travelers alike praise the hidden gem that is Fort Mose Most would agree that if there’s one Florida historic area that best showcases our nation’s progress and rich history, it’s St. Augustine. But for an even deeper look at narratives of freedom and bravery, there’s nothing more intriguing to explore than the often-overlooked […]Read More
In 1687, a group of eight men, two women and a child traveled by dugout seeking freedom from enslavement in a Carolina colony. They found it in St. Augustine. Four years later, the Spanish King Carlos II issued the first official crown position on runaway enslaved people that made their way to Spanish Florida. In […]Read More
How do you build a replica of an 18th-century fort with no historical plans or detailed descriptions? With a lot of research and a sense of history. According to a Florida Park Service report on the Fort Mose reconstruction project, “Since no exact description of the original fort survives, this structure is not an exact […]Read More
The dream to reconstruct the original structure at Fort Mose requires a little blood, sweat, toil and tears – and a lot of money. Leading the way in the fundraising effort for the project is the Florida State Parks Foundation. The Fort Mose Historical Society set a goal to reconstruct the fort in the mid-1990s, […]Read More
The project to reconstruct Fort Mose will stand out as a milestone for the Fort Mose Historical Society, but it will be one in a long line of achievements for the volunteer organization. The citizen support organization was formed in 1996 after archaeological work on the site of the present-day park uncovered evidence of the […]Read More
St. Augustine and St. Johns County are already known for their historical sites and attract millions of visitors annually. And while Fort Mose has been an important element in the mix, the reconstruction project is expected to become even more pronounced as a destination, according to tourism officials. “It does have a significant impact,” said […]Read More
