Discovered in 1986, this remarkable landmark is now a museum and state park featuring a reconstructed fort that offers visitors insight into an important chapter of St. Augustine’s history.
By Amy Wimmer Schwarb
St. Augustine, founded 42 years before Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims arrived on American soil, can boast of the only 17th century fort still standing in North America, the site of the continent's first Catholic congregation and the nation's narrowest street, designed just seven feet wide to impede easy getaway for robbers raiding the nearby treasury.
Yet even among those superlatives, one of the city’s most important contributions to American history remained shrouded in myth and mystery until the late 20th century, when archaeologists uncovered the site of Fort Mose (Mo-ZAY), the first legally sanctioned community of free Black people in what would become the United States.
Fort Mose was considered the city's northern defense against invading British. It was established in 1738 – more than 120 years before the Emancipation Proclamation and 80 years before Florida became a U.S. territory.
The Fort Mose Historic State Park is on the National Register of Historic Places and named as a precursor site on the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Fort Mose is located just two miles north of the center of St. Augustine, making it an easy side trip from the shops and restaurants of the historic downtown.
The fort's existence was a testament to the power of a promise from the king of Spain – a pledge that captured the attention of African-born slaves in bondage in the Carolinas. Reach St. Augustine and convert to Catholicism, the king decreed in 1693, and you will be free.
Today, Fort Mose’s St. Augustine location features trails, boardwalk observation areas, a visitor center and museum, and a recreation of the original fort built to defend the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what would become the United States. A replica fort, completed in 2025, is now open to the public.
Although St. Augustine has a population of just 14,000 residents, it is home to three historically significant forts that reflect early American history: Fort Mose Historic State Park; the 23-acre Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States; and Fort Matanzas, which was built in 1738 to protect the city from the south
The city's popular tourist trolleys will deliver group tours to Fort Mose, but only by request; it isn't on the regular route.
The park, located on 41 acres purchased by the State of Florida in 1989, with additional acquisitions in 1998 and 2004, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994. Today, Fort Mose offers tours of the newly reconstructed fort and hosts educational programs and events throughout the year that help share this important chapter of American history.
The nation's first community of free blacks grew up around it. Called Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, it included soldiers and their families, plus artisans and craftsmen. In June 1740, Fort Mose was evacuated as British troops advanced toward St. Augustine, and the British took over the fort. The militia reclaimed it, and the British suffered high numbers of casualties, leading them to call this "The Battle of Bloody Mose."
The fort was largely destroyed, but the community was rebuilt 12 years later. In 1763, when Spain ceded Florida to Britain, the residents of Fort Mose migrated to Cuba, fearing what British rule would mean for former slaves.
The museum also houses many of the artifacts uncovered by University of Florida archaeological researchers in the 1980s, including a brass thimble, some glass beads and fragments of clay pipes. One telling discovery is the remnant of some rosary beads: The former slaves who made their homes in Fort Mose had to adopt the Catholic religion to win their freedom.
The park also hosts special events a few times each year, such as a reenactment of the Battle of Bloody Mose and the "Flight to Freedom," which brings to life the African slaves who escaped the southern British colonies, as well as the Native Americans who helped them along the way and the slave hunters who pursued them.
Thomas Jackson, a member of the Fort Mose Historical Society who has been involved with protecting the land since its history was first traced, now participates as a re-enactor. "We were close to losing this property to developers," Jackson says. "It kind of gives me a sense of enthusiasm to see things that we've done come to fruition."
When You Go...
Take Interstate 95 to State Road 16 East to U.S. Highway 1. Turn north on U.S. 1. Turn right onto Fort Mose Trail, just past the city gates. Go straight to enter Fort Mose Historic State Park, which charges no admission fee. There is a $2 fee to enter the museum at the visitor center, which includes a video that adds context to the Fort Mose story. The visitor center and museum are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays. The park grounds are open daily, 8 a.m. to sundown, 365 days a year. For information, visit the Fort Mose Historic State Park at www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/fort-mose-historic-state-park or the Fort Mose Historical Society at fortmose.org.
