Experience Fort Mose

Experience Fort Mose events will include living history demonstrations, informative and interesting lectures, and more all centering on the foundations of the Fort Mose settlement and St. Augustine's history.

This event is part of the monthly Experience Fort Mose program. This month's program will be titled, "In the Name of Freedom - The Waning Days of the First Mose" and will act as a prelude to the Battle of Bloody Mose on June 21-22. This event will feature re-enactors as they portray life at the fort in the tense days leading up to the battle between the Fort Mose militia and the British forces from the Carolinas.

Visitors can experience the fear and anxiety Fort Mose residents felt before the horrendous battle. There will be living history demonstrations throughout the day depicting the original Fort Mose residents back in the colonial days. At 2 p.m. Dr. Jane Landers, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History, will present the educational lecture titled "Atlantic Transformations: the Many Lives of Francisco Menendez and his Free Black 'Subjects.'"

History of the Founding of Fort Mose: In 1738, Spanish Governor Manuel de Montiano officially proclaimed the establishment of the first free African community in what is today continental US. He named this settlement El Pueblo de Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose in honor of the Spanish king, Santa Teresa de Aviles and the Native American refugees from the British invasion of 1702 who called the site Mose. He also named Captain Francisco Menendez, head of the African militia since 1726, as the community's leader or "Chief" as he was called. Mose was primarily a farming community but it also served the very important role of helping to guard against a British invasion from the north.

Admission: Regular park fees are required - $2 per person museum fee.

Where? Fort Mose State Park located at 15 Fort Mose Trail St. Augustine, FL 32084.

When? 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, 2014.

For more information on this event or on the park please call (904) 823-2232 or Visit Here.

Fort Mose is the site of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States. The settlement was chartered by the Spanish governor of Florida in 1738, and was called Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose. It served as a haven for those fleeing slavery from the English colonies in the Carolinas. Fort Mose has been recognized for its national significance and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.