FORT MOSE: THE STORY OF AMERICA’S FIRST FREE BLACK SETTLEMENT | ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA
Before the United States existed, a remarkable community of formerly enslaved Africans established a new life of freedom just north of St. Augustine, Florida.
In 1738, under Spanish rule, Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose—known today as Fort Mose—became the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what would become the United States.
Led by Captain Francisco Menéndez, the residents built homes, established a church, raised families, cultivated the land, and defended their freedom.
Their extraordinary story includes the Battle of Bloody Mose in 1740, the rebuilding of their community, and their eventual departure for Cuba when Britain gained control of Florida in 1763.
Address:
15 Fort Mose Trail
St. Augustine, Florida 32084
History isn’t just something we read about. Sometimes, it’s a place we can walk through.
