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Fort Mose Historic State Park, St. Augustine, FL

Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffLocal Gem

Fort Mose Historic State Park

Visit the site of the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in North America, with a rebuilt 1738 fort and a small museum.

15 Fort Mose Trail, St. Augustine, FL 32084 · St. Augustine, FL

About Fort Mose Historic State Park

In 1738 the Spanish governor of Florida ordered Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose built here as a settlement for Africans who had escaped slavery, and it was the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in North America. The 24-acre park, about two miles north of St. Augustine, has a visitor center with a small museum and a replica of the 1738 fort that opened in 2025. Guided fort tours run at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Admission is $2 per person.

  • #african american history
  • #historic site
  • #state park
  • #colonial florida
  • #museum

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