Only a couple miles north of St. Augustine is Fort Mose, the first legally sanctioned free African American settlement in the United States.
In the early 18th century, runaway slaves from British Carolina plantations were given their freedom if they could make it to Spanish St. Augustine on the “southern underground railroad.” Soon, St. Augustine became a refuge for runaway slaves, who could stay if they converted to Catholicism and declared allegiance to Spain. In 1738, an official military community for the fugitive slaves, named Fort Mose, was established to protect St. Augustine.
Archaeologists have found and excavated Fort Mose, uncovering the fort’s moat, clay-covered earth walls, and internal wooden buildings. They also found gunflints, flattened bullets, metal buckles, household items such as thimbles, nails, ceramics, and food remains, and even a hand-made St. Christopher’s medal.
Archaeology has helped to document the critical and previously unrecognized role of African Americans on the colonial frontier. To learn more, visit Fort Mose State Park Museum and see the reconstructed fort, which are free and open to the public.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
