Fort Mose
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Fort Mose Historic State Park
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Site of the old fort
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| Location | St. Johns County, Florida, USA |
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| Nearest city | St. Augustine, Florida |
| Coordinates | 29°55′40″N 81°19′31″W / 29.92778°N 81.32528°WCoordinates: 29°55′40″N 81°19′31″W / 29.92778°N 81.32528°W |
| Area | 24 acres (9.7 ha) |
| NRHP reference # | 94001645 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 12, 1994 |
| Designated NHL | October 12, 1994 |
Fort Mose Historic State Park (originally known as Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mosé) is a U.S. National Historic Landmark (designated as such on October 12, 1994), located two miles north of St. Augustine, Florida, on the edge of a salt marsh on the western side of the waterway separating the mainland from the coastal barrier islands. The original site of the 18th-century fort was uncovered in a 1986 archeological dig. The 24-acre (9.7 ha) site is now protected as a Florida State Park, administered through the Anastasia State Recreation Area. Fort Mose is the "premier site on the Florida Black Heritage Trail."
In 1738, the Spanish governor of Florida, Manuel de Montiano, had Fort Mose (pronounced "Moh-say") built and established as a free black settlement, the first to be legally sanctioned in what would become the territory of the United States. The fort has also been known as Fort Moosa or Fort Mossa, variants of the Spanish pronunciation.
As early as 1687, the Spanish government had begun to offer asylum to slaves from British colonies. In 1693, the Spanish Crown officially proclaimed that runaways would find freedom in Florida, in return for converting to Catholicism and a term for men of four years' military service to the Crown. In effect, Spain created a maroon settlement in Florida as a front-line defense against English attacks from the north. Spain also intended to destabilize the plantation economy of the British colonies by creating a free black community to attract slaves seeking escape and refuge from British slavery.
In 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano ordered construction of the Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mosé military fort about 2 miles north of St. Augustine. Slaves escaped from the British colonies were directed there. They were recognized as free, and men who passed inspection were taken into the Spanish militia and placed into service. The military leader at the fort, who also served as mayor of the community, was an African-European Creole, baptized as Francisco Menendez. He became established as a leader when helping the defense of St. Augustine in 1727. Fort Mose was the first free African settlement legally sanctioned in what would become the United States and had a total population of about 100. The village had a wall around it, with dwellings inside, plus a church and an earthen fort.
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