Fort Mose’s New Fort Changes the Battlefield in St Augustine —Literally

For years, visitors to Fort Mose Historic State Park wandered the site asking the same question: Where’s the fort? Now, finally, there’s an answer—and it stands three stories tall.

After 30 years of planning and $3 million raised through grants, donations, and events like the Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series, the replica fort is complete. It’s a concrete structure styled to look like 18th-century wood—and it’s giving this story the stage it’s always deserved.

Why it matters

• First of its kind: Fort Mose was the first legally sanctioned free Black settlement in what would become the U.S., founded in 1738 by formerly enslaved people who escaped the British colonies.
• Defended freedom: In 1740, Fort Mose’s militia—Black soldiers alongside Spanish and Native allies—fought off a British invasion in the Battle of Bloody Mose.
• Long overdue: Until now, the original fort site had no visible fort—just interpretive signs and a lot of imagination.

What’s happening

• June 28: The annual Battle of Bloody Mose reenactment returns—now with a fort. Expect live-action history, complete with militia uniforms and musket fire.
• June 27: Evening tours and an encampment from 6–8 PM.
• Regular hours: Guided tours at 10 AM and 1 PM, Thursday–Monday. Admission is $2.

“This fort is a tribute to the people who were brave enough to act,” said Charles Ellis, president of the Fort Mose Historical Society. Now their story doesn’t just live in books—it stands tall in St. Augustine.