St Augustine Florida Fort Mose - Saint Augustine Attractions

Fort Mose Historic State Park

If you visit the Old City at the height of the beach season, during the warm months between April and October, you can check out some of the great Parks in St Augustine FL. Not only is Anastasia State Park St Augustine FL a great place to visit, but the Old City is home to numerous other St Augustine State Parks and St Augustine Fort areas that you can explore. Fort Matanzas Florida and the Castillo de San Marcos FL are two other great examples of such places in St Augustine that you can spend the day exploring, learning more about the history, and enjoying the trails and other park amenities. Also, Fort Mose Historic State Park in St Augustine Fla. is a great historic spot and place of interest to explore. As the nation's first free black settlement that was legally sanctioned, Fort Mose has a significant place in African American culture and is a wonderful spot to spend an afternoon. Check out all there is to see at Fort Mose St Augustine FL!

St Augustine Florida Fort Mose was established as a free black colony long before the Revolutionary War and certainly before the War Between the States. Many are surprised to learn this because we commonly hear of the horrors that were committed against slaves and the few free blacks before the Civil War and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Fort Mose, however, began well before the United States was even an established country. In 1738, the Old City was a Spanish-owned and occupied territory that was ruled by a Colonial Governor, who was appointed by the monarchy in Spain. The Colonial Governor, Manuel de Montiano, who also helped to coordinate the construction of nearby Fort Matanzas, established the fortified settlement in 1738 after numerous problems with the British, who occupied the English colonies nearby. Many of the black slaves that lived in the English colonies would escape to the South and establish themselves in Florida. The governor gave them a haven by fortifying the walls of the city and allowing them to carry on with their day to day activities as long as they declared their allegiance to the king of Spain and became members of the Catholic Church. At the time, the settlement was called Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose. Today, it is called Fort Mose National Historic Park and Landmark and it is commonly mispronounced by non-locals. the correct way to pronounce "Mose" is "Moh-say".

Fort Mose FL is located two miles north of St Augustine Fla. on the eastern edge of the marsh. Because it existed prior to the Revolution, and prior to the great internal battle that was the Civil War, Fort Mose St Augustine Florida is considered to be the precursor to the Underground Railroad and is a fascinating place for anyone who loves history to visit. During the time that it existed as a settlement for escaped slaves from the British colonies, Fort Mose was protected by a community militia whose main leader was a man of African origin named Francisco Menendez. Menendez began as a slave in South Carolina and he, like many fortunate others, was able to escape slavery by running away to the Old City, and Spanish colony of St Augustine Fla. Once he was appointed as the leader of the black militia at Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, he went back to lead several raids in the state of South Carolina. In 1763, when Britain acquired Florida from Spain, most of the inhabitants of Fort Mose migrated further south to Cuba. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, and the Fort Mose Historical Society still operates to this day to ensure that Fort Mose will remain a historic site and important stop on the Florida Black Heritage Trail. Visitors to Fort Mose St Augustine Florida can enjoy activities such as boating, canoeing, kayaking, hiking on the nature trail, picnicking under the covered pavilion, and wildlife viewing.

Learn more about other St. Augustine Things to Do by reading the information on the site on the popular Saint Augustine Attractions. The Inns of Elegance Bed and Breakfasts in St Augustine are the best places to stay in the romantic Old City. Click to read about the amenities in each Bed and Breakfast in St. Augustine or get started planning your St. Augustine Vacation. If you are looking for uncommon elegance, affordable prices, and comfortable Lodging in St. Augustine, consider the St. Augustine FL Bed and Breakfasts that are known as the Inns of Elegance. They can show you the difference between their St Augustine Bed and Breakfasts and the rest of the St Augustine FL Inns that dot the historic cobblestone streets of the Old City.

Also, on the site you can read about St. Augustine Things to Do like Deepsea Fishing Saint Augustine FL, St. Augustine Golf and the great Saint Augustine Golf Courses, and visiting the infamous St Augustine Florida Public Beaches. Also included on the site is information on almost all of the great Saint Augustine Attractions such as the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm, the Saint Augustine Lighthouse, Marineland St. Augustine, and the World Golf Village FL. Click to learn more about these great things.