A piece of Black history to be reconstructed in Florida

By Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer

On January 30, 2024

St. Augustine group approaches the realization of a dream

Members of the Fort Mose Historical Society celebrate breaking ground on a replica of Fort Mose at Fort Mose Historic State Park in January 2024.(Courtesy of Fort Mose Historical Society)

A 12-year project to rebuild Fort Mose, a sanctuary where Blacks fled to freedom in the 17th and 18th centuries, will be completed later this year in Florida. 

The Fort Mose Historical Society (FMHS) first launched the 1738 Fort Reconstruction Project in 2012. 

“It will amplify the ability to tell the story,” said Charles Ellis, president of FMHS. “Quite a few tourist groups as well as visitors have come out to visit Fort Mose, but when they get there, they don’t see the fort. I think this fort will be a very symbolic piece that will add to the story and help (people) understand the plight of the enslaved persons who made that perilous journey from the Carolinas down to Fort Mose.”

A rendering of Fort Mose Historical Society’s replica of the 1738 Fort Mose./(Courtesy of Fort Mose Historical Society)

Though the settlement was founded in 1738, it was destroyed just two years later in the Battle of Bloody Mose. A second fort was built in 1752 but abandoned in 1763, according to FMHS. That same site was refurbished by the British 21 years later but abandoned once more, eventually resulting in the fort being swallowed up by marshland. 

The new fort building, which will be located at the Fort Mose Historic State Park in St. Augustine, will resemble the original design of the 1738 fort. The 40-acre park features a museum, visitor center and monthly historical reenactment of the Fort Mose Black militia battle trainings. 

“I can’t express in words just how impactful this will be to the Fort Mose Historic State Park and what it’s going to mean for the many, many visitors that will visit,” said Ellis. “By having this reconstruction project going on right now, it sort of amplifies how important Black history is to American history.”

Actors dressed in period costumes demonstrate weapons firing at a monthly Fort Mose Black militia reenactment event at Front Mose Historic State Park.(Courtesy of Fort Mose Historical Society)

The fort’s groundbreaking ceremony was held this month. A ribbon-cutting is slated for late fall. 

“Between 2012 and now, we had a lot of work that was being done by the society in terms of fundraising and putting together the information that was necessary to get the approval from the parks service and fundraising up until 2021,” Ellis said. 

Through fundraising, grants and donors, FMHS and the Florida State Parks Foundation had raised $3 million by November 2023 to support the reconstruction project. 

A walkway at Fort Mose Historic State Park symbolizes the journey of Black people who fled to Fort Mose for freedom.(Courtesy of Fort Mose Historical Society)

According to Ellis, historians Jane Landers and Kathleen Deagan have been actively in search of Fort Mose descendants, to contribute to retelling the history of the community. 

“Hopefully having the reconstructed fort there will give us an opportunity to put in the interpretive panels and (showcase) some of the garments that were used during that time to give visitors a chance to see what life was like during that period,” he said. 

This piece was republished from the Miami Times Online.

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