America's First Site of Freedom ready to welcome visitors to St. Augustine's newest historic fort
A dream more than 30 years in the making, and carrying nearly three centuries of Floridian, American and African American history, is now a reality.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning at America's 'First Site of Freedom' — Fort Mose Historic State Park in St. Augustine — officially completed the park's 1738 Fort Mose reconstruction project.
The full-scale, life-sized fort structure welcomed its first visitors Friday afternoon as part of the annual St. Augustine History Festival.
Fort Mose, on the northern end of St. Augustine, was originally established by the Spanish as the first legally sanctioned free Black community in what would become the United States. Historians estimate that approximately 100 formerly enslaved men, women, and children made their homes there after fleeing the British Carolinas.
Fort Mose was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
'Fort Mose is so much more than the walls, the roo,f and the landscaping we see here today,' said Fort Mose Historical Society President Charles Ellis, who performed the ceremonial ribbon cutting. 'These things are all wonderful, and the finished fort has surpassed everything we dreamed it could be when we embarked on this project 30 years ago. But what matters today is the tribute and testament to the people who risked their lives to come here in the 1700s. Having this new fort in place means their stories will be told forever.
The reconstructed fort stands more than 39 feet tall and is surrounded by a historically accurate moat and landscaping. The final cost for the project was $3.2 million and was funded from public and private sources.
During Friday morning's ceremony, visitors were greeted by an array of 1700s-era Spanish flags lining new walkways that led to the fort structure. Banners and signage reading 'Viva Mose,' a common refrain among Fort Mose's inhabitants, surrounded the park grounds.
After the program, several members of the Fort Mose Historical Society, in full militia attire, performed a ceremonial muster and cannon firing.
Guests then participated in a ribbon-cutting photo opportunity and enjoyed a ranger-led tour of the new fort.
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