Fort Mose Historical Society

Fort Mose

Established in 1738 by Colonial Spanish Florida's Governor Manuel Montiano, Fort Mose gave sanctuary to Africans challenging enslavement in the English Colony of Carolina. Forming more than 20 households, approximately 100 Africans lived at Fort Mose and together they created a frontier community, which drew on a range of African backgrounds blended with Spanish, Native American and English cultural traditions.

Fort Mose is the site of the first legally sanctioned free African American settlement. While the fort itself no longer stands, the site it stood on still feels full of the groundbreaking history that was made there.
Being recognized as a National Historic Landmark since 1994 and in 2009 the National Park Service titled Fort Mose as a precursor site of the National Underground Railroad Network. The exciting history of this site fascinates visitors from all around. Guests can stroll along the scenic boardwalk and take in the landscape of where the fort once stood. A Visitor Center and museum are available for guests to explore and learn more about the history of the site.

The park grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but the Visitor Center is open only Thursday through Monday. Call (904) 823-2232 for more details.

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What Guests Are Saying About Fort Mose

I Highly Recommend

I highly recommend this for all ages. It is a piece of history I had not even known. The reenactment was done in such a way that I almost felt like I was back in that time. I didn't want to make any noise for fear it would draw attention to the runaway slaves. Even the kids that were in the group I was in appeared to be captivated.

Awesome Experience

Awesome experience for our 9th annual American History Celebration, celebrating our African heritage. We bring Columbia County, Florida to Ft. Mose evry year as part of our month long celebration abd every year we have a blast. This year we added the 40 Urban Cafe for lunch to sample ethnic food and the combined experience took the cake. Next year, we are hoping the movie returns to Ft. Mose, that's a great contribution to the experience.

Volunteers Did An Amazing Job

The volunteers did an amazing job telling of all the different folks involved in Fort Mose. They showed how dangerous it was for run away slave, trackers who made large sums capturing run away slaves, the natives, the church & the Spainish. If you want real life history check out Fort Mose.

Ecellent Exhibit

This is an excellent exhibit of little know history. Never hear of the Underground Railroad going south or this town/fort prior to this visit. I highly recommend a visit if your in the area!!

Learn Something New

Do yourself a favor and learn something new about American History and FL History by visiting Fort Mose. Easy to find, lots of parking, well done museum and beautiful grounds.

It's Great to Live Nearby!

I'm from Georgia and my dad's family is from South Carolina, so I share this story as much as possible with my family and friends around the country. Every American kid should know this history. It's great to live nearby!

Photo Gallery

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Rein-actors for Fort Mose Historical Society

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Patrons inside Fort Mose Historical Society Museum

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Canon replica onsite at Fort Mose Historical Society

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