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You are seeking a uniquely disguised 35mm film canister at the
perimeter of the Fort Mose Historic State Park. Go East on Fort
Mose Trail off of US1 on the North side of the Saint Augustine city
gates. The park is open daily from 8:00 am until dusk. Parking is
available inside and outside the park gates. Admission to the Fort
Mose Museum is $2 per person, however access to the grounds is free
of charge.
Welcome to Fort Mose Historic State Park, the site of the first
legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the
United States. In 1738, the Spanish governor of Florida chartered
the settlement of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose
for short, as a settlement for those fleeing slavery from the
English colonies in the Carolinas. Over the next 25 years, Fort
Mose and Spanish Saint Augustine became a sanctuary for Africans
seeking liberation from the tyranny of English slavery. Fort Mose
has been recognized for its national significance in commemorating
the history of the United States. In 1994 the site was designated
as a National Historic Landmark and was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. In 2009 the National Park Service
named Fort Mose as a precursor site on the National Underground
Railroad Network to Freedom. Although there are no remains of the
earth and wooden structures, visitors can still view the land where
the settlement once stood. Stroll down the sundrenched boardwalk
and imagine life in the eighteenth century. Learn more about the
story of Fort Mose in our newly constructed visitor center and
museum or explore the grounds and view one of the many exhibits
available. History and Culture In the early 1700s, Spain claimed
Florida while Britain colonized the lands to the north along the
Atlantic coast. Africans enslaved to the British were emancipated
in exchange for serving with the Spanish militia and fled south to
Spanish Florida. By 1738, nearly 100 former slaves, risking their
lives to escape captivity from the British colonies, found refuge
in the small town of St. Augustine. Under the leadership of
African-born Francisco Menendez, they constructed a log fortress
north of town to defend themselves from a potential British
invasion. The following year, war was declared between Spain and
Britain. In May 1740, as the British soldiers from newly colonized
Georgia marched toward Fort Mose, its inhabitants were safely
evacuating to St. Augustine. The British troops set up camp at the
abandoned Fort Mose. In the pre-dawn morning of June 26, three
hundred Spanish soldiers, including the black militia, staged a
surprise attack on the British encampment, recapturing the fort and
leaving 68 British dead and taking 34 prisoners. The remaining
British soldiers retreated back to Georgia. With the original Fort
Mose demolished, African settlers lived inside St. Augustine until
1752 when the fort and town were rebuilt on higher ground to the
northeast. Besides being on call as soldiers, the townspeople
worked as sailors, fishermen, blacksmiths, cowboys and builders.
They farmed, hunted and fished to feed themselves. In 1763, Florida
was ceded back to Britain and those living at Fort Mose evacuated
along with other Spanish citizens to the northwest coast of Cuba.
Escaped Slaves In 1693, Spain declared that British slaves would be
free in 'La Florida.' Only the bravest and most determined slaves
dared to escape there. Many perished along the way due to
exhaustion, starvation, disease and slave catchers. But those that
made it to St. Augustine were free, as long as they agreed to three
conditions. First, they had to accept the Catholic religion.
Second, they had to swear allegiance to the Spanish King. Third,
the men had to join the Spanish militia. A Traditional Chosa The
1759 records of the parish priest Father Solana indicated that
there were possibly 22 houses or huts at the second Fort Mose and
were made of thatch. Although no details of the buildings survive,
it is quite possible that the villagers used African, Indian and
Spanish building traditions. The walls of their structures would
have been wattle-and-daub with a domed, palm-thatched roof. Fort
Mose 1737 By 1737, a group of about 100 former slaves and free
people of color were living in St. Augustine in the legally
sanctioned town of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose. Fort Mose
included a walled fort and shelters that resembled Indian thatched
huts, according tot he Spaniards description. The fort was an
earthwork built of dirt piled up with a stockade of logs on top. It
had a well for water and a watchtower inside. The houses were made
of poles with palm leaves for roofs. A ditch surrounded the
settlement and was lined with prickly pear. Spanish reports confirm
that the settlers planted nearby crops. The settlement was
surrounded by a salt water river which contained an abundance of
shellfish and fish. Fort Mose sits on Robinson Creek which is a
back door water way to St. Augustine, much like Fort Matanzas to
the south. Both were water passages to St. Augustine and were
fortified. The fort and settlement were destroyed by British forces
led by General Oglethorpe in 1740. The second Fort Mose was built
in 1752, approximately a quarter of a mile from the site of the
first Fort Mose. In 1763, at the end of the French and Indian War,
Spain ceded Florida to the British. All of the residents of Fort
Mose left with the Spanish for Cuba. (Fort Mose Historic State Park
is managed by the Anastasia State Park administration. This cache
is placed with the approval of the administration of Anastasia
State Park.)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnfg lbhe rlrf urnirajneq sbe gur flzoby bs ybir naq crnpr.