Fort Mose Traditional Cache
Anastasia State Park: This geocache is being archived as it has been replaced by a new statewide geocache. We will possibly be relocating the old one at a later time, but are not sure we can place them the required 1528 feet away from each other. Happy hunting the new geocache!
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Seeker is looking for a camo'd 4" pvc tube about 12" long.
Fort Mose Cache
Just 7 miles north of the old city of St Augustine, lies Fort Mose Historic State Park; the first legally sanctioned free black settlement within the present borders of the United States. Its inhabitants were mainly runaway Black slaves from the British colonies of South Carolina and Georgia. In order to gain their freedom, the runaway slaves had to make it to Florida, join the Spanish militia, be baptized, and follow the Catholic religion.
The first settlement was established in 1738 and a fort was built as a first line of defense for St. Augustine by protecting the northern approach. In 1740, during a siege of St. Augustine by Georgia’s Governor Oglethorpe, the inhabitants of the fort escaped to the Castillo at St. Augustine. Oglethorpe’s troops took and occupied the fort for 28 days and then destroyed it when the left. However, he left without conquering the Castillo and the town of St. Augustine.
In 1752, a second fort was built at Mose. This was a 3-sided fort with 2 towers. The 2nd fort was constructed of earthwork walls about 8 feet tall. Marsh clay was put on the outside and prickly pear cactus was planted along the top. A dry moat was constructed around the fort. It is believed Mose residents lived inside this second fort. It probably consisted of residential structures, interspersed with military and religious structures.
In defending their freedom and Spanish America, the Black inhabitants of Ft Mose played a significant role in the conflicts between England and Spain until 1763 when Florida became a British colony. As a result of becoming a British colony, 37 families at Mose joined the Spanish evacuation and left for Cuba.
There is a $2.00 fee per person or $4.00 fee per vehicle. The museum is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. We hope you enjoy the hunt, the history, and the area.
(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.)
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