Fort Mose Historical Society

Mission Statement

On June 26, 1996 the founding members of the Fort Mose Historical Society: African American Community of Freedom, donned knee high rubber boots and waded into the marsh, heading towards a small patch of trees surrounded by water and mud flats. In the mid-morning sun on the site of Garcia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose or Fort Mose, these visionaries voted the Fort Mose Historical Society into existence. Since that day, the Fort Mose Historical Society has been instrumental in the preservation and interpretation of the Fort Mose site. Fort Mose is the site of the first free African settlement in what is now the United States. Founded in 1738, it is one of the original sites on the southern route of the Underground Railroad. The primary mission of the Fort Mose Historical Society is to support the Florida Park Service in its efforts to preserve, protect and interpret this remarkable site and to interpret the significance of the Fort Mose community for present and future generations.