From founding settlers to America’s first community of freed slaves and the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans have played a significant part in the multicultural heritage of Florida’s Historic Coast, including the “First City” of St. Augustine.
In 1513, Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon first came ashore near what is now St. Augstine, starting a Spanish colonial rule that lasted 300 years until 1821. And while its Spanish, Portuguese and British roots are well known among historians, many might not know that St. Augustine also played a major part in Black history. In fact, the nation’s first legally sanctioned African American town was founded in 1738 by escaped former slaves who created the military community of Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, today known as Fort Mose.
More than 200 years later, St. Augustine again played a pivotal role in Black history as the site of Civil Rights demonstrations that gained international media attention in 1963 and 1964.
Follow Black history through the cobblestone streets of St. Augustine to experience one or all of these heritage sites and activities.
- Walk the Freedom Trail to see significant sites related to the struggle for Civil Rights, or use the Black History App to create an immersive experience. A must-see stop is the Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center, housed in the historic Excelsior School Building, which served as the county’s first public Black high school and maps out the long and storied past of African Americans in St. Augustine.
- Take a powerful journey into the past with the “I Lived Here, As Well: Going Home” Tour at Ximenez-Fatio House Museum. This tour reveals the untold stories of an enslaved man and woman, offering a first-person perspective of the harsh conditions of slavery and life after freedom. Tours are offered Feb. 6-March 1.
- Inspired by his move to St. Augustine and the historic neighborhood of Lincolnville, “Where We Stand” is an exhibit by photographic artist Lenny Foster. The series explores the history of African Americans, drawing upon the history and culture Foster discovered in the historically Black neighborhood. The evocative show is presented at the First Coast Cultural Center in Ponte Vedra Beach from Feb. 6-March 27.
- At Fort Mose Historic State Park, travel back in time to 1738 and a dangerous world where men, women, and children fled enslavement on a plantation toward the free Black settlement Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose on St. Augustine’s northernmost border. Flight to Freedom takes place Feb. 20-22 and tells the story of those who risked it all in search of freedom, laying the groundwork for the original Underground Railroad that ran south to Spanish Florida.
- The 4th Annual Fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series which honors and celebrates the fort’s history and cultural significance will take place Feb. 6- 8 and 14-16 at Fort Mose Historic State Park. Featured performers include Snarky Puppy, Kem, Tower of Power, Dinner Party, Macy Gray, and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with Sierra Green and The Giants.
- “Fort Mose 1738” Fashion Pop Up, a display of bold, contemporary textiles and clothing created by artisans in Accra, Ghana connects individuals to their heritage by highlighting African prints and a kaleidoscope of colors. The exhibit will be on display at the St. Augustine Art Association Gallery through March 7.
- The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum presents History in the Shadow of the Tower: Discovery of Fort Mose on February 20. It features Dr. Lori Lee, Flagler College, and Chuck Meide, Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), who will discuss key archaeological findings from Fort Mose that highlight the site’s cultural and historical significance.
- Experience the Castillo de San Marco National Monument after dark during Castillo by Candlelight: The Mose Story on Feb. 22. Volunteers will reenact the stories of Fort Mose, allowing visitors to engage with Freedom Seekers, those they encounter along the way, and the Royal Governor of La Florida, Manuel Joaquin de Montiano.