Historic Marker
*The founding of Fort Mose occurred on this date in 1738. Fort Mose is the site of the first free African settlement in the United States.
It is also one of the original sites on the southern route of the Underground Railroad. Colonial Spanish Florida’s Governor Manuel Montiano established the Fort. Fort Mose gave sanctuary to Africans challenging enslavement in the English Colony of Carolina. Approximately 100 Africans lived at Fort Mose, forming more than 20 households.
Together, they created a frontier community that drew on a range of African backgrounds blended with Spanish, Native American, and English cultural traditions. The Spanish government legally sanctioned a Maroon community, making it the first free African settlement in the United States.
