A traveling exhibit opening Monday, April 18 at Florida Gulf Coast University explores the history of America’s first legally sanctioned free black community, which was located in St. Augustine.
“Fort Mose: Colonial America’s Black Fortress of Freedom” presents five years of historical and archaeological research and examines the African-American colonial experience from the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the time of the American Revolution. It was curated by the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
The exhibition, which opens with a reception at 4 p.m. April 18, was made possible by a partnership between the Museum Studies program of FGCU’s College of Arts & Sciences and the Blanchard House Museum of African-American History & Culture in Punta Gorda.
The story of Fort Mose is not widely known, according to the Museum of Natural History. The fort was established in 1738 by escaped slaves from English Carolina who were granted their freedom in Spanish St. Augustine. The men were made members of the Spanish militia, and the fort served as Florida’s first line of defense against the English to the north. These black militias became an important source of defense as early as the 16th century, and the Mose militia served in a number of significant battles. The fort was abandoned in 1763 when Spain gave Florida to England, and the entire colony moved to Cuba.
The community of Fort Mose represents a testament to the courageous African-Americans who risked and often lost their lives in the long struggle to achieve freedom. For more than 150 years, Mose was concealed from history on a remote marsh island. Through the combined efforts of many scientists, historians and legislators, the community was rediscovered and a long-lost and little-known chapter of Florida’s colonial past was brought to light.
The FGCU exhibit came about through discussions with Blanchard House staff over potential partnerships, according to Museum Studies Program Leader and Anthropology Instructor Felicidad Noemi Creagan. The program has also placed an intern at Blanchard House to research the history of Jim Crow laws in Florida, which will lead to a future exhibit.
“The Blanchard House has a small panel in its buildings that interprets the history of Fort Mose and wanted to complement it with this traveling exhibit from the Florida Museum of Natural History,” Creagan says. “Because of their limited space, FGCU offered to bring the exhibit to our campus as the first step in an academic and professional collaboration.”
“Fort Mose: Colonial America’s Black Fortress of Freedom” will remain on display through June 26 on the first floor of FGCU’s Whitaker Hall.
For more information, contact Creagan at (239) 590-7426 or [email protected].