Fort Mose I

In 1738, after more than 100 runaways arrived from Carolina, the Spanish governor established Fort Mose. As Africans continued to flee Carolina, frontier skirmishes between the English, Spanish, and their Native American allies threatened to escalate into war. Spanish Governor Manuel de Montiano, along with Francisco Menéndez, established Fort Mose as a defensive outpost two miles north of St. Augustine. Despite English demands, Governor Montiano honored the Spanish Crown's policy of religious sanctuary and refused to return fugitive slaves. Mose residents included men, women, and children. All men served in the Mose militia, captained by Francisco Menéndez. Daily life consisted of frontier scouting, farming, and foraging for food to augment meager provisions from St. Augustine. The people of Mose built a church and sacristy for the Catholic priest who lived there, but also may have maintained African traditions and beliefs.

St. Augustine, Florida · United States