In the early 1700s, as Spain and England vied for control of the southeast and Florida, the Spanish hit upon a great idea to mess with the British. They offered anyone being held in slavery in British lands freedom. All they had to do was make it to St Agustine. This, in essence, became the first Underground Railroad.

When lots of blacks appeared in Florida wanting their freedom, the Spanish were true to their word. They then hit on another idea. They built a fort a few miles north of the Castillo de San Marcos in St Augustine. Then they offered the fort and the village it enclosed as a new home to the free men. All they had to do was keep watch for the British and alert the main fort.

In 1740, the British came and the initial skirmish occurred at Fort Mose. The residents retreated to Castillo de San Marcos, where they were welcomed inside to safety. Alongside the residents of St Augustine, they endured a 30-day siege before the British went home.

After the siege, the resident of Fort Mose went back and rebuilt their homes. In 1763, Spain lost control of Florida to Britain and most of the residents of Fort Mose moved to Cuba, knowing what would await them upon British occupation. The fort was left to deteriorate and was completely destroyed in 1812 by the British.

In the late 1960s, interest in Fort Mose spurred an effort to find its original location, and that effort was successful in the mid-1980s, finding the original and rebuilt locations. The State Park followed, protecting the lands around the forts, and it is designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

There is nothing to see of the archaeological finds - a boardwalk leads to an overlook where the distant islands can be seen. However, the small Visitor's Center has an excellent exhibit and a short film on the history of the fort. This is a fine complement to Castillo de San Marcos and I recommend seeing both together.