Completion is expected by late 2024. Credit: Roz Zekavat/Florida State Parks Foundation.

The Fort Mose Historical Society and Florida State Parks Foundation have broken ground on the Fort Mose reconstruction project in the US. 

The ground-breaking ceremony was held last week.  

The project aims to rebuild the fort at Fort Mose Historic State Park, with completion expected by late 2024. 

Fort Mose is the first legally sanctioned free Black community in the country, established nearly four decades before the other American colonies declared independence.  

The original fort, which became a refuge for freedom seekers in 1687, was destroyed during the Battle of Bloody Mose in 1740. 

In 2012, the Fort Mose Historical Society initiated the reconstruction initiative and began fundraising for the project.  

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The reconstruction secured a $933,000 grant from the Florida Department of State’s Florida African-American Cultural & Historical Grant Opportunity. 

Fort Mose Historical Society president Charles Ellis said: “As we break ground on the reconstruction of Fort Mose, we are not merely rebuilding walls – we’re creating a tribute to the resilient and determined freedom seekers who made the first free Black settlement a possibility. 

“The Fort Mose Historical Society is honoured to have played a pivotal role in launching this project, providing the public with an opportunity to consider the true value of freedom. With the community’s support, we embark on a journey to create a dynamic space where the echoes of the past will resonate in the hearts and minds of all who visit.” 

The realisation of the project was facilitated by support from various community partners and organisations, including St Johns County and the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation.