Castillo by Candlelight: The Mose Story

Volunteers will bring to life the important legacy of Fort Mose, the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what would become the United States. Follow the dangerous journey of a Freedom Seeker escaping from a life in slavery to a new life of freedom in Spanish Florida. Overhear the conversations of people met along the way – some wanting to help the Freedom Seeker, others hoping to return them to owners in the English colonies to the north. Meet Governor Montiano and hear his reasons for establishing this important settlement, and learn how Fort Mose and its militia played a critical role in turning the tide of the 1740 British siege on St. Augustine.

Programs will last approximately 40 minutes each, departing from the ticket booth at 6:30, 6:45, 7:00, 7:15, 7:30, and 7:45 PM.

Nonrefundable tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve tickets in advance, call (904) 663-2812; when leaving messages, please include a name, the number of adults and children in your party, and a number at which to return your call.

Reserved tickets must be paid for in person on the day of the event no later than 15 minutes before the start of your tour, or the reservation will be canceled, and the tickets will made available for purchase. Day-of tickets will ONLY be available at the Fee Booth, not by phone.

The cost is $15 per adult ages 16 and up, $5 per child ages 6 to 15, and children 5 and under free. For questions, please call (904) 663-2889.

Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend Florida and the Atlantic trade route, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument preserves the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and interprets more than 450 years of cultural intersections.

Fort Mose Historic State Park, designated as a National Historic Landmark, preserves the site of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States.