News Release

Castillo by Candlelight: The Mose Story 2019

Date: February 4, 2019

St. Augustine, FL - In honor of the important African American heritage of this community, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument will host a special evening event on Saturday, February 16, 2019. This event is made possible through a partnership with the Fort Mose Historical Society and the Florida Park Service.

Volunteers will bring to life the important legacy of Fort Mose as 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 hoping to help the Freedom Seeker, others hoping to return the slave 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 about 40 minutes each, departing from the ticket booth at 6:15 6:30, 6:45 7:00, 7:15, and 7:30 pm. Nonrefundable tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and go on sale two weeks prior to the event. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the ticket booth or over the phone by calling [phone] ext. 239 between 9 am and 3 pm, Monday through Friday. Space is limited. The cost is $15 per adult ages 16 and up, $5 per child ages 5 to 15, and children under 5 free. For questions, please call [phone] ext. 233.

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. Learn more at www.nps.gov/casa and visit us on Facebook www.facebook.com/CastilloNPS and Twitter www.twitter.com/CastilloNPS.

 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. Learn more at www.floridastateparks.org/park/Fort-Mose.

-NPS-