Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States
Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2022
This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States," at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.
First constructed in 1738, Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, or Fort Mose, was the earliest legally-sanctioned Afro-Diasporic settlement in the modern United States. Enslaved Africans escaping from the British colonies to Florida were recognized as free Spanish subjects if they accepted Catholicism and participated in the defense of the colony at St. Augustine. Fort Mose was the northernmost defensive line for the city until the Spanish evacuation in 1763. In the 1980s, archaeologists identified the second fort, built in 1752, and extensive historical and archaeological research revealed much about lifeways at Mose. In 2019, researchers with Flagler College and the University of Florida reopened terrestrial investigations at the site, and in 2021 the first underwater excavations were undertaken by the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program. This research seeks to better understand the site and its people in the face of problematic coastal erosion which threatens its long-term survival.
Other Keywords
Climate Change •
African Diaspora •
Afro-Diasporic •
Erosion •
Material Culture •
Underwater Archaeology •
Archaeology •
Methodology •
Community •
Coastal Erosion
Geographic Keywords
Northeast Florida •
Southeast United States •
Florida/Southeast •
Florida, Southeast, Atlantic
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-7 of 7)
- Documents (7)
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After Mose: Material Culture of British St. Augustine (1763-1784) as a Plantation Society and Periphery (2022)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. St. Augustine, FL has been critical in historical archaeology’s examination of Spanish colonialism writ large. The “British Period” from 1763 to 1784 can be considered a short footnote compared to the two centuries of Spanish control...
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Landscape Modelling and Geospatial Analysis of Fort Mose Environs (2022)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The site of Fort Mose has a complex history involving multiple occupations by different groups between 1738 and 1812. Other earthwork and wooden installations were also constructed in the area during these 75 years, most of which have not yet...
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Maritime Heritage at Risk: The Hurricane Irma Damage Assessment and Mitigation Strategy (HIrmaDAMS) Project (2022)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. In 2020, the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) received a Hurricane Irma National Park Service Subgrant to assess and mitigate, or recommend future mitigation activities, for maritime archaeological sites impacted...
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Mose In the Middle: Terrestrial and Maritime Methods Meet In St. Augustine (2022)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The site of Fort Mose in St. Augustine, Florida, faces considerable environmental threat. Remains of the fort are located on a small hammock north of the colonial city. Once connected to the mainland by agricultural fields, the fort was...
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One if by Land, Two if by Sea: Community-based Archaeology at Fort Mose (2022)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. In an era when community-based participatory research is becoming the norm, it is important to recognize the pioneers of this approach. Kathleen Deagan and her students began a research project at Fort Mose in the 1980s that resulted in...
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An Overview Of The 2021 Field Season At Fort Mose In St. Augustine, Florida. (2022)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. In 1738, the earliest free Afro-Diasporic settlement in the North American colonies was established in defense of St. Augustine. Abandoned by 1763, the historic Gracia Real de Santa Theresa de Mose was lost in the narrative of freedom and...
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Results of the 2021 Underwater Archaeological Excavations at Fort Mose (8SJ40) (2022)
DOCUMENT Citation Only
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Fort Mose Above and Below: Terrestrial and Underwater Excavations at the Earliest Free Afro-Diasporic Settlement in the United States" , at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), the research arm of the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, in 2021 partnered with Flagler College and the University of Florida to conduct terrestrial and underwater excavations...