History of the Freedom Trail
The Flight to Freedom is a program at Fort Mose Historic State Park that teaches the story of individuals who trekked the long and perilous paths to be free from enslavement.
In the late 17th century, the city of St. Augustine served as a sanctuary for anyone escaping bondage from the English colonies to the north. However, getting to St. Augustine proved difficult with 300 miles of swamps, forests and waterways standing as a barrier between slavery and salvation.
Traveling by night, with the assistance of members of the native Yamasee tribe, these freedom seekers created the original Underground Railroad.
In 1738, after around 100 people had walked the Freedom Trail, the governor of St. Augustine founded Fort Mose, the first free black settlement in what is now the United States.
