ago, 11 brave men and women with a nursing child risked their lives to escape enslavement in British-controlled colonies to seek refuge in Spanish Florida, where they were granted liberty in 1693. By 1738, around 100 freedom seekers had made the perilous journey southward to St. Augustine, crossing swamps and dense tropical forests on foot and by boat. A fortified town was constructed, and Fort Mose became America’ s First Site of Freedom.
Fast forward to 2022. The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra is playing“ One O’ Clock Jump” to a captivated audience under the stars, among the centuries-old oak trees, on the historic site of Fort Mose. This is the Fort Mose Jazz and Blues Series – the cultural event series at the intersection of history, music, and education. The concept, developed by SJCCE and the Fort Mose Historical Society, was to create an immersive jazz and blues series, genres with deep historical roots, on the grounds of the historic state park to bring awareness to the Fort Mose story. Over 13,000 people have come to the park to see icons of blues and jazz such as Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Keb’ Mo’, Gladys Knight, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mavis Staples and more. Most of these attendees have never been to Fort Mose, the same for the artists that play the series. They’ ve never walked its grounds, read the stories of the brave Freedom Seekers, understood the historical significance of this sacred site. Artists and music fans are truly moved by the fully immersive experience.
While the series has brought awareness to the site, it has also generated funds for the Fort Mose Historical Society’ s ambitious goal of reconstructing the 1738 fort. During the Battle of Bloody Mose in 1740, the
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