ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — This will be a historic weekend in St. Augustine, as hundreds are expected to get their first look at the newly constructed replica of the 1738 Fort Mose.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the replica Friday morning at Fort Mose Historic State Park, marking the official completion of the reconstruction project.
It weas built to honor the site of the first legally sanctioned free Black community in what is now the United States.
The replica will help tell that story to countless visitors in St. Augustine.
After the ceremony, the full-scale, life-sized fort structure welcomed its first visitors as part of the annual St. Augustine History Festival.
The reconstructed fort is more than 39 feet tall and is surrounded by a historically accurate moat and landscaping.
The Florida State Parks Foundation says the final cost was $3.2 million, which came from a combination of public and private sources.
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