Renowned worldwide for its unique intersection of diverse cultures and traditions, St Augustine is home to one historical heritage that is now getting the attention it deserves: The Gullah-Geechee.
Historic City News first reported when it was made public that St Johns County had officially been designated the southernmost point of the 8-million acre Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which stretches all the way down from North Carolina.
“The Gullah-Geechee are descended from enslaved West and Central Africans who worked on agricultural plantations in the South,” according to the Cultural Council. “The county, and St Augustine in particular, played a unique role in providing refuge to freedom-seeking slaves before the United States was founded.”
The St Johns Cultural Council describes the pivotal role played by Fort Mose in St Augustine:
Fort Mose hosts the annual “Flight to Freedom” event to commemorate the journey undertaken by Africans in their search for a free life.
According the public events calendar of the Florida Park Service, the next celebration will be in February 2023.
