[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 7 (Friday, January 12, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1115
                    FORT MOSE GROUNDBREAKING PROJECT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate 
Fort Mose Historic State Park in beautiful St. Augustine, Florida.
  Fort Mose, a national historic landmark, is the site of the first 
legally sanctioned free Black settlement in the United States.
  In the 1600s, enslaved people in the British Carolinas made their way 
south to freedom in St. Augustine, which at that time was under Spanish 
rule.
  Next week, the park, along with the Florida State Parks Foundation 
and community partners will break ground on a full-scale reconstruction 
of the original fort that once stood there.
  You can see the updated renderings of the fort here beside me. It is 
really going to be an amazing site.
  This project is the realization of decades of dreams, dedication, and 
hard work from hundreds of individuals who share a love for the Fort 
Mose history and rich, rich story.
  Thanks to the partnership of the Florida State Parks Foundation, the 
Fort Mose Historical Society, and Florida State Parks, the fort will be 
completed this winter, and it is expected to draw visitors from around 
the world to northeast Florida.
  The reconstructed Fort Mose will have lasting impacts for St. Johns 
County, our State, and our Nation for generations to come.
  So congratulations from Florida's Fifth Congressional District, to, 
again, the Fort Mose Historic State Park, and to all who have been 
involved in bringing this amazing story to life.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________