Fort Mose Historic State Park seems an unlikely place to stage a concert series.

Tucked between U.S. 1 and a huge marsh on the north side of St. Augustine, Fort Mose is made up of two boardwalks, a visitors’ center, a tiny parking lot and a tree-lined clearing. For six nights in February though, it will be the site of the Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series, pairing big-name touring musicians with local openers and paying tribute to the site’s history.

That history is a big reason the St. Johns County Cultural Events Division, which manages the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, chose to put on the concerts at Fort Mose.

“There is a lot of incredible Black history in St. Augustine that people don’t know about,” said Gabe Pellicer, general manager of the amphitheater and one of the organizers of the concert series. “I’ve never heard of a story like this anywhere in the country.”

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In the 1700s, when Florida was a Spanish colony, slaves escaping from British colonies to the north would be granted freedom if they could reach St. Augustine and agree to convert to Catholicism. By 1738, there were enough of them to create a fortified community, Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, just north of St. Augustine. It is considered to be the first legally sanctioned community for free Blacks in what is now the United States. Residents, however, were forced to flee to Cuba in 1763 when England took control of Florida and put them at risk of being enslaved again.

A museum and visitors’ center at the park tells its history through displays and artifacts, and a replica of an old cooking shed stands on the grounds. All traces of the original fortifications that once stood on the site are gone.

It’s no coincidence that the shows are being held in February, which is Black History Month. It’s also a slow tourist month in St. Augustine, the amphitheater is shut down for maintenance and artists sick of being stuck in snowbound northern climes love to play outdoor shows in Florida.

“I would have not done this in March, April or May,” Pellicer said. “It would have been too busy.”

The concert series began in 2022 with shows by the Count Basie Orchestra, Gregory Porter, Amythyst Kiah, Tank & the Bangas and Trombone Shorty. This year’s series, with a slightly larger seating capacity, includes shows by Mavis Staples, Christian McBride, Valerie June, Gladys Knight, Rhiannon Giddens and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.

For most of the shows, a local musician has been booked as an opening act. Aslyn Baringer McTaggart will open for Staples, Alberto Cebollero will open for McBride, the SouLo Lyons Trio will open for June, MJbaker will open for Knight and Ramona & the Riot will open for Giddens. Ingram is playing with blues guitarist Tinsley Ellis, so no local opener was booked for that show.

“Anytime we have an opportunity to book openers that are local and integrate our local talents with these artists, we want to do it,” Pellicer said.

Pellicer said great care is taken when putting up the stage and seating for the concerts to not disturb the environment. Capacity will vary for each show – 610 seats for McBride and June, nearly 1,100 for Knight, who has sold out her show – and all seats are reserved. The stage comes on semi-trailers that unfold on site.

“We did it last year,” Pellicer said. “You definitely have to get equipment that has soft tires, you have to be mindful of the grass. You have to have some pros out there.”

They’ll also bring in restroom trailers and vendors for the shows. There will be no parking at the park or in the surrounding neighborhood for the concerts; shuttles will run from a free parking lot at the St. Johns County Health Department on San Sebastian View, about four minutes from the park. Shuttles will start at 5 p.m. and run for an hour after the shows end. Pellicer said they will use the same shuttles the city uses for the just-concluded Nights of Lights event.

Concerts are rain or shine – the performers will be under cover, but the audience won’t be. Because the park is surrounded by marsh, Pellicer said he’ll keep an eye on the weather and be in touch with the county’s mosquito-control department if it looks like bugs will be a problem.

Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series lineup

All shows are at Fort Mose Historic State Park. Doors open at 6 p.m., showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets are available through theamp.com.

Feb. 10: Mavis Staples, with Aslyn Baringer McTaggart

You name an honor, Staples has earned it. She's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, a Grammy winner, a National Arts Awards Lifetime Achievement recipient and a Kennedy Center honoree who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and sang at John F. Kennedy's inauguration. She still has enough power in her voice to bring tears to your eyes. (Tickets: $62-$92)

Feb. 11: Christian McBride’s New Jawn, with Alberto Cebollero

Bass player and band leader McBride has won eight Grammys and is artistic director of the Newport Jazz Festival and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. He's leading a four-piece band that, unusual for jazz, has no piano player. (Tickets: $62-$92)

Feb. 16: Valerie June, with the Soulo Lyons Trio

June, who hails from Memphis, is a multi-instrumentalist whose style incorporates elements of folk, soul, gospel, country, blues, psychedelia and pop music. Her latest album, "The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers," came out in 2021. (Tickets: $62-$92)

Feb. 17: Gladys Knight, with MJbaker

They don't call Knight "the Empress of Soul" for nothing. She's been performing since she was four, won seven Grammys and, with her former backing group the Pips, is in the Rock and Roll and Vocal Groups halls of fame. And if you think she's lost any of her vocal power, go look up her National Anthem from the 2019 Super Bowl. (Sold out; tickets $72-$132)

Feb. 18: Rhiannon Giddens, with Ramona & the Riot

Giddens is a fiddler, a banjo player and a singer of the first order. She rose to fame with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and has had a solid solo career, winning a 2022 Grammy for Best Folk Album. You might also recognize her from her role on the fifth and sixth seasons of "Nashville." (Tickets: $62-$92)

Feb. 19: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, with Tinsley Ellis

This is the only true double-bill in the whole series, with Ingram and Ellis both capable of headlining a show. Ingram is just 24 but has already established himself in the blues world with his guitar work. Ellis has been touring longer than Ingram has been alive (he issued his seventh album two years before Ingram was born) and has played at least one show in each of the 50 states. (Tickets: $62-$92)

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Augustine concerts spotlight Fort Mose's role in Black history