The Civil War

Enslaved blacks continued to seek freedom in Florida until the end of the Civil War. As depicted in the engraving to the left, six fugitive slaves in Florida used a makeshift canoe to reach the United States Bark “Kingfisher,” which was on blockading duty on the St. Marks River. The fugitives had been on the run for up for several months before seizing this opportunity.

The term contraband was used to refer to runaway slaves who fled from southern plantations and farms to Union encampments during the Civil War.

Contrabands Escaping to the United States Bark “Kingfisher” off the Coast of Florida.
In Harper’s Weekly, July 18, 1862. 
Historical Museum of Southern Florida,
1992-079-1

Key West

In 1860, Key West provided sanctuary to hundreds of Africans rescued from slave ships by the U.S. Navy. The Africans were bound for the island of Cuba, where Spanish colonials had continued the illegal practice of importing slaves after the 1820 ban by Spain. The freed Africans, many of whom were in a weakened state, were housed at the barracoons in Key West for up to a year. Those who survived were transported to Liberia in ships contracted by the U.S. government through the American Colonization Society. Those who died were buried in Higgs Beach in Key West.

The Barracoon at Key West, where the Africans are confined. Printed in Harper’s Weekly, June 2, 1860.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida,
1996-939-1.