Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island
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The Kingsley Plantation House built between 1797 and 1798 is the oldest surviving plantation house in Florida. The plantation included 1000 acres originally, today about 60 acres remain as a part of the Fort George Island Cultural State park. Zephaniah Kingsley who lived on the plantation for 25 years was in interesting individual with what would be a complex family situation today–it must have been quite scandalous in his day. Zephaniah was a merchant, plantation owner, and slave trader. He was known as a quite lenient slave owner. He practices polygamy, marrying four women, all of whom were slaves.
Anna Jai was 13 when she was purchased by Kingsley. Later, he took her as his common law wife. She ran the plantation when he was away on business. He fathered nine mixed-race children whom he educated. Kingsley became interested in the Spanish system of slavery and society because of his large interracial family. The Spanish and French systems allowed for certain rights for freed slaves and multiracial children. Not finding success in changing the laws in America, he moved his family to Haiti in 1835. Private owners and freed black slaves lived at the plantation until 1955 when ownership was passed to the State of florida. The National Park Service obtained the plantation in 1991.
The remains of the slave quarters and overseer home
The Home, Kitchen and Barn
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| Breezeway from the Kitchen to the house |
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| Rear of the house |
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| My Dream Garden |
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| Barn converted in to a learning center |
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Time to go home–we biked through this canopy of trees to the truck. Then took off to the Sand Dollar for dinner.
Joy