 The Kingsley Plantation, administered by the National Park
Service, is located on Fort George Island and includes the plantation house,
a kitchen house, a barn, and the ruins of 25 of the original slave cabins.
The history of the island spans more than 1000 years beginning with the Timucuan
Indians.
The structures at the site, however, date to the plantation
era of the island. The Kingsley Plantation was named for one of several plantation
owners, Zephaniah Kingsley, who operated the property from 1813-1839. Kingsley
operated under a "task" system, which allowed slaves to work at a craft or tend
their own gardens once the specified task for the day was completed.
Proceeds from the sale of produce or craft items were usually kept by the slaves.
Purchased as a slave, Kingsley's wife, Anna Madgigine Jai, was freed in 1811. She
was active in plantation management and became a successful business woman owning
her own property. As an American territory, Florida passed laws that discriminated
against free blacks and placed harsh restrictions on African slaves. This prompted
Kingsley to move his family, impacted by these laws, to Haiti, now the Dominican
Republic, where descendants of Anna and Zephaniah live today.
Open daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For more information write
or call: Superintendent, Kingsley Plantation, 11676 Palmetto Avenue, Jacksonville, FL, 32226.
Telephone (904) 251-3537. The plantation is located at the Fort George inlet, a short drive
south of Amelia Island.
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