New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Turnbull Grand Canal

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, March 22, 2019

1. Turnbull Grand Canal Marker

Inscription. The Turnbull Grand Canal, also known as the Grand Canal, was built by indentured servants brought to the area by Scottish physician Dr. Andrew Turnbull in 1768. As part pf the largest single attempt at British colonization in North America, Smyrnea Settlement, Turnbull attracted more than 1,400 Minorcans, Corsicans, Greeks, and Italians who sought the promise of new opportunities in Florida. Turnbull was impressed by the Egyptian canal system and wanted to replicate it in Smyrnea. Three canals ran east-west and were linked with a fourth, longer canal known as the Grand Canal that ran north-south and connected to Turnbull Bay. These hand-dug canals provided irrigation and drainage for rice, hemp, cotton, and indigo crops, and served as a mode of transportation within the colony. After nine years of harsh treatment under Turnbull, drought, and crop failures, the colony's population fell to about 600 people. In 1777, a group of Smyrnea colonists walked 70 miles to St. Augustine to petition British East Florida Governor Patrick Tonyn for release from their indentures. After hearing the case, Governor Tonyn gave them their freedom

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and granted them land north of St. Augustine.

Erected 2018 by The City of New Smyrna Beach, The Historic New Smyrna Beach Preservation Commission, Mayor James Hathaway, Vice Mayor Jason McQuirk, Commissioner Judy Reiker, Commissioner Jake Sachs, Commissioner Randy Hartman, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1025.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1768.

Location. 29° 0.799′ N, 80° 57.153′ W. Marker is in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in Volusia County. It is at the intersection of State Road 44 and South Walker Drive, on the right when traveling east on State Road 44. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: New Smyrna Beach FL 32168, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s First Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Turnbull Grand Canal Marker from across South Walker Drive image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, March 22, 2019

2. Turnbull Grand Canal Marker from across South Walker Drive

The canal is located directly behind the marker.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: A Stray Relic (approx. ¾ mile away); Columbus’s Chapel? (approx. ¾ mile away); Sugar Making (approx. 0.8 miles away); Low-Tech Mill (approx. 0.8 miles away); Risky Business: (approx. 0.8 miles away); Native Stone (approx. 0.8 miles away); Old St. Rita Colored Mission Church (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Connor Library (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Smyrna Beach.

Turnbull Grand Canal taken from marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, March 22, 2019

3. Turnbull Grand Canal taken from marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,398 times since then and 228 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 24, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.