New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Sugar Making
The Cruger-dePester Sugar Mill
In Florida’s early days, Many investors set their sights on sugar—course, brown and very valuable. To get the most from their sugar cane, some planters had their own crushing and cooking operations. At sugar plantations like Cruger-dePester, African-American slaves cleared the land, raised the crop, then cut and processed the cane each winter… unless hurricanes had smashed the plants.
Today, we can still see the outlines of this 1830s factory and its sugar making process:
1.A steam-powered cane crusher extracted the juice.
2.The liquid was heated in a series (or train) of kettles, gradually thickening until it was ladled into wooden cooling troughs.
3.The crystallized sugar was packed in barrels and stored in a drying room called the purgery. It drained for several weeks before shipping, and some factories (though not Cruger-dePester) made rum from the molasses that dripped out.
Producing sugar was a long, hot, dangerous job – especially near the powerful cane crusher that could snare and smash a tired worker before anyone could shut it down. No wonder sugar was a prized commodity. Like oil today, it came with large financial and human risks.
Erected by Volusia County.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 29° 0.537′ N, 80° 56.444′ W. Marker is in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in Volusia County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Old Mission Road and Mission Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 600 Mission Drive, New Smyrna Beach FL 32168, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Columbus’s Chapel? (here, next to this marker); A Stray Relic (a few steps from this marker); Risky Business: (a few steps from this marker); Native Stone (within shouting distance of this marker); Low-Tech Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Turnbull Grand Canal (approx. 0.8 miles away); Old St. Rita Colored Mission Church (approx. 1.2 miles away); Site of Old Stone Wharf (approx. 1˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Smyrna Beach.
Also see . . . Sugar Mill Ruins. (Submitted on April 27, 2020.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2020, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 119 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 25, 2020, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.