St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
King's Road
Photographed by Craig Swain, August 3, 2011
1. King's Road Marker
Inscription.
King's Road. . The British laid the original route for King's Road between 1772 and 1775 in an effort to encourage settlement into this area. Extending from St. Mary's, Georgia to Andrew Turnbull's Minorcan colony at New Smyrna, King's Road intersects Palencia Club Drive at this point. The initial construction of King's Road included bridges for crossing creeks and wetlands. When the American colonies declared independence from England in 1776, nearly 7,000 Loyalists used this route to seek asylum in Florida, which remained loyal to the British Crown. When the British left Florida as part of the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War, maintenance of King's Road lagged until Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821. During the early 20th century, oyster shell was added to the road bed and some areas were paved with red brick. Portions of the original course of King's Road have been incorporated into modern trails and roads, particularly US 1, or are abandoned such as the portion visible here.
The British laid the original route for King's Road between 1772 and 1775 in an effort to encourage settlement into this area. Extending from St. Mary's, Georgia to Andrew Turnbull's Minorcan colony at New Smyrna, King's Road intersects Palencia Club Drive at this point. The initial construction of King's Road included bridges for crossing creeks & wetlands. When the American colonies declared independence from England in 1776, nearly 7,000 Loyalists used this route to seek asylum in Florida, which remained loyal to the British Crown. When the British left Florida as part of the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War, maintenance of King's Road lagged until Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821. During the early 20th century, oyster shell was added to the road bed & some areas were paved with red brick. Portions of the original course of King's Road have been incorporated into modern trails and roads, particularly US 1, or are abandoned such as the portion visible here.
Erected 2006 by The Marshall Creek Community Development District and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-591.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1772.
Location. 30° 0.797′
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N, 81° 23.482′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. It is at the intersection of Palencia Village Drive and Dixie Highway (U.S. 1), on the right on Palencia Village Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 116 Palencia Village Dr, Saint Augustine FL 32095, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in First Coast and in Greater Jacksonville. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. 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.
One of the last remaining unpaved or modernized stretches of the original King's Road. Located in northern Volusia County, it had been by-passed by a wider, straighter modern highway.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,883 times since then and 76 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on September 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 3. submitted on March 7, 2012, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.
