Fort George Island near Jacksonville in Duval County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Task System
Managing Labor
The task system was used to manage the many specialized requirements of sea island cotton production. Often tasks were measured out in quarter-acre increments. Each slave was assigned a task to plow, plant, pick, or gin cotton. Once tasks were done, slaves used the rest of the day to tend to personal needs, including growing their own food.
To see how big a quarter acre is, look at the area defined by the four posts.
February 1: "preparing the land for a cotton crop, at which all are busy ..."
March 6: "commenced planting Cotton, and kept at it ..."
April 29: "We begin to thin the Cotton, which looks very well ... and the planting season having now passed ... everything is devoted to cultivation."
May 31: "The cotton is quite forward and now begins to blossom ..."
June 1: "still busy at work at the cotton & it will now be constant work till the end of the year."
July 31: began to pick a little cotton ..."
August 31: We now have all hands picking Cotton, and during this month have gathered near 3000 lb. in the seed ..."
October 2: "There is quite a strong N.E. wind, but we commenced to Gin today."
November 1: "... the operations on the plantation, have been those usually, at this time of the year ... picking, sorting and Ginning of Cotton-packing cotton, and preparing land for another year.
Kingsley Beatty Gibbs journal, 1840
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1995.
Location. 30° 26.354′ N, 81° 26.272′ W. Marker is near Jacksonville, Florida, in Duval County. It is on Fort George Island. Marker is on Palmetto Avenue, 2.1 miles north of Fort George Road, on the left when traveling north. This historical marker is located in a national park. The historical marker is in a very remote area that is reached by traveling a considerable distance on an unpaved dirt road. To get there one must turn north, off of the Florida State Route 1A (Heckscher Road), onto Fort George Road, and then traveling about 0.6 miles to the intersection of Fort George Road and Palmetto Avenue, were you turn north on Palmetto Avenue and travel to the end of this road to reach the historical marker. The turn-off from state route 1A can be identified by the "Kingsley Plantation, Fort George Island Visitor Center" sign that is situated right at the turnoff point. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jacksonville FL 32226, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Plantation Crops (here, next to this marker); Kingsley Plantation (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Kingsley Plantation (within shouting distance of this marker); Plantation Slavery (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Kingsley Plantation (within shouting distance of this marker); Looking Back (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Looking Back (within shouting distance of this marker); A Very Comfortable Habitation (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jacksonville.
Also see . . .
1. Kingsley Plantation. This is a link to information provided by the National Park Service. (Submitted on February 25, 2011, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)
2. Kingsley Plantation. This is a link to information provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Submitted on February 25, 2011, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 25, 2011, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 761 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 25, 2011, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.