Ft. George Island presents a cross-section of the Florida story. Timucuan Indians inhabited this island when French explorer Jean Ribault landed nearby in 1562. A Spanish mission was established here before 1600 to serve the Timucuans. Known to the . . . — — Map (db m58377) HM
(Upper left plaque)
National Register Site
Ribault Club Inn
1928
Awarded By
Jacksonville Historic
Preservation Commission
(Lower left Plaque)
Ribault Club Inn
Has Been Placed On The
National . . . — — Map (db m58614) HM
The establishment of missions chiefly for the purpose of Christianizing the Indian population was one of the methods used by Spain in attempting to colonize Florida in the sixteenth century. The Mission of San Juan del Puerto was founded in the . . . — — Map (db m21654) HM
St. George Episcopal Church, designed by Robert S. Schuyler and built in 1882, is a fine example of Carpenter Gothic, one of the most distinctive varieties of church architecture. Such churches were promoted by Florida's second bishop, John Freeman . . . — — Map (db m166854) HM
Historic references to the plantation house on Fort George Island are tantalizingly brief. The first detailed descriptions of the house and structural changes were recorded in the 20th century. From this vantage point, you can see the changes that . . . — — Map (db m40536) HM
The birthplace of African-American archaeology can be traced to Kingsley Plantation, where archaeologists in 1968 first began to search for artifacts that reflected African identity. Many of the slaves that lived here during Zephaniah Kingsley's era . . . — — Map (db m40852) HM
Artifacts recovered by archaeologists provide clues as to who these enslaved African men, women and children were. This is most easily recognized within the realm of spirituality or religion, which is resistant to change. However, the physical . . . — — Map (db m41193) HM
After the Civil War, slavery ended, but former slaves continued to live on the island. In this new era, former slaves and new landowners had to make difficult choices.
In 1869 the Rollins family settled at the former plantation and called it . . . — — Map (db m145390) HM
The plantation era began in Florida in 1763 after Britain took control from Spain. Soon after, the first planter was given land here and brought his slaves and household.
Britain established a plantation economy and encouraged its growth by . . . — — Map (db m145387) HM
Jean Ribaut and a party of Huguenots landed the morning of May 1, 1562 on this island. Here they knelt in prayer, beseeching God's guidance and commending the natives to his care. This was the first Protestant prayer in North America. — — Map (db m40024) HM
The plantation house symbolizes the owners and their freedom. The cabin ruins stand behind you as a testament to the enslaved and their lives of forced labor.
Explore the plantation grounds and discover the stories of plantation owners and . . . — — Map (db m40007) HM
In the spring of 1814, Zephaniah Kingsley relocated his family to this sea island plantation. Over the next two decades he developed his controversial views on race, society, and slavery.
Kingsley was a successful businessman who had strong . . . — — Map (db m40035) HM
The plantation era was a time in our history of opportunity, political contradictions and great cruelty.
For planters, like Zephaniah Kingsley, it was a time for amassing land and wealth. For enslaved Africans who produced the wealth it was a . . . — — Map (db m40085) HM
Imagine ... instead of the empty historic building and peaceful riverfront of today, a slave owner's family sits watching from the porch of their comfortable home as cargo-laden boats pass by on the river.
Breezes off the water cool the . . . — — Map (db m40043) HM
Imagine...instead of a lush green landscape of today, a long dusty road stretches to the slave cabins and field beyond.
Bent over cotton plants, under the hot sun with dust-filled air, enslaved people toil day in and day out amidst the odor of . . . — — Map (db m40077) HM
(side 1)
Pilot Town
The St. Johns River provided trade access that supported the economy of the Fort George Island plantations. Cotton and sugar from the plantations were transported on the river to trading posts. Early Spanish . . . — — Map (db m106389) HM
Cash crops, like sea island cotton, indigo, and sugar cane, made a profit for the owner. Other crops, like potatoes, okra, and yams, fed the families of both owners and slaves.
Sea island cotton was highly prized because of its long, strong, . . . — — Map (db m40143) HM
The House at the North end will be in the course of a month a very comfortable habitation, & in any other country a handsome situation. John McQueen, Jr., 1798
Planter John McQueen built the original portion of the house with the use of . . . — — Map (db m145389) HM
The exploitation of enslaved people differed throughout the Americas. However, the bottom line was profit for the owner, while for the slave it was loss of freedom.
Slaves were possessions. They were viewed as a valuable commodity to be bought . . . — — Map (db m83539) HM
Constructed nearly 200 hundred years ago, these cabins were home to enslaved people. Following emancipation, former slaves lived here and worked the land. Slowly, individuals and families moved away, leaving the buildings to fall into ruin. . . . — — Map (db m40543) HM
Slaves actively resisted bondage by purposefully slowing down their work pace, faking illness, or even mutilating themselves in order to lessen their value as human property.
Resisting the inhumanity of their enslaved condition, slaves . . . — — Map (db m40657) HM
In front of you are the remains of 25 cabins, the homes of 60 to 80 men, women, and children. These people had the strength to survive the misery of slavery.
Before dawn, slaves left for their day's labor, or to use their specialized skills. . . . — — Map (db m40689) HM
The island's landscape has changed dramatically since the plantation era. Gone are the roofs, fruit trees, wells, and garden plots. Trees and grasses now replace fields once tilled by slaves.
To be a slave was to be a human being under . . . — — Map (db m40847) HM
The slave quarters were a place to find identity and strength through family, faith, and shared experiences.
Many American traditions originate from the daily activities and beliefs of enslaved people. Practices that survive today revolve . . . — — Map (db m41248) HM
From the earliest age, children were trained to do their parents' work. They were terrified of the punishment their parents endured. Parents taught their enslaved children strict obedience so they could survive. And yet, like children today, they . . . — — Map (db m41272) HM
English:
Once the Portuguese made successful transatlantic trading voyages, other European nations quickly followed. In the eighteenth century, the port of Nantes became the busiest French port involved in the European slave trade . . . — — Map (db m145391) HM
English:
Slavery has been a component of human history through time. Whether captured, purchased, or taken as spoils of war, enslaved people had wide-ranging experiences, but they all shared one thing in common: loss of freedom. . . . — — Map (db m145392) HM
You are standing at the edge of two worlds. You are leaving the world of the owner and entering the world of the slave.
The cabin ruins before you are a vivid testament to the generations of slaves who lived there. On them depended the . . . — — Map (db m40120) HM
Many crops were grown on the plantation, but sea island cotton produced the highest profit. Growing and processing it required a complex work structure.
The task system was used to manage the many specialized requirements of sea island cotton . . . — — Map (db m40499) HM
Where there is now a tranquil river scene, a dock hustled and bustled with activity during the plantation era. Cotton bales were sent to market, and slaves and finished goods were brought here by boat.
Most plantations were located along . . . — — Map (db m145388) HM
