If
the walls of this old plantation house could speak, what compelling stories would they
tell? Would we hear the story of a family that survived a close call? Maybe the walls
would speak of an important person that paid a visit. They may also tell of conspiracies
and governmental power struggles. How did these events affect the residents of this home?
The walls remember families gathering together...
John McQueen gathered local women and children inside his home to
protect them from a reported threat. The families were forced there by concern of attack
and the uncertainty of their futures and so hid from the potential Indian raid. The
Spanish government had trouble providing security to its new settlers and their families.
McQueen pleaded for military posts staffed by free black militiamen or regular soldiers,
but his letter of warning to the governor had fallen on deaf ears.
The walls of the old plantation house on
Fort George Island have stood for
over 200 years.
________________________
McQueen's status gained by previously important roles, such as the
part he played as a courier between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette during
the American Revolution, would not help him when his family was in need.
Small bands of Indians were pirating the settlements along the St. Johns River and
threatening all that got in their way. As McQueen waits with his family and friends in the
plantation house, does he have time to reflect on his decision to come and settle in
northeast Florida?
Plantation House
Residence Timetable
| 1790-1804 |
John McQueen |
| 1804-1812 |
John Housetoun McIntosh |
| 1804 |
Vice-President
Aaron Burr's visit |
| 1814-1837 |
Anna and Zephaniah
Kingsley |
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And then there was a chance meeting...
Through the gust of wind that brought rain and ocean spray into his
face, Aaron Burr attempted to escape the storm and find a safe haven. The storm ended his
plan of reaching St. Augustine; instead he found himself on Fort George Island, in the
plantation house owned by John Houstoun McIntosh. Aaron Burr had killed Alexander Hamilton
during a duel in New York and ran to Spanish Florida to escape the long arm of the United
States. His country charged him with murder and questioned his loyalty. Heavy with
emotions from a hasty retreat, the plantation house offered an opportunity to collect his
thoughts. From here he wrote a letter to East Florida governor Enrique White, reminding
him of their upcoming meeting.Who knew what might come of that meeting? Was the
Vice-President of the United States weaving a web of conspiracy? Was he working with the
British and Spanish against the United States?
The walls survived a rebellion...
John Houstoun McIntosh sat back and reminisced about his short career as
the president of the East Florida Republic. He proudly remembered the flag of the Florida
Patriots flying high over Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island for the briefest of time. He
contemplated how his life would be different if the rebellion succeeded. He wistfully
thought of how political power would have complimented his wealth, especially if the
United States had gained possession of Florida during the rebellion. McIntosh recalled his
plantation house on Fort George Island. The house served as the headquarters for the
patriots. It was where the men gambled their lives and possessions by inventing risky
plans. The ambitious soldiers bonded together, hoping to better their finances and further
their careers. But in order to do so, they would have to betray their newly-adopted
country of Spain. McIntosh felt relief wash over him when he escaped back to United States
soil: the rebellion, and his choice of politics over planting, did not end up costing him
his honor or his life! He thought someday, when Florida was no longer under Spanish rule,
he would pay a visit to his old home. It was the only building from his former plantation
that survived the Patriots Rebellion.
John Houstoun McIntosh
_________________________
The walls see life renewed...
Anna Kingsley gazed down at her new baby boy with a look of great
satisfaction. John Maxwell Kingsley was the first child she had brought into the world as
a free person. Anna, or Anta Majigeen Njaay as she was called in her native homeland of
Senegal, had arrived in Florida with Zephaniah Kingsley many years before. John Maxwell
Kingsley was Anna and Zephaniah's fourth child and the only child that was born at the
Fort George Island plantation. John was the first child Anna had given birth to since she
had become a free person of color; the first three children were born into slavery because
their mother was enslaved at the time of their birth.
The walls have secrets...
If the walls of the old plantation house could talk, perhaps they would
complete the stories - and fill in the many missing puzzle pieces from history. The
plantation house stands today as a well-preserved symbol of the past. Perhaps as a visitor
you can come explore the historical setting and buildings at Kingsley Plantation and hear
what the walls have to say to you?
The Patriot Flag.
"The Welfare of the People is the Highest Law."
_________________________________
Venture outside the walls...
The National Park Service also has another Visitor Center located at the Fort Caroline
National Memorial in Jacksonville. For more information, call (904) 641-7155.
Today the National Park Service preserves a portion of the original
island plantation as a historic site called Kingsley Plantation.
Directions: Kingsley Plantation is located on Fort George Island, just south of
Amelia Island on A1A (Heckscher Drive) towards Jacksonville. Admission is free.
Hours of Operation: A staff member is on duty in the planter's residence from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (except New Year's Day, Thanks-giving and Christmas) to answer
questions and help visitors.
Special Event: Kingsley Plantation will hold the fifth annual Kingsley Heritage
Celebration in October.
For additional information, please call (904) 251-3537 or visit www.nps.gov |
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