Kingsley Plantation

Kingsley Plantation is located on Fort George Island about ten miles east of downtown Jacksonville. To reach the island, turn east onto Hecksher Drive (Highway 105) from I-295 (SR 9A). 1.2 miles past the St. Johns River Ferry turn left at the park sign onto the dirt road. Travel 1.5 miles down the scenic road to the plantation.

We visited Kingsley Plantation on a clear, sunny morning in February. The temperature was in the fifties. Our first stop was at the row of slave houses which had been constructed of tabby (concrete-like material made from ground shells). During the time period that Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife, former slave, Anna M. Jai, work was done according to the task system.

The next stop was at the plantation home built by John McQueen in the late 1700s. Zephaniah took ownership of the plantation in 1814. The house has a unique design. It consists of one large center room with four rooms attached, one at each corner. The rooms were not connected inside so getting from one room to another meant going outside. It was probably designed so that each room might catch the breeze from the Fort George River.

At the time of our visit, the tour inside of the house was limited due to some repairwork going on. Reservations are necessary, but we were able to join a tour group as it was not too busy. See the park website for times and phone numbers.

Kingsley Plantation is a must see if you are interested in Florida history. It gives a glimpse at life on a plantation, explaining the day-to-day work that took place and examining the living conditions and relationships of the people who lived there.