Timucuan

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Kingsley Plantation Timucuan Preserve Grounds Tour For Kids Where am I? This island was once a working plantation. A plantation was a type of farm. Crops were grown and sold for profit. However, unlike a farm, the workers on a plantation were forced into labor against their will and were called slaves. Considered property, a slave was owned by another person and could be sold to someone else at any time. Families could be sold apart from each other. Enslaved people were not paid for their work. This place is called Kingsley Plantation. It is named after one of the owners, Zephaniah (“Zef-uh-NI-uh”) Kingsley, who lived here for over 20 years with his family. This place is important because you can learn about the history of Florida. Follow the map and visit the stops so you can imagine what life was like on a plantation. Take care of this special place! This place is special. You can help keep it safe. Please don’t touch or climb on the walls and buildings. You might damage them or hurt yourself. Leave plants and animals alone, too. They are protected! Stop 1: Looking Past the Slave Quarters Look down the long dirt road. The woods used to be the fields where the slaves worked. Sea Island cotton was the most important crop. They also grew sugar cane, beans, corn, potatoes and other food crops. Working in the fields was one task, or job, that was given to the slaves. Sometimes they also worked inside the owner’s house, cooked, or worked as blacksmiths or carpenters. Stop 2: The Slave Quarters The old cabins you see are where the slaves lived. After finishing a day’s task, slaves returned to their homes. However, their work for the day was not over. Personal needs were tended to, such as growing their own food in their gardens. The cabins were the homes of many fathers, mothers, sons and daughters who worked on the plantation. Each cabin had a fireplace for cooking, light, and warmth. Imagine families gathering around the fireplace after a day of hard work in the fields. The concrete used to build the cabins is called “tabby.” It is made from oyster shells, sand and water. Stop 3: Size and Shape Look at the cabins. Are they all the same size? No, the big ones on the ends were for the families of the Drivers, slaves in charge of other slaves. Are the houses in a straight line? The houses are in a semi-circle shape (half of a circle). Some villages in West Africa are shaped like this. Stop 4: The Barn This stop takes you to the barn. It is also made of tabby. Can you see the shells? The barn housed cows and chickens and many types of tools were stored here. There were pens outside the barn for more animals. Some slaves worked and slept in the barn. Stop 5: The Garden A wide variety of crops were grown when this was a working plantation, a few of which can be seen in this garden. Many crops, such as okra, peanuts, beans, and pumpkins were grown to feed the people who lived on the plantation. Others, such as indigo, were grown for profit. Indigo produced a rich blue dye used in clothing, paints, or even as an ink. By late summer the Sea Island cotton, another cash crop, will be six feet or taller. The luxuriant fibers sold for a handsome profit, all of which went to the owner. Slaves, ten years and older, picked as much as 50 pounds of Sea Island cotton daily from July to December. Each slave could also be tasked to gin (remove) over 20 pounds of seeds each day. Stop 6: The Kitchen Why is the kitchen house separated from the owner’s house? It was separate to prevent the owner’s house from catching on fire. Also, it kept heat, noise, and smells out of the owner’s home. Slaves had to prepare meals for the owner’s family. They combined their African traditions in food and cooking with the recipes and dishes that the owner’s family liked. Stop 7: The Owner’s Home Learn more at: www.nps.gov/timu This house is where many plantation owners and their families lived. Zephaniah Kingsley and his family lived here too. It was built in 1798, making it the oldest plantation house still standing in Florida. During warm weather windows were opened to catch the ocean breezes. This was their air conditioning! Take a moment and compare this house to a slave cabin. Buildings can tell us how people lived. Children in the owner’s home lived in comfort. Those in the slave cabins faced many hardships. Draw your favorite memory! EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA