Kingsley Heritage Celebration honors the importance of the plantation’s black history

jacksonville, florida – Over the past two weeks, a special celebration was held to honor the significance of Kingsley Plantation’s black history.

The enslavement of one woman at Fort George Island Plantation changed the course of history for her family and many others.

Anna Kingsley, an African princess, was captured in Cuba in the early 1800s and sold into slavery.

“She was bought by Zephaniah [Kingsley] He was brought to St. Augustine, Florida, Spain from Havana when he was 13,” explained Emily Palmer, parks manager at the Tim Quan Conservation Reserve.

Zephaniah eventually married Anna when she was a slave, and the two had several children before Zephaniah released them when Anna turned 18.

“As a free black woman in Florida, Spain, she could own property and sue in court. She exercised her right to own a business,” Palmer said. rice field.

After the United States took control of Florida, Anna and some family fled to Haiti. Others, however, remained and settled in the present-day Jacksonville area.

The Kingsley Heritage Celebration began 25 years ago as a family reunion for the Kingsley family and the descendants of slaves who once lived on the plantation.

However, the event has since evolved into an in-person community event for the first time since 2020.

During the past two weeks of celebration, people roamed the rich history grounds and learned what life was like for the enslaved people at Kingsley Plantation.

“It’s a complicated story,” said Palmer. “Different local laws affected different people, they were individual lives, different personal stories. The story of Anna and Zephania is just one example. represents.”

Some of the families at Kingsley Plantation were part of the Gullah Geechee community.

The Garageechee people were enslaved from South Carolina to St. Augustine. Upon their release, some settled in the Cosmo and Fort Caroline areas of Jacksonville.

For Anthony Williams, a descendant of Gala Geechee, celebrations are educational occasions.

“We learn about different cultures and where we come from, so it brings us all together as a community,” Williams said. I think the culture, where I’m from, it’s all tied together.”