Zephaniah Kingsley moved to Florida in 1803 and began buying land and slaves. In 1810, he purchased Fort George Island, including its cotton and indigo plantation located on the island's north end that was originally built by John McQueen. Also at this time, Kingsley purchased a young woman from Jolof, Senegambia, named Anta Mujigeen Ndiaye, whom he then freed and made his wife: Anna Kingsley. Together they managed the affairs of what has become known as Kingsley Plantation.
Since the Kingsleys, the plantation has gone through several incarnations: a social club, a tourist attraction, a state park, and finally, a National Historic Site. It boasts the oldest surviving plantation in the state, as well as one of the most complete slave cabin complexes in the nation.
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Tabby is a concrete-like substance made from sand, oyster shells, and lime, a technology transplanted from Africa. The use of tabby was prevalent in Florida and coastal Georgia in the 1700s and early 1800s.
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Zephaniah Kingsley moved to Ft. George Island in 1810, and is credited with construction of the oldest surviving plantation house in Florida.
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The kitchen was often called the John "Don Juan" McQueen house, after the person who first built Kingsley Plantation. It was later called the Anna Jai (Anna Kingsley) house, after Kingsley's wife. The kitchen building's foundation was made of tabby.
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The tabby houses were formerly slave quarters.
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The cabin on the right was reconstructed by park staff.
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The crypts are believed to be for Ann Bayard Houstoun and Mary McIntosh (daughter of then-owner of Kingsley Plantation John McIntosh), both of whom died in 1808.
For more information on Zephaniah and Anna Kingsley, see Papers Concerning the Will of Zephaniah Kingsley, 1844, 1846.
