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explorers weren’t the only Europeans
to set foot on Florida soil. Fort Caroline
Fort Caroline
memorializes the short-lived French
presence in sixteenth-century Florida. Here
you’ll find stories of exploration, survival,
religious disputes, territorial battles, and
first contact between American-Indians
and Europeans on 128 unspoiled acres of
Florida land. Long before Florida became a
popular tourist destination, it was a pawn in
battles between Spain, France, and Britain.
Fort de la Caroline was built in 1564 to
protect the first French settlement in the
United States on the banks of the St. Johns
River, in what is now Jacksonville.
The original Fort Caroline is thought
to have washed away during the late 19th
century, but a replica was built based on
sketches by the settlement’s cartographer,
Jacques le Moyne. The memorial also
features the visitor center for the Timucuan
Ecological and Historic Preserve (Fort
Caroline National Memorial is a unit within the preserve) with a collection of rare Timucuan
artifacts on display, most notably a wooden owl that is the largest wooden effigy recovered from an
archeological site in North and South America. Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.
KINGSLEY PLANTATION 11676 Palmetto Avenue (251-3537, www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm)
In 1814, Zephaniah Kingsley moved to Fort George Island and what is known today as the Kingsley
Plantation. He brought a wife and three children (a fourth would be born at Fort George). His wife,
Anna Madgigine Jai, was from Senegal, West Africa, purchased by Kingsley as a slave. She actively
participated in plantation management, acquiring her own land and slaves when freed by Kingsley
in 1811. With an enslaved workforce of about 60, the Fort George plantation produced Sea Island
cotton, citrus, sugar cane, and corn. Kingsley continued to acquire property in north Florida and
eventually possessed more than 32,000 acres, including four major plantation complexes and more
than 200 slaves. Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is free.
CUMMER MUSEUM OF ART & GARDENS 829 Riverside Avenue (356-6857, www.cummer.org)
The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens presents “La Florida: 500 Years of Florida Art” featuring
40 pieces including oil paintings, watercolors, sculptures, Earthenware, surfboards and video. This
exhibition highlights works in the Cummer’s own collections, including landscapes by such well-
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10 JULY 2013 | eu jacksonville monthly
known artists as Winslow Homer and Martin Johnson Heade. In addition, a selection of contemporary
art from museums, galleries and collectors throughout the state celebrates the state’s creativity while
demonstrating the increasing influence that environmental concerns play in Florida art. The exhibit
is on view through October 6. Admission to the Cummer is $10 for adults, $6 for seniors, military
and students. Children 5 and under are free. The museum is open on Tuesday from 10 am to 9 pm,
Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday from noon to 4 pm.
Kingsley Plantation
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