11676 Palmetto Ave
Jacksonville, FL 32226, USA

Kingsley Plantation, Slave Quarters, 11676 Palmetto Ave Jacksonville, Duval County, FL

Among the most notable of the surviving structures at Kingsley Plantation are the ruins of 25 (of 32) tabby slave houses. Most likely erected by Zephaniah Kingsley ca. 1822-30 the quarters were inhabited by slaves until the end of the Civil War and subsequently by freedpeople. By the late 1870s, however, most had fallen into disrepair and several were dismantled by John Rollins in order to build a dock and boathouse from tabby slabs. Nonetheless, the quarters designated as E1 still retained most of its roof framing when it was documented by HABS in 1934. Quarters E1 was restored by the state of Florida after its acquisition in 1966. A subsequent restoration of the building was undertaken by the National Park Service in 2004.
The Quarters are perhaps most notable for their siting and spatial organization. The 32 houses were arrayed in a vast semicircular arc (approximate 350 radius) which was bisected by Palmetto Avenue, the entrance road to the plantation. The two houses adjacent to the road (E1 and W1) and the two houses at the ends (E16 and W16) were built larger than the others. In plan each of the quarters consisted of one or two rooms with a fireplace at one end. The walls of the quarters were constructed of tabby poured into molds that extended the full height of the building, and then plastered. Wood framing supported the shingled roof. Remnants of tabby floors survive in several of the quarters. At an unknown date, the fireplaces in several of the quarters were rebuilt in clay brick.

Kingsley Plantation, Kitchen, 11676 Palmetto Ave Jacksonville, Duval County, FL

Physical evidence suggests that the kitchen at Kingsley Plantation was originally a one-story, two-room building. Most likely constructed around the same time as the house nearby (1798), the kitchen was made of tabby brick walls and had a large clay brick fireplace; it was oriented perpendicular to the main house. In 1812, during the Patriots` Rebellion, the plantation, which was then the home of John McIntosh who was one of the rebellion`s leaders, was ransacked by Spanish troops. The outbuildings, including presumably the kitchen, were burned.
The kitchen was rebuilt and expanded early in the tenure of Zephaniah Kingsley (1814-39). A first-floor addition, constructed with poured tabby walls, was built along the west side of the original building, with a shed roof covering the addition. An exterior stair was built at the east side to provide access to the second floor. The first floor exterior tabby walls were stuccoed and scored.
Tradition has long held that the kitchen, as rebuilt by Kingsley, was the home of Anna Madagegine Jai (ca. 1793-1870), one of his slaves, whom he married and manumitted. Since Kingsley was also involved in relationships with several of his other slaves, it is presumed that he set her up in her own household as per the African custom involving polygamous families. Based in the kitchen, Anna jai raised their children, managed the plantation household, and assumed the duties of plantation manager when Kingsley was away.
Subsequent owners of Kingsley Plantation used the second-story rooms for plantation offices and lodgings. A covered walkway was built by John Rollins ca. 187, connecting the kitchen to the house. About 1866 Rollins raised the east porch of the kitchen to its current two-story height. The kitchen was restored by the National Park Service in 2005-06.

Kingsley Plantation, Barn, 11676 Palmetto Ave Jacksonville, Duval County, FL

T-shaped in plan, the barn at Kingsley Plantation was erected in two phases. The north wing, constructed of tabby brick, was most likely built ca. 1814-20 early in Zephaniah Kingsley`s tenure. The south wing, constructed of poured tabby, was built at an unknown but later date, although possibly by 1822. Wood framing supports the roof. The barn at Kingsley Plantation is the only surviving barn from Florida`s colonial period.