I’m not going to bore you with the whole story but interest you with the juicy bits

We woke this morning before the sun came up to geese honking and herons squawking, I was pretty excited. We are anchored on Broward Creek just west of the ICW, about four miles north of Sisters Creek. I love it here, this beautiful salt marsh area is so full of life. When the six foot tide recedes it leaves large stinky areas of exposed muck with more water life that I cant begin to imagine and greenery that becomes a complete breakfast table for the pelicans, terns, cranes, herons, egrets, cormorants, and ducks that inhabit the area. Coffee in hand we watch the sun come up. 

Our mission for today was to visit the Kingsley plantation, located on Fort George Island a quick dingy ride from our anchorage. We weren’t disappointed, both Marc and I thought it was one of the most interesting tours we have ever taken. We used the GPS guided system that talked you in the historic voices of those that lived there, through the 15 points of interest. Word of warning though, you needed patience it was long and detailed.  

 OK, so I’m not going to bore you with the whole story but interest you with the juicy bits:

In 1814 Zephaniah Kingsley, his wife and three children bought this plantation, accessible only by boat, to produce prized sea island cotton.

Zephaniah Kingsley’s wife Anna was a slave from Senegal West Africa that he had purchased in 1806 in Havana Cuba at the age of 13. Zephaniah freed Anna in 1811 were she was able to have her own plantation and slaves also becoming her husbands business partner.   

Under Spanish control Florida had fairly radical liberal ideas for the era, there were three levels of society; whites, freed Blacks, and slaves. Slaves worked under the task system, a task was a specific amount of work expected daily, such as house work, carpentry or in the fields and when their task was completed the remainder of their day was theirs to tend to their own families needs such as gardening or making money through their skills, enabling them to buy their freedom. 

Now they don’t say that Zephaniah never beat a slave, but it is implied that he and Anna believed in reaping the benefits of hope rather than the whip, after all Anna, a black woman was a slave master. Oh and another juicy tidbit Zephaniah was a palligamist, Anna was the first of four sister wives.  

Added benefits of the stop Peacocks wandering the plantation and my heart just about  stopped from excitement when we spotted  an armadillo

And as if our day hadn’t been perfect enough, we were eating dinner in the cock pit when three dolphins swam beside the boat. I think of dolphins as special good luck, and this trip seems to be filled with lots of luck