Fort George Island

It was wonderful to leave Fernandina and head south on the intracoastal. We hadn't traversed this area of the ICW since the fall of 2008 as we had bypassed it by going outside into the Atlantic each of the last two years.

The weather was splendid - the best we'd seen in a November while cruising. In fact, the weather was so good that Matt questioned if we'd been lying to you all about previous weather related postings. We promise you we have not. Instead we can only say that the week of Thanksgiving brought with it the most wonderful 75-80 degree days filled with sunshine and such mild winds they could merely be described as breezes.

But onto Fort George and the Kingsley Plantation...

The plantation has had many owners since its 18th century roots but the most notable owners were the Kingsley's in the early 1800's. Zephaniah Kingsley and his African bride moved to the island where they and their slaves produced cotton. Zephaniah would become a very successful plantation owner adding to his acreage over time. He is remembered both for his business success but more importantly for his proactive stance on free blacks and his opinions against racial prejudice.

While the property still includes the old plantation house - now modified over time, the most interesting structures are the old slave quarters. They are built from tabby - cooked oyster shells (for lime), sand and water which when combined make a form of cement. Much of the cabins still stand after all these years and the oyster shells can be seen in the structures.

As interesting as this stop is we must be moving on.

The Admiral

11/23/2010