When Florida was ceded to the British in 1763, they brought a fully developed slave labor plantation system that became the economic backbone of their 15th colony of East Florida.
Massive land grants were given to important British colonists to encourage plantations, and soon, many were developed on the east coast, stretching for about a hundred miles from Fort George Island to Flagler Beach.
Enslaved Africans and indentured servants cleared forests and drained marshes to grow indigo, cotton, and rice. In the 1760s and 1770s, indigo, which produced a blue dye, was the main crop raised in East Florida for export. Later, sugar cane plantations developed.
Archaeologists and historians, who’ve studied many of these plantations in Florida, have unearthed the ruins and documents of slave cabins, owners’ mansions, and industrial facilities. Several of Florida’s plantations, across the state, are now public historical parks, including Bulow, Kingsley, Gamble, the Grove, and Live Oak. Visit them and take a trip back in time.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
