Representatives of Florida’s congressional delegation, national park advocates and local business leaders gathered last week to tour the repair needs at Kingsley Plantation in Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and call on Congress to provide dedicated funding for national park repairs.
The Kingsley Plantation at Timucuan tells the story of early 19th century living, where the Kingsley family cultivated cotton, sugar cane and corn using the forced labor of approximately 60 slaves. A number of historic structures, including the Plantation House, Kitchen House, and cabins of enslaved peoples all have features in disrepair. Timucuan also contains 6,000 years of human history and thousands of acres of woods, water, and salt marsh.
Among those in attendance was Peri Frances, a descendant of Zephaniah Kingsley and Anna Magdaline Jai Kingsley. She addressed attendees about her family ties to the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.
“Timucuan is one such place, with important pieces of our history we stand to lose if we continue to prolong desperately needed repairs,” she said.
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