Fort George Island Cultural State Park
Encyclopedia
Fort George Island State Cultural Site is a Florida State Park
located on Fort George Island, about three miles (5 km) south of Little Talbot Island State Park
on SR A1A
, and near the 46000 acres (186.2 km²) Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
, in Jacksonville
, Florida
. It is the highest point along the Atlantic coast south of Sandy Hook, New Jersey
, and contains Timucua
oyster shell mounds. The park is part of the Talbot Islands GEOpark complex.
The park contains several distinct periods in human history. During the early historical period Fort George Island was known as Alicamani. It was the location of the village of Alicamani, a major village of the Timucua
chiefdom known as the Saturiwa
. Timucua influence is noted by the presence of middens, large mounds that are compiled of massive middens or shell mounds filled with discarded food byproducts. On Fort George Island, the shells were primarily oysters. The island was later home to the Spanish mission
of San Juan del Puerto, the primary mission to the Saturiwa.
Under British rule in 1765, colonists developed a plantation
on the island. It is now known as Kingsley Plantation
, after Zepheniah Kingsley, who held it for 25 years. The main house, kitchen and numerous slave quarters have survived.
Activities include off-road bicycling, hiking, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Amenities include a 4.4 miles (7.1 km)-long loop bicycle trail, boat ramp, a 3 miles (4.8 km) hiking/biking trail, and a beach. The park is open from 8:00 am till sundown year round.
Florida State Parks
The Florida State Parks encompass the majority of the lands that fall under the authority of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. There are 160 such entities, including nature reserves, recreation areas, and historic sites, which can be found in every corner of the state...
located on Fort George Island, about three miles (5 km) south of Little Talbot Island State Park
Little Talbot Island State Park
Little Talbot Island State Park is a Florida State Park located on Little Talbot Island, northeast of Jacksonville on State Road A1A. The park covers the entire island. Big Talbot Island State Park lies to the immediate north. The park contains maritime forests, dunes, and salt marshes on the...
on SR A1A
State Road A1A (Florida)
State Road A1A is a Florida State Road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Callahan, just south of Georgia. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway, a...
, and near the 46000 acres (186.2 km²) Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
The Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve is located in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, in the United States. The park was established in 1988, and covers 46,000 acres...
, in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It is the highest point along the Atlantic coast south of Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit, approximately 6.0 miles in length and varying between 0.10 and 1 miles wide in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, along the Atlantic Ocean coast of eastern New Jersey in the United States. The barrier spit encloses the southern entrance of Lower New York Bay...
, and contains Timucua
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
oyster shell mounds. The park is part of the Talbot Islands GEOpark complex.
The park contains several distinct periods in human history. During the early historical period Fort George Island was known as Alicamani. It was the location of the village of Alicamani, a major village of the Timucua
Timucua
The Timucua were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the...
chiefdom known as the Saturiwa
Saturiwa
The Saturiwa were a Timucua chiefdom centered around the mouth of the St. Johns River in what is now Jacksonville, Florida. They were the largest and best attested chiefdom of the Timucua subgroup known as the Mocama, who spoke the Mocama dialect of Timucuan and lived in the coastal areas...
. Timucua influence is noted by the presence of middens, large mounds that are compiled of massive middens or shell mounds filled with discarded food byproducts. On Fort George Island, the shells were primarily oysters. The island was later home to the Spanish mission
Spanish missions in Florida
Beginning in the second half of the 16th century, the Kingdom of Spain established a number of missions throughout la Florida in order to convert the Indians to Christianity, to facilitate control of the area, and to prevent its colonization by other countries, in particular, England and France...
of San Juan del Puerto, the primary mission to the Saturiwa.
Under British rule in 1765, colonists developed a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
on the island. It is now known as Kingsley Plantation
Kingsley Plantation
Kingsley Plantation is the site of a former estate in Jacksonville, Florida, that was named for an early owner, Zephaniah Kingsley, who spent 25 years there. It is located at the northern tip of Fort George Island at Fort George Inlet, and is part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve...
, after Zepheniah Kingsley, who held it for 25 years. The main house, kitchen and numerous slave quarters have survived.
Activities include off-road bicycling, hiking, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Amenities include a 4.4 miles (7.1 km)-long loop bicycle trail, boat ramp, a 3 miles (4.8 km) hiking/biking trail, and a beach. The park is open from 8:00 am till sundown year round.