Episode description

We enjoy every episode of "Welcome to Florida," but enjoyed this one more than most. This story takes us to Fort George Island about midway between Jacksonville and Amelia Island by the St. John's River and Atlantic Ocean. This is the location of Kingsley Plantation, named for its owner Zephaniah Kingsley.

His, however, is not the most interesting story to be told there, that story belongs to Anna Madgigine Jai.

To learn more about Jai, Craig recommends the book "Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner," which he quoted from during our interview with Emily Parker, a visual information specialist for the National Park Service specializing in the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve which includes Fort George Island and Kingsley Plantation.

To listen to Johnetta Betsch Cole, direct descendant of Jai and Abraham Lincoln Lewis' great granddaughter - he was Florida's first Black millionaire and the founder of American Beach - visit our Patreon page where our patrons have exclusive access to a presentation she gave about A.L. Lewis in September of 2023.

Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance...

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