Kingsley Plantation
06/24/06 - 06/25/06
Name: Kingsley
Plantation
Est. Circa. 1813
Location: Fort George Island, Jacksonville, FL
Street Location:
Kingsley Plantation
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
13165 Mount Pleasant Road
Fort George Island,
Jacksonville, Florida 32225
(904) 251-3537
Date:
June 24th & 25th, 2006
Time: June 24, 2006 8:30pm & June 25, 2006 7:45pm
Wind Speed:
5.4 MPH
Sunset: 8:23PM
Temperature at Sunset: 89°
Moon
Phase: Waning Crescent
EVP
Clips:
Due to failure
of equipment, we aren't able to share any EVP clips. We sincerely
apologize!
Blame the Spirits! LOL!!
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Click On Pic
to See Each One!
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Investigation Notes:
Initial
Thoughts and Comments:
First Impressions:
Very creepy. This is a place that has a lot of history since 1567. This
was a place that had and housed over 300 slaves from the times of
1813-1839. Their has been a lot of death of humans and animals and the
area holds an aura and smell of sweat and death. Horrible things have
happened with the Oak trees, especially the Father Oak tree, or also
known as the King Oak tree. Hangings and lynching has happened several
times with the Father Oak tree and the trees do not want you to know
their history.
They will not allow you to photograph any of the trees once it turns
dark near the King Oak tree. Every time you point a camera towards a tree or the shrubs to take
a picture, all of the cameras wouldn't function at all. As soon as it
turned pitch black outside, all cameras and recorders stopped
functioning completely. When we got home, all equipment worked
perfectly. This happened both nights of the investigations.
All equipment stopped working on both days of the investigation.
Batteries were drained in all equipment. Brand new batteries were put in
all research equipment prior to entering the Plantation. Back up
batteries were replaced and were brand new. Instantly all of the
equipment lost all battery power again. The only camera that would work
was an Olympus Trip 600, a $20.00 mechanical camera. On Sunday, day two
of our investigation this camera stopped working in the middle of the
investigation.
We did hear voices and things running down the road.
Other investigators have focused their investigations directly inside
the gates of the plantation which includes the Tabby homes of the slaves
and the Kingsley Plantation Antebellum home.
My investigation was focused on the outside of the gates of the
plantation where the slaves had grown the cotton crops and maintained
the plantation slave life. This is truly where the focus of the
investigations were.
As the story goes, a male slave tortured, raped, and murdered two young
female slaves. When the investigation pointed to him, he was hung from
the limb of an old oak tree that grew over the driveway. I found the
tree which I did see "Old red Eyes" but only for a few seconds. Their
was a lot of walking next to us inside of the bushes and trees as we
walked up and down the long winding road. This place is definitely not
for the beginning investigator!
Final
Thoughts:
This was an investigation that was not to be 'formal.' This was an
investigation of 2 friends that went out and checked out Kingsley
Plantation during the day on Saturday to check out the land, home, barn,
the Tabby Shacks, (Slaves houses) and the grounds outside of the fenced
in area. (The home, barn and most of the Tabby Shacks) We hardly had any
equipment with us. We went out to see what we can feel and maybe get on
film or digital camera!
There is definitely something out there that stops you from
photographing with any type of camera and will not allow you to voice
record. They follow you and you can hear them right next to you.
Kingsley Plantation is a place that will chase you out of 'there'
environment. The trees, grounds, roads, etc. just do not want you to
know there secrets of sweat and death. You can smell the sweat and death
after all of these years.
This is
definitely not a place for the beginner investigator. I would like to
get my team down to Florida to do a full weekend thorough investigation.
This is a place worth going back to, but it isn't for the weak.
Thank you,
Leah D. Lichtenberg
Founder
Leah@thespiritresearchsociety.com
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Investigators
Present:
Leah D. Lichtenberg
Digital Photography,
35MM Photography
Kodak Professional Portra 800 Film (Qty: 4 Rolls)
Radio Shack Micro-45 VOX Micro-Cassette Voice Recorder
External Microphone for Micro-Cassette Voice Recorder
Amanda:
Olympus
Digital Voice Recorder DW-90
Olympus Trip 600 35mm Film
Camera
Kodak Professional Portra 800 Film (Qty:
4 Rolls)
Equipment Used:
Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer (Qty: 1)
Canon
EOS Rebel T2 35MM Camera (Qty: 1)
Kodak
Professional Portra 800 Film (Qty: 8 Rolls)
Olympus
Trip 600 35mm Film Camera
Investigation Paperwork
Pens/Paper
Historical
Information:
The Kingsley Plantation:
The Kingsley Plantation, administered by the National
Park Service, is located on Fort George Island and includes the
plantation house, a kitchen house, a barn, and the ruins of 25 of the
original slave cabins. The history of the island spans more than 1000
years beginning with the Timucuan Indians. The structures at the site,
however, date to the plantation era of the island. The Kingsley
Plantation was named for one of several plantation owners, Zephaniah
Kingsley, who operated the property from 1813-1839. Kingsley operated
under a "task" system, which allowed slaves to work at a craft or tend
their own gardens once the specified task for the day was completed.
Proceeds from the sale of produce or craft items were usually kept by
the slaves. Purchased as a slave, Kingsley's wife, Anna Madgigine Jai,
was freed in 1811. She was active in plantation management and became a
successful business woman owning her own property. As an American
territory, Florida passed laws that discriminated against free blacks
and placed harsh restrictions on African slaves. This prompted Kingsley
to move his family, impacted by these laws, to Haiti, now the Dominican
Republic, where descendants of Anna and Zephaniah live today.
The drive into Kingsley Plantation is along a scenic,
narrow (and sometimes bumpy), dirt road. Stately sabal palms line the
historic road as it nears the plantation entrance. The historic site of
today is on about 25 acres of mostly open land. One trail takes visitors
from the planter's home to the slave quarters; the return trail winds
slightly through the forested landscape. The total loop is approximately
one-third mile. The site is self-guiding and a staff member is available
throughout the day. Scheduled Ranger talks are posted on-site.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Open daily 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed December 25.
DIRECTIONS:
From Interstate 95, exit on Heckscher Drive (FL 105); follow Heckscher
East to Florida 9A. Continue straight on Heckscher about nine miles;
turn left at the NPS sign onto Fort George Island; follow signs, the
road leads directly to the plantation parking lot.
INFORMATION:
Kingsley Plantation
Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
13165 Mount Pleasant Road
Jacksonville, Florida 32225
(904) 251-3537
Legend / Haunting:
In 1813, Zephaniah Kingsley rented the plantation from
John McIntosh, and then in 1817 he purchased it for $7,000. Under
Kingsley's control the plantation was operated under a task system.
Slaves were required to perform tasks on the plantation, but when their
tasks were finished they were free to work on crafts or tend their own
gardens. All of the profits from the crafts and gardens went to the
slaves. Kingsley lived on the plantation until 1839; he shared the home
with his wife Anna Jai, a slave that he freed. When Florida became an
American territory they passed laws against slavery, so Kingsley moved
his family to Haiti.
Today, the plantation is operated by the National Park Service. The
sites on the island include the plantation house, the kitchen house, a
barn, and the ruins of 25 slave cabins.
Haunting: The Kingsley Plantation is haunted by a ghost called "Old Red
Eyes."
As the story goes, a male slave tortured, raped, and murdered two young
female slaves. When the investigation pointed to him, he was hung from
the limb of an old oak tree that grew over the driveway.
Death hasn't put an end to this murder's evilness; visitors to the
island have reported seeing two red eyes watching them from the
darkness. In addition to these ever-watchful evil eyes, the cries of
children have been also heard in the night.
