Mulberry Grove Plantation

On NAS Jacksonville there is a historical marker located on Muskin Rd near the housing area.  At one time a major portion  of the base was part of a huge plantation.  In 1787 Timothy Hollingsworth, an Englishman, purchased land from the Spanish who ruled Florida.  He created a plantation and named it Mulberry Grove Plantation after the numerous Mulberry trees that were in the area.  It was a thriving plantation and continued to thrive for years.  In 1805 a Georgian plantation owner, John H McIntosh, purchased Mulberry Grove Plantation and began growing cotton.  During his ownership he became the leader of the so called Patriot War, an attempt by U.S. citizens to seize East Florida from the Spanish.  The attempt failed and McIntosh sold the plantation and returned to Georgia.  In 1862 Arthur M Reed purchased the plantation and lived there with his family.  They planted Orange groves, which thrived, along with cattle, and an array of fruits and vegetables.  The crops were harvest and shipped by Steamships that were run on the St. John's River.  The main plantation house was beautiful and had a shaded avenue leading to the river.  The trees along the St John's may be the only thing left from when the plantation existed.  A.M. Reed was a generous man and sold a portion of of the plantation (20 acres) to a slave that was born on the plantation. This took place before the Civil War granted the slaves freedom.  The slave's son, John Reese, shared his life (in 1939) on the slave driven plantation with hired African American workers that maintained the plantation.  His father's farm grew many crops that were sold and shipped by the steamboats on the St. Johns.  The river was the gateway to life on the plantation and they would take boats to Jacksonville to purchase goods.  It continued as farm land until 1939 when the U.S Government purchased the land to become what is now NAS Jacksonville. 
Today is our last day in the Jacksonville area and it will be a busy day of  saying so long to family and friends and getting ready for our trip tomorrow.  We are headed to Panama City Beach, FL for a month.
We have really enjoyed our time here, as this is home, and will miss all of our family and friends!