Podcast appearances and mentions of kingsley plantation

Thank you for joining us for this special episode.  Meet Anna Jai Kingsley- she was captured and enslaved as a 13 year old girl, married to a 40 year old slave and plantation owner. By 18 she was the freed mother of three and owned her own land and slaves.  She was a woman who lived many lives in one lifetime. Follow us on social media. Leave a five start review wherever you can.  Consider becoming a Patreon supporter it will allow for producer Mike and I to take the podcast further and allow us to visit more historical places. https://patreon.com/theloreofthesouth?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLinkGot a show idea or wanna get in touch email the show at loreofthesouth@gmail.comCitations Guides @ UF: Florida History Resources: British colonial period: Introduction. British Colonial Period: Introduction - FLORIDA HISTORY RESOURCES - Guides @ UF at University of Florida. (n.d.). https://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/c.php?g=147537&p=7798301 Schafer, D. L. (2018). Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley African Princess, Florida Slave, plantation slaveowner. University Press of Florida. Stowell, D. W., & Tilford, K. (1998). Kingsley Plantation. Eastern National. Stowell, D. W., Tilford, K., Clark, R., Clark, C. S., & Tyrol, B. (2007). Kingsley plantation a history of the Fort George Island Plantation. Eastern National. Support the show

Today, we explore the latest state and local news, including financing for EverBank Stadium improvements, controversial lawsuit settlements and the start of the JEA corruption trial. Then, we discuss racial justice advocacy with Hope McMath, founder of the Yellow House gallery. Plus, we learn about the Kingsley Heritage Celebration this Saturday, honoring the legacy of enslaved Africans at Kingsley Plantation.

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.

Welcome back listeners, new and old. Today we are having a brief episode discussing the Kingsley Plantation located in Jacksonville Florida. We will be going over the basic history of the property as well as some of the most common superstitions and tales surrounding the plantation. As always, sit back, relax and enjoy! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedarkcryptidspodcast/support

Today we have Dr. Ayana Omilade Flewellen, an assistant Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University, on the podcast. Dr. Flewellen is a Black, non-binary, feminist, archaeologist, who works with collections originating from the African diaspora, and focuses on small finds and the extraordinary stories those items tell. They work at plantation archaeological sites as well as underwater sites of slave shipwrecks.  We begin by discussing their background in anthropology starting with their undergrad at the University of Florida and their first anthropology class there. From that first cultural anthropology class they were hooked, and their second class in Anthro was a class cross listed class with the African Studies department called “Archaeology of African American Life and History” taught by Dr. James Davidson. Ayana speaks about the profound impact this class on their archeological journey and the uniqueness of the subject matter that allowed Ayana to see themselves in archaeology. This class, and Dr. Davidson, would end up shaping Ayana's subsequent career in archaeology. Next, we discuss their first field school at Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island, working with Dr. Davidson. We then speak about their favorite class to teach as a Professor called, A Will to Adorn: an anthropology of dress. Ayana describes this class as an ode to Zora Neal Hurston, and her piece where she described characteristics of negro expression and their “will to adorn.” Then we dive into their PhD research which examined small finds in a collection from the Levi-Jordan plantation. Ayana describes passionately the value in small finds being able to tell extraordinary stories. Lastly, we talk about their ongoing project at the Princess Plantation and the importance of community based archaeology projects. Check out Ayana's other amazing work here: https://www.ayanaflewellen.com/ Princess Plantation Project: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a69f20809be64ed8aef1b7329c5dbd5e https://divingwithapurpose.org/ Check out the amazing Society of Black Archaeologists: https://www.societyofblackarchaeologists.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gabby-campbell1/support

TRIGGER WARNING - If you are triggered by discussions of racial violence, slavery, or suicide, you may want to skip this episode. Hosts Erika Lance and Mark Muncy finally tell us their theories on the UFO that the Pentagon shot down, and, in honor of Black History Month, we dive into the journey of Anna Kingsley from slave to freed plantation owner. The travel for this episode is the Kingsley Plantation near Jacksonville, Florida, and the ghosts that remain on Fort George Island. Episode Credits: Hosts - Erika Lance @authorerikalance - Mark Muncy @eerietravels Producer - Calista Muncy Intro/Outro Music - Destini Beard @destinibeardmusic Links https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-shoots-down-unknown-flying-object-175f9078d1df36e392b2956ba771001e Florida Historic Places - Kingsley Plantation (nps.gov) https://www.floridastateparks.org/Junior-Ranger#:~:text=Visit%20any%20participating%20Florida%20State,your%20Official%20Junior%20Ranger%20Patch #kingsleyplantation #stgeorgeisland #history #florida #annakingsley #blackhistorymonth #ufo #ghosts 

* Sam Visits Florida's Oldest Plantation House At Fort George Island State Park. * If you're looking to understand a bit of Florida history, that's often left out of text books, Kingsley Plantation in Fort George Island Cultural State Park is a good place to start. Built in 1798 using slave labor, Florida's oldest still-standing plantation house came to be during the Spanish occupation. * Are you familar with the Taxes in the American Colonies: The Single Home Tax, Frontage Tax and the Windows Tax? * Washington D.C. Temple - Open House 2022 - OPEN DAILY, EXCLUDING SUNDAYS, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m APRIL 28th–JUNE 11th, All are welcome! Tickets are free but running out quickly due to the historic demand to participate in the Open House. Reserve your spot now to ensure you have the chance to COME INSIDE! * The Washington D.C. Temple Renovation is Complete: Come and See - DCTemple.org * Sam Visits The Us National Archives Building in DC. * Movie: National Treasure (2004) The Declaration of Independence. * Plot Summary - IMDb: Riley and Ben attempt to convince Abigail that someone is attempting to steal the Declaration of Independence because of an invisible treasure map (something they have attempted to convince both the FBI and the DHS and failed). Abigail does not believe them either and sends them out.

Hour 1 * Sam Visits Florida's Oldest Plantation House At Fort George Island State Park. * If you're looking to understand a bit of Florida history, that's often left out of text books, Kingsley Plantation in Fort George Island Cultural State Park is a good place to start. Built in 1798 using slave labor, Florida's oldest still-standing plantation house came to be during the Spanish occupation. * Are you familar with the Taxes in the American Colonies: The Single Home Tax, Frontage Tax and the Windows Tax? * Washington D.C. Temple – Open House 2022 – OPEN DAILY, EXCLUDING SUNDAYS, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m APRIL 28th–JUNE 11th, All are welcome! Tickets are free but running out quickly due to the historic demand to participate in the Open House. Reserve your spot now to ensure you have the chance to COME INSIDE! * The Washington D.C. Temple Renovation is Complete: Come and See – DCTemple.org * Sam Visits The Us National Archives Building in DC. * Movie: National Treasure (2004) The Declaration of Independence. * Plot Summary – IMDb: Riley and Ben attempt to convince Abigail that someone is attempting to steal the Declaration of Independence because of an invisible treasure map (something they have attempted to convince both the FBI and the DHS and failed). Abigail does not believe them either and sends them out. Hour 2 * Guest: Tom Jones, Is a well-known extreme athlete in the ultra-endurance world. * Tom Jones – Why he's running 76 marathons in 76 days! – unitedwepledge.org * @quitproof1 Tom Jones: 22 marathons down – 56 to go! The Run for Freedom is on! – UnitedWePledge.org/v2v * Guest: Ryan Murtha, Film Maker with Tom Jones. * Support the V2V Run! – Be a Volunteer and Donate to United We Pledge Now! * Why does my cheeseburger cost so much? Most ingredients touched by inflation – KSLNewsRadio.com * As nation sets national gas price record, Utahns ponder summer plans! According to AAA, Utahns are paying an average of $4.49 per gallon of regular gasoline. That's above the national average of $4.37. * Families are struggling with rent or mortgage payments with the current housing market, and gas is making it worse. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/loving-liberty/support

Today we're headed down to the wetlands of east Florida, just outside of Jacksonville, and investigating the spirits that haunt Kingsley Plantation: the princess turned slave, turned slave-owner, Anna Kingsley; the vengeful and malevolent entity known as “Old Red Eyes”; and the ghostly white peacocks that scream in the night are just some of the known apparitions.  However, are these truly the ghosts that haunt the plantation?  Or is the true haunting the racial tropes that persist within these ghostly stories, paired with the bloody imprint of slavery on our history?    Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimesandwitchdemeanors Submit your feedback or personal stories to crimesandwitchdemeanors@gmail.com  Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crimesandwitchdemeanors  Episode Transcript: Available below the sources in the show notes Visit the website: https://www.crimesandwitchdemeanors.com  Main podcast illustration by GiAnna Ligammari: https://gialigammari.wixsite.com/portfolio    Sources: AncestryLibrary.com—Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974. (n.d.-a). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8993/images/005886187_00016?usePUB=true&_phsrc=eBA241&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=120668   AncestryLibrary.com—Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974. (n.d.-b). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8993/images/005886196_00104?usePUB=true&_phsrc=eBA241&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=288588   AncestryLibrary.com—Florida, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974. (n.d.-c). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8993/images/005886081_00271?usePUB=true&_phsrc=eBA241&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=173533   Anna and Zephaniah Kingsley. (2018, September 22). Celebrating Our History. https://uncoveringjax.wordpress.com/anna-and-zephaniah-kingsley/   Anna Kingsley A Free Woman.pdf. (n.d.-b). Retrieved January 11, 2021, from http://latinamericanstudies.org/slavery/Anna-Kingsley-Free-Woman.pdf   Black History Month: The Ghosts of Kingsley Plantation. (2011, February 25). Haunt Jaunts. https://www.hauntjaunts.net/black-history-month-the-ghosts-of-kingsley-plantation/   Card, M. (n.d.). Guest column: The amazing inter-racial story of Anna and Zephaniah Kingsley. The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved January 11, 2021, from https://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/20191103/guest-column-amazing-inter-racial-story-of-anna-and-zephaniah-kingsley   Groove, B. (2019, November 29). The Spiritual Significance of Peacocks. Balance. https://blog.buddhagroove.com/the-spiritual-significance-of-peacocks/   Jacksonville, M. A. 12713 F. C. R., & Us, F. 32225 P. 904-641-7155 C. (n.d.). Anna Kingsley: A Free Woman - Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved January 11, 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/kp_anna_freewoman.htm   Jaxson, T. (n.d.-a). Old Red Eyes And The Ghosts Of Kingsley Plantation. Retrieved January 9, 2021, from https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/old-red-eyes-and-the-ghosts-of-kingsley-plantation/   Jaxson, T. (n.d.-b). Old Red Eyes And The Ghosts Of Kingsley Plantation. Retrieved January 9, 2021, from https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/old-red-eyes-and-the-ghosts-of-kingsley-plantation-page-2/   Kingsley Plantation. (2020). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kingsley_Plantation&oldid=965199923   Kp_freedomandslavery.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.nps.gov/timu/planyourvisit/upload/kp_freedomandslavery.pdf   leral, L. rédaction de. (n.d.). ANNA KINGSLEY... Ou ANTA MADGIGIN NJAÏ - ANTA MADJIGUENE NDIAYE. Leral.net - S'informer en temps réel. Retrieved January 11, 2021, from https://www.leral.net/ANNA-KINGSLEY-ou-ANTA-MADGIGIN-NJAI-ANTA-MADJIGUENE-NDIAYE_a263761.html   Weird Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved January 10, 2021, from http://www.weirdus.com/states/florida/road_less_traveled/old_red_eyes/index.php   Zephaniah Kingsley. (2021). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zephaniah_Kingsley&oldid=998872813   TRANSCRIPT:   Hello, and welcome to another episode of Crimes & Witch-Demeanors.  I'm your host, Joshua Spellman.  Last week we covered the burning of a Capitol building…which happened to air on the day our Capitol was attacked…am I prophet?  Maybe.  Today we're headed down to the wetlands of east Florida, just outside of Jacksonville, and investigating the spirits that haunt Kingsley Plantation:  the princess turned slave turned slave-owner, Anna Kingsley; the vengeful and malevolent entity known as “Old Red Eyes”; and the ghostly white peacocks that scream in the night are just some of the known apparitions.  However, are these truly the ghosts that haunt the plantation?  Or is the true haunting the racial tropes that persist within these ghostly stories paired with the bloody imprint of slavery on our history?  Join me today to find out.   I was getting a little tired of telling the same old story of rich white folk, as ghost stories often tend to be…and the story of Kingsley Plantation is still often told as one.  Instead of focusing too much on the owner of the plantation, Zephaniah Kingsley, a rich, white polygamous slave-owner; I wanted to focus in on the story of one of his wives, Anna Kingsley, or Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye.  Her story is that of tragedy and triumph, overcoming being sold into slavery and even once freed, overcoming societal norms and the oppression of Jim Crowe.  For the history portion of the podcast, let us delve into the life of Anna Kingsley so that we can better understand her afterlife and the phantoms that lurk on the grounds of Kingsley Plantation.         On June 18, 1793 princess Anta Madjiguene Ndiaye of the Wolof people was born in modern-day Senegal.  At this time, this portion of West Africa was a home to conflict between the Wolof and the Fula and villages in the area were often lain waste to by slave raids.  The crisis only intensified and in 1806, Anta was captured by Tyeddo raiders from the Futa Toro.   She was taken by force to Goree Island, a slave debarkation point.  She was kept prisoner for days with little to no food.  However, on the first occasion she was presented to European buyers, she was sold.  Unfortunately, this catapulted Anta from one horrific situation to another.   The journey across the Atlantic was long and arduous.  The enslaved were shackled to wooden boards, confined to tight quarters, and were malnourished and over-heated.  Those who had died from heat stroke or another malady were simply thrown overboard like rotted meat.  Some people managed to escape and threw themselves overboard, as death by drowning was preferable to the horrid conditions on the ship and what awaited them once they arrived at their destination.   The ship landed in Havana, Cuba and the passengers were immediately forced into isolation.  This was done to help prevent the spread of any diseases that may have been brought with them and to make them presentable to potential buyers.   In the autumn of 1806, it was time for Anta to be put up for sale.  As it would have it, luck was on her side.  43 year-old Zephaniah Kingsley, an English merchant, had been in Cuba to purchase rum, molasses, and of course, as was the fashion of the day, slaves.  It was at this auction that he laid eyes on 13 year-old Anta and had to have her.  He desperately outbid every other slave trader and merchant there, winning ownership of Anta, soon changing her name to Anna.   Now, there is nothing about slavery that is good, but the fates were looking out for young Anta; rescuing her from a destiny that could have been much more dire.  While still a slave trader, and still a slave owner, Zephaniah held views on slavery that were atypical for the time and would benefit Anta until her death.   Although not ideal, and though it raises many modern day concerns: Anta was wed to Zephaniah in an African ceremony in Havana.  This ceremony was certainly not a catholic ceremony and therefore was not legally recognized by Spanish Florida or the United States during their lifetimes.    After this unconventional marriage, the couple made the voyage to Zephaniah's plantation, Laurel Grove, located in present-day Orange park.  However, Zephaniah and Anta did not arrive alone, as by the time they landed, Anta was with child.  Despite still being a slave, instead of relegating Anta to the paltry slave quarters – Zephaniah invited her to stay with him in his home.  This was a welcome change from the gruesome living conditions Anta had been subject to for the last several months.    Laurel Grove was home to over 100 slaves working to produce cotton, oranges, peas, and potatoes.  As mentioned earlier, despite being a plantation owner, Zephaniah's views on slavery were unique.  Make no mistake, he was still a slave master, but he was more humane than most.    Zephaniah employed a system where the slaves were appointed certain tasks for the day.  They were allowed to work as quickly or as slowly as they wished and when their day's work was completed they were allowed to use their time as they wished.  Zephaniah also allotted slaves their own fields to grow their own crops.  Some slaves spent their free time creating crafts, which Zephaniah permitted them to sell along with their own produce if they so wished.  Instead of segregating his slaves, Zephaniah preferred that they live together as families, rather than being split up.  However, despite this treatment his motivations weren't altruistic: he believed that if you treated slaves better that they would be more productive and less likely to rebel.   Apparently his system worked, as the plantation made up to $10,000 annually, or nearly half a million dollars today.  This was impressive, especially for a plantation in a secluded area of Florida.   Visitors to the plantation assumed that Anna was a free woman: after all, she ran the plantation along with a freed slave who acted as the manager while Zephaniah was off on business.  Though Zephaniah had other wives, Anna was always recognized as his primary and most beloved.  By 1811, when Anna was 18, she had bore three children: George in June of 1807, Martha in July of 1809, and Mary in February of 1811.  It was also this year that Zephaniah granted Anna full and legal emancipation, reinforcing her important position and place of power at the plantation.   In 1813, Anna petitioned the Spanish government, which still ruled Florida, for land.  She was granted 5 acres in Mandarin, just across the river from Laurel Grove.  Anna purchased equipment and goods to start her farm, including 12 slaves of her own.  Now, it may seem unusual for a freed slave to then go and purchase her own.  However, the concept of slavery was a part of her culture in Africa – including the model that female slaves often married their masters to gain freedom.  However, Anna was dead set on becoming an independent businesswoman, selling goods, produce, and poultry.   However, this particular business venture would not last long.  During that same year, Zephaniah was kidnapped by the Patriot Rebellion; American insurgents who were attempting to annex Florida by force.  The rebels attacked and raided towns and plantations and all blacks they captured into slavery—regardless of their legal status.  This put Anna at great risk.   The patriots soon arrived to pillage Laurel Grove, taking 31 of its slaves in the process, and using the plantation as their headquarters as they looted nearby areas.  To avoid capture and being re-sold into slavery, Anna negotiated with the Spanish for her escape, bringing her children and 12 slaves with her.  As she left, she burned Laurel Grove and her newly acquired homestead to the ground so that the insurgents could no longer use them as a base.  For this, the Spanish government awarded her 350 acres of land.  70 times what she had purchased earlier that year.   In 1814, now reunited, Zephaniah and Anna moved to a plantation on Fort George Island—what is now known as Kingsley Plantation near Jacksonville, Florida.  The plantation was looted and vandalized during the rebellion and every building aside from the main house was destroyed.  Here is where Zephaniah took his other three wives, all slaves, who gave him a total of 9 children.  These women were all freed, along with his children.   To say that the family dynamic was complex would be an understatement, but Anna was the one named in his will as his wife.  These other women were considered “co-wives” of Anna, but not quite matching up to her in terms of importance or power.  His wives and his children lived in luxury and were educated with the best schooling he could afford.  When the plantation had company, Anna would sit at the head of the table and the walls of the home were decorated with paintings of African women.   In the 1820's the Kingsley's built a separate kitchen connected to the main house by a walkway.  Above the kitchen was a room where Anna resided with her children and this building was dubbed the “Ma'am Anna House”    A total of 32 slave residences were built not far from the main house.  They were arranged in a peculiar semicircle pattern.  Some historians believe that Zepheniah did this to keep a closer watch on his slaves, but others believe it was Anna's doing as many African villages were arranged in similar patterns.  In 1824, Anna bore her fourth and final son, John.   Spain eventually ceded Florida to the United States.  This transfer of power led to significant changes in how slaves and free blacks were treated.  Interracial marriage were considered to be invalid and children of mixed descent were not allowed to inherit property.  While all those born free slaves prior to 1821 were not subject to these new laws, their youngest son was born in 1824 and would not receive these same protections.  Worried that his family's rights may be taken away, in 1835 Zephaniah, moved to Haiti, in a location that is now part of the Dominican Republic.  He transferred all of his holdings to his three eldest children who stayed behind, while Anna and their youngest son, John, followed Zephaniah to Haiti in 1838.    In total Anna and Zephaniah brought 60 slaves, family members, and freed employees with them.  Since slavery was illegal in Haiti, those who were not yet freed acted as indentured servants who would earn their freedom in 9 years' time.  Anna and Zephaniah lived together on the island rather peacefully until in 1843, on a trip to New York, Zephaniah died at age 78.   Because of the new laws in Florida, none of his children were able to inherit his property and his sister, Martha, and her children challenged his will, claiming it was “defective and invalid”  Under Florida's new laws it was illegal for black people to own property and Martha claimed that when they moved to Haiti to remain free, they also abandoned their right to the property.   Despite the racial tensions boiling in Duval County at the time, neing the powerhouse of a woman that she was, Anna returned to Florida in 1846 to participate in the legal battle for the property that was rightfully hers.  Miraculously, the court upheld the treatise between the United States and Spain decreeing that all free blacks born before 1821 had a right to the same privileges they had under Spanish rule.  This was an extraordinary achievement for a black woman before the Civil War.   Naturally, when the Civil War did break out, Anna and her children were Union sympathizers.  Jacksonville was captured by the union in 1862 and Anna and her children were briefly evacuated to New York.  She returned to Florida, taking up residence in Arlington, to be nearer to her daughters who were married to white planters in Florida.  Anna passed away in 1870 at the age of 77 after living a full and eventful life.   Anna's ghost can still be seen on Kingsley plantation and is known as the “Woman in White”.  She is usually spotted on the back porch of the main house, and can often be photographed there.  However, she is not alone, her husband, Zephaniah can also be seen on the plantation from time to time.   Anna's descendants remained part of the African-American upper class for more than a century.  One of her descendants even includes Florida's first black millionaire, Abraham Lincoln Lewis.  Though Anna is long dead, her spirit, and her legacy, will live on for generations to come.   A few parts of Anna's story are disputed, but it was widely factual.  Anna did not appear to burn down her property to save it from the insurgents as she was already on a boat away from the area at the time.  Additionally, it is not confirmed if she truly was a princess.  Her lineage is widely debated and whether or not she descended from royalty. She shares part of her name, Ndiaye, with a mythological ruling figure from Jolof culture.  Additionally, her mother also held royal blood from Wolof culture and Anna may have been the daughter of ruling royalty at the time of her birth, but there is no proof on the matter.   I was able to find a number of primary sources about Anna, which was surprising given that she was a black woman in the 1800's.  However, the material I did find doesn't help us tell her story as it mainly pertains to her will.    I was devasted that I couldn't find a photograph of Anna.  Websites have pictures that claim to be her, but when you reverse search them it turns out they are other famous black women in history.  The woman on the episode image, for you Spotify listeners, and the one on the Instagram are not of Anna, but another freed slave from the plantation.   We do have a descriptions of Anna.  One from Zephaniah says that she was "a fine, tall figure, black as jet, but very handsome. She was very capable, and could carry on all the affairs of the plantation in my absence as well as I could myself. She was affectionate and faithful, and I could trust her.” And in his will he says  “She has always been respected as my wife and as such I acknowledge her, nor do I think that her truth, honor, integrity, moral conduct or good sense will lose in comparison with anyone."   Her niece described her a little differently, though she still greatly admired her beauty:   I remember her very distinctly. She was not black, and had the most beautiful features you ever saw. She was a most imposing and very handsome woman. Her smooth, light brown skin, her dark-eyes and wavy [sic] made her outstanding, and I would not keep my eyes away for admiration. She was quiet and moved with regal dignity—I have never seen anything like her, before or since. Her daughter was there also, and she was very light in color, but not as good-looking as her mother. I was six or seven years old at the time. I was Kingsley's niece. The next morning my aunt, Mrs. Gibbs, sent two servants for us with a horse and buggy, and we were carried over to Newcastle. My mother was furious that we had spent the night at Ma'm Anna's, but it could not be helped.   In fact no letters, photographs, or personal effects of Anna's are known to exist.  Even her grave is unmarked.  It is sad, but as we've discussed in other episodes, not out of the ordinary for a woman, specifically and especially a woman of color.   Now, let's get into the ghosts.  There are a lot of fun sightings on the Kingsley plantation, which was converted to a state park in 1955 and later incorporated into a national park.  This designation has allowed the property to welcome many visitors who have seen strange things.   As I mentioned Anna's ghost is often seen on the property and captured in photographs.  Maybe these are the only photographs of Anna Kingsley to exist.  However, it should be noted that she's spotted in the main house…where she did not live.  As we know she had her special residence known as Ma'am Anna's House.  She didn't die on the property, and she hadn't lived there for nearly 30 years when she did.  But it is still possible that she loved the property on Fort George Island.  Although a account from one of her white friends, Susan L'Engle, says that she seemed quite lonely but her work on the plantation and running the house kept her busy.   I wasn't able to find any firsthand encounters of her ghost.  In fact, I discovered this story through reddit, where I was asking if anyone knew of any ghost stories of people of color because I was sick of talking about old white people.  For black ghosts it's hard to search since shadow figures are described as black and will often show up, and when searching African-American it's usually metaphoric ghosts that appear such as “The Ghosts of Slavery” or the “Ghosts of the Jim Crow Era”  Now, the thing I found sad, annoying, and frustrating is that my post was constantly downvoted.  I thought it was just me…but even the comments, one saying “Black ghosts matter!” was also heavily downvoted.  It's just sad to see that happening.   And even though I did uncover this story about Anna, it is typically only discussed through the lens of her white, slave-owning husband.  But I digress.   There is another presence on the island that isn't the powerful, inspiring woman that was Anna Kingsley.  Instead, it is a dark, malevolent entity that seeks to harm: Old Red Eyes.   Legend has it that Old Red Eyes was once a slave on the plantation.  This man raped and murdered girls on the island – both the daughters of white planters and fellow slaves.  Once the other slaves on the island discovered who was behind this brutal attacks, they banded together and lynched Old Red Eyes from an oak tree.  Now, Old Red Eyes lurks on the property, spying on visitors from the trees, looking for his next victim.  Some say if you say his name three times…he just may appear.   Old Red Eyes manifests as a pair of red, glowing eyes in the woods and was first spotted in 1978.  After the recounting of a tale by a local in 1993, he has been spotted much more regularly.   For me, the interesting thing about this story is that it is full of stereotypes and idiosyncrasies.  Namely the trope of a black man being portrayed as a murderer and a rapist is one that still pervades today, and these types of stories, whether true or not, were used to spread fear and rationalize lynching in the south.  However, during the plantation era, lynching was not common and was mainly seen in the Jim Crowe era.   Interestingly, the take on the Bloody Mary myth—chanting his name three times, seems to coincide with the 1992 film Candyman: a film where the son of former slaves and a lynching victim is conjured in a similar fashion.  This would also explain the increased sightings beginning in 1993.  Old Red Eyes is also a colloquial name for the devil in some parts of the south.   Emily Palmer, one of the Park Rangers at Kingsley plantation, has another explanation for Old Red Eyes.  She says, “Interestingly enough, along Palmetto Avenue we do have something hanging from the trees that would reflect bright red eyes if a brake light was shining in them.  They're called possums. I believe that people have probably seen something of that sort… but I think it may have been a more natural explanation than what people are looking for.”   In addition to natural inhabitants like the possum, ghostly animals are also seen on the plantation.  At night you can hear the screams of a young girl, and if you follow the sound, you may be presented with a jarring sight: a ghostly white peacock.  Is it an omen?  In early Christian lore the peacock represents Christi's resurrection and the soul's ability to live on after death.   Again, Palmer is a downer, quoted as saying “If you're unfamiliar with the fact that there are albino peacocks, and if you are not familiar with the sound a peacock makes when it's doing its mating call, you might take that for a little girl screaming.  It's a pretty unique noise.”   Okay, fine, Emily!  Stop being such a downer.  What about the ghost alligator that sits at the bottom of a stairwell?  Do you have an explanation for that?  No.  I didn't think so.   A quick rundown of some of the ghostly encounters includes the smell of gingerbread in Anna's kitchen, furniture that moves on its own, a crying child in the well, the apparition of an African man in a turban, and old Zephaniah himself.  There is a tradition that you must never say “Goodnight, Zephaniah” while locking up for the night because it can cause “bad things” to happen.  What this mean, I don't know.  But I wouldn't want to chance it.  Though it seems rude on Zephaniah's part because you're just trying to be nice and courteous.  But…he was a polygamist slave-owner who had to buy his wives so maybe he's not very rational.   Kingsley plantation remains one of the most haunted places in Florida.  And whether or not its ghosts are real or simply spooky wildlife…the land is an important part of a freed black woman's story and her family's legacy.  I'm honored to have been able to tell it and I hope you enjoyed listening.   You can find historic documents and photographs are on the podcast Instagram @crimesandwitchdemeanors and sources are in the show notes.  So, please, beware of possums hanging in the trees, watch out for the ghostly crocodile at the bottom of your stairs, and as always, stay curious and stay spooky.  Bye~

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In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about centralized government, slavery and discrimination. To visit the show notes page, click here; http://bit.ly/2txngwB Conventional wisdom holds that national, centralized government protects the interests of minorities. This is a myth. In fact, the state has a long history of persecuting minority populations. A recent trip my wife and I took to the Kingsley Plantation, near Jacksonville, Fla., underscored this fact. In truth, centralized power was necessary to maintain the slavery and to institutionalize racism. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about it.