A historic preservationist and considers that tright here might have been dozens of households dwelling on these plantations By way of the years.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — Leslee Keys started researching plantations 20 years in the past.
Particularly, ones that belonged to John Hanson Inside the 1800s and James Peavett Inside the 1700s.
“Based mostly on paperwork, Which might have been The Most very important and most prosperous sugar plantation Inside The world,” says Keys said about wooded land simply west of the West King Road and Holmes Boulevard intersection in St. Augustine.
She’s a historic preservationist and considers that tright here might have been dozens of households dwelling on these plantations By way of the years.
“Wright here are the graves?” she asks.
As a Outcome of Tright here have been plantations on this website, she considers tright here are in all probability graves of enslaved people right here that Ought to be protected or moved earlier than street enchancment begins.
The enslaved Individuals are listed on census data from the mid 1800s.
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A mannequin new huge street — the State Road 312 Extension — is deliberate to go proper through wright here the plantations are considerd to have existed.
First Coast Information obtained reviews about archaeological research carried out on parts of the land the street would influence.
However the reviews don’t say The identical factor.
In 2005, archaeologists employed by the state To consider the Peavett plantation website famous Inside the report that the land Can be “eligible for itemizing Inside the Nationwide Register of Historic Places.” Even in 1990, The state of affairs was found to be of “appreciable historic significance.” That archaeology group suggested The state of affairs be “excavated Earlier to streetway enchancment” So as to study extra about what artifacts lie under.
Ten years later in 2015, the Florida Division of Transportation paid For An further archaeological group To consider The state of affairs, and that group found one factor utterly completely different.
That the majority current report said hardly any artifacts have been found, and The world had been disturbed. That led the Florida DOT To Search out out enchancment of the street Could have “no influence” on any historic areas in its path.
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However, Keys discovers That strong To imagine about.
“I simply discover That super,” she informed First Coast Information.
Different archeologists Inside The world are scratching their heads Regarding the completely different research’ end outcomes.
The Division of Transportation despatched First Coast Information A press launch earlier this week:
“As regular apply, the Division considerd the enterprise limits And located no discoverings of a cemetery.”
Keys wants a extra thorough inspection of The state of affairss.
“I really feel the African American graves Ought to be revered and dealt with as They might be legally,” she famous.
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