NPS Image.
Volunteers portraying the 54th Massachusetts Infantry.
Kingsley Heritage Celebration 2012
Kingsley Plantation, 904.251.3537
The National Park Service invites the public to the 14th Annual Kingsley Heritage Celebration.This year the event focuses on the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which was called by many as the "War of Jubilee".This tumultuous time in our history signaled the end of bondage for more than four million enslaved African Americans.In this conflict, African Americans fought as soldiers, worked as spies, and spoke out against the horrors of slavery.This year's celebration honors the role of African Americans in the Civil War as our nation remembers this important anniversary.
Special afternoon events will be held on February 18th and 25th, and are sponsored by the National Park Service's Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.These events are free and open to the public. The goal of this annual celebration is to allow the local community to explore cultural traditions found in modern American society that originated during the plantation period.
Detailed Schedule of Events
Saturday, February 18:
1:30 p.m. -Rose Person, a Harriet Tubman reenactor, will recite poetry and explain Harriet Tubman's role in the Civil War as a spy, nurse, and occasional laundress, including her role in the Civil War events of Jacksonville. 2:00 p.m. -Sparky and Rhonda Rucker, folk musicians, will present their poignant performance "The Blue and Gray in Black and White", the story of the Civil War told through music and song.
Kids Corner: Throughout the day, park staff will present children's activities relating to the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.Kids will be able to design their own drums, make a rag doll to take home and even send secret messages like Civil War spies.
The Kingsley Plantation Main House will be open for viewing from 10 am until 1:30 pm.
Saturday, February 25:
1:00 p.m. -54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, the first all-black regiment of the Civil War, a group of soldiers that paved the way for other black men to join the Union army, in the form of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), will be the topic of the day.
Volunteers from the local reenacting group, which portrays the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, will be on hand to discuss the experiences of the first all-black regiment of the Civil War.The original regiment spent time in Northeast Florida during the Civil War.
Park rangers and volunteers in period costumes will demonstrate various tasks involved in the operation of a large plantation.Demonstrations will include cooking, spinning, weaving, dyeing with indigo, woodworking, and gardening.
Sponsored by:
Kingsley Plantation: (904) 251-3537
11676 Palmetto Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32226
