In 1814, Zephaniah Kingsley moved to Fort George Island and what is known today as the Kingsley Plantation.  He brought with him his wife and three children (a fourth would be born at Fort George).
 His wife, Anna Madgigine Jai, was from Senegal, West Africa, and was purchased by Kingsley as a slave, when she was about 13 years old.  She actively participated in plantation management, acquiring her own land and slaves when freed by Kingsley in 1811.

With an enslaved work force of about 60, the Fort George plantation produced Sea Island cotton, citrus, sugar cane and corn.

  Kingsley continued to acquire property in north Florida and eventually possessed more than 32,000 acres, including four major plantation complexes and more than 200 slaves.

Kingsley Plantation is the oldest remaining plantation house in Florida. A simple structure, it was built around 1798 by the first owner John Mc Queen.

The original floor plan is unusual, consisting of a 2-story central area with four square corner rooms.

In addition to the planter's residence, the early 19th century structures included the kitchen house, barn, and 32 slave quarters.
(On many plantations cooking was done in a separate building to keep accidental kitchen fires from spreading to other structures.)