The Sugar Making Process
Sugar cane was typically planted in midwinter and harvested the following fall. Enslaved laborers hand-cut the stalks using machetes, then loaded and transported them by cart or wagon to the sugar mill.
Heavy iron rollers extracted juice from the cane stalks. The watery liquid was cleaned and skimmed before being introduced into the boiler. It passed through a series of five open kettles, decreasing in size. These kettles, set in coquina or brick frames over a furnace, gradually thickened the juice by evaporating moisture:
- Grande – largest kettle
- Flambeau – the second-largest
- Sirop – where the juice reached a syrup consistency
- Batterie – where crystals began forming
In some cases, a fifth kettle between the Flambeau and Sirop helped clarify the juice further.
Workers manually transferred the hot liquid using wooden or copper buckets. Once thickened, the syrup was cooled in vats and crystallized into sugar. Then, the sugar was packed into hogsheads placed above cisterns to drain molasses, which was stored or sold.
Notable Sugar Plantations and Their Owners
Samuel Williams and Orange Grove Plantation
Samuel Williams, a loyalist from North Carolina, relocated to the Bahamas before receiving a 3,200-acre Spanish land grant in Florida in 1787. He founded Orange Grove Plantation near the Halifax River, cultivating citrus and sugar cane. After he died in 1810, his wife and son continued operating the plantation until its destruction in 1835.
Williams’s estate included around 50 enslaved individuals, livestock, and various personal assets. Later, his widow Ana Marie married Joseph M. Hernandez, who owned several nearby plantations.
Later on, Matthias Day purchased the land, laying the foundation for what became Daytona Beach. The original cane crusher from Orange Grove is now on display at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens.
Frances Dunn Kerr and Kerr Halifax Plantation
Frances Dunn Kerr managed a 2,000-acre tract along the Halifax River. After selling this land in 1818, she established Kerrville Plantation north of the Tomoka River.
Dr. Andrew Turnbull and New Smyrna Plantation
Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a Scottish physician and merchant, established a 40,000-acre indigo plantation in 1768. He named it New Smyrna, honoring his wife’s birthplace. Turnbull recruited more than 1,400 settlers from Europe and the Mediterranean; about 1,250 of them arrived.
Life on the plantation proved harsh. Promises of land went unfulfilled, which led to widespread malnutrition, disease, and mistreatment. By 1777, survivors rebelled and petitioned the English governor in St. Augustine for freedom. The governor granted their request, and Turnbull’s plantation collapsed. He later moved to South Carolina.
Macrae Brothers and Addison Plantation
Kenneth and Duncan Macrae operated a sugar mill from 1832 to 1836 on one-fourth of Addison Plantation. They used existing structures and built new ones. However, the Second Seminole War led to the plantation’s destruction.
Today, ruins from their mill are located at Addison Blockhouse Historic State Park.
Captain James Ormond and Damietta Plantation
James Ormond acquired 2,000 acres in 1804 to operate a cotton and indigo plantation. After he died in 1817, the family returned briefly to Scotland. Later, James Ormond II resumed operations until he died in 1829. The plantation was eventually abandoned. Ormond Beach was named to honor the family.
James Moncrief and Early Damietta Ownership
During British control, British officer James Moncrief owned the Damietta Plantation. In 1777, he left the land to rejoin the military.
Charles and John Bulow of Bulowville
Charles Bulow acquired 6,000 acres in 1821 and cleared 2,500 acres using 300 enslaved individuals. He died in 1823, leaving the plantation to his son, John. Bulowville prospered until the Second Seminole War caused its destruction. The ruins now form part of Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park.
Cruger and Depeyster Sugar Mill
Henry Cruger and William Depeyster established a sugar mill in 1830 on 600 acres. Constructed of coquina rock, the mill used steam-powered machinery. Seminole attacks destroyed the facility. Its remnants are preserved at New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins.
William Williams and Spring Garden Plantation
Around 1804, William Williams established Spring Garden Plantation. Later, Joseph Woodruff purchased the property.
Joseph Woodruff and Spring Gardens
In 1823, Joseph Woodruff acquired the plantation. Despite crop failures, illness, and setbacks, he remained active in public life. After his death, ownership passed to others, including Colonel Orlando Rees and Thomas Stark.
Orlando Rees and Spring Garden Development
Around 1830, Orlando Rees expanded the plantation and built a water-powered sugar mill. Like others in the area, it was destroyed during the Second Seminole War.
Thomas Stark and the Civil War Era
In the 1840s, Thomas Stark acquired the property and cultivated food for Confederate troops during the Civil War. Union forces later destroyed the site. Today, it forms part of DeLeon Springs State Park.
Charles Lawton and Dunlawton Sugar Mill
Charles Lawton purchased Rosetta Plantation in 1830 and renamed it Dunlawton. Although Seminoles destroyed it in 1836, John J. Marshall rebuilt the site in 1846. The sugar mill ruins are now preserved at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens.
Sarah P. Anderson and Dunlawton
Sarah Anderson, daughter of Frances Dunn Kerr, purchased Dunlawton and operated it with her sons. The plantation suffered damage in the conflict.
John J. Marshall’s Restoration Efforts
John J. Marshall rebuilt Dunlawton in 1846 using equipment from the Cruger and Depeyster mill. He managed it until he left during the Civil War.
Timothy Hollingsworth and Mulberry Grove
Timothy Hollingsworth established Mulberry Grove, which passed to John H. McIntosh in 1805. The plantation grew cotton and, later, fruit and vegetables under different owners.
El Destino Plantation and the Nuttall Family
John Nuttall acquired land in 1828. His sons operated the plantation, which later changed hands. Financial challenges nearly ended the enterprise. George Noble Jones eventually purchased El Destino and preserved it. A fire later destroyed the main house.
This page outlines key figures, plantation sites, and sugar production processes that shaped Florida’s agricultural and social landscape.