Dummett Sugar Mill Ruins, Ormond Beach, Florida

 

“What’s old collapses, times change, and new life blossoms in the ruins.”

Friedrich Schiller

After visiting the Fairchild Oak in Bulow Creek State Park, we headed back to our condo, when Joe said, “Did you see that?” I said, “No. What did you see?” He told me he saw ruins out of the corner of his eyes so we turned around and headed back. We pulled over into the parking lot, where we saw a sign for the Dummett Sugar Mill Ruins.

We were the only ones at this historic site and we strolled down the path to the ruins. There is something about ruins that perks my curiosity and draws me in to learning more about their history. These ruins were built in 1825 out of bricks made of coquina, which is limestone formed from broken shells. Now all that is left is only two chimneys and a few walls visible. There is now a fence surrounding the ruins to protect it. These ruins have an interesting history.

John Moultre was awarded a land grant years before the Revolutionary War and was the deputy governor of eastern Florida. He built the plantation in 1777 that he named, “Rossetta”. He raised crops like sugarcane, rice, corn, and indigo. That was during the time frame before the British ceded Florida back to Spain in 1783. John Bunch was able to purchase the Rosetta land in 1804 and held onto it for 21 years. Colonel Thomas Dummett was a British Marine Officer who bought the John Bunch plantation, which had 2,175 acres and 200 slaves, in 1825.

During the time when Colonel Dummett owned the property, he had the first steam-powered cane crushing mill in the region that was sent from Barbados. Dummett, with the help of some local Indians and at least a hundred slaves, helped produce sugar and rum. The Indians made deals with Dummett to get sugar and rum in trade for fresh game. While he ran the sugar mill, his daughter, Anna, played with the salve children and taught them how to read.

Many parties were held at the Dummett plantation and they lived well. They named the plantation, “Carrikfergus” and it became one of the largest processing plants south of St. Augustine. During the Second Seminole War, the plantation was burned to the ground by the Seminole Indians out of revenge when the government ordered the Native Americans to leave under the Indian Removal Act. The mill was closed in 1835. The Dummett family moved to the St. Augustine area shortly after.

Some claim that the ruins are haunted. There have been written a few accounts of people walking around this wooded area and seeing white orbs in the ruins. I guess it is possible as so many worked this sugar mill and many as slaves.

This lush park is located a mile west of the present day Tomoka State Park. We were both glad Joe saw the ruins and we got to spend time exploring and taking pictures. I only wish we could have seen this mill up and running back in the day.

Till next time. Bye for now.