YULEE SUGAR MILL RUINS

This site was once part of a thriving sugar plantation owned by David Levy Yulee. Yulee was a member of the Territorial Legislative Council, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate after Florida statehood. The park contains the remnants of the once-thriving 5,100-acre sugar plantation: a forty-foot limestone masonry chimney, iron gears, and a cane press. The steam-driven mill operated from 1851 to 1864 and served as a supplier of sugar products for southern troops during the Civil War.

During the month of June The Florida Public Archaeology Network, the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park, the Homosassa Civic Club, the Old Homosassa Villages Association, Gemini Graphics, The Old Printing Museum and Museum Café present “Historic Homosassa — Home of David Levy Yulee,” a fun-filled day of history, heritage and music from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  at the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park and the adjacent Old Printing Press Museum/Museum Café along County Road 490 (Yulee Road), Homosassa.

The Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins include the limestone boiler and chimney from Yulee’s 1849 sugar cane mill, part of his coastal plantation at Margarita. The mill chimney is one of the oldest standing structures on Florida’s west coast and the oldest in Citrus County.

The event celebrates the history of David Levy Yulee, Florida’s first U.S. senator, and the heritage of the community of Homosassa. Yulee was also responsible for the first cross-peninsular railroad, connecting Fernandina on the Atlantic coast with Cedar Key on the Gulf. Situated along the Homosassa River, Yulee’s 5,000-acre plantation, Margarita, was burned during the Civil War, but his cane mill was never captured.

Highlights of the unique heritage of Homosassa are on display and special musical guests play throughout the day, making music history under the grand oaks of the Old Printing Museum’s open air sound stage.

Re-enactors dressed in period costumes, park interpreters and guided tours of the mill ruins take place throughout the day. Visitors can even see how cane syrup was made on a 19th-century cane-grinding mill.

The Florida Public Archaeology Network is a statewide program administered by the University of West Florida in cooperation with the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources. The Central Regional Center of FPAN, located in Crystal River, is hosted by the University of South Florida and serves as headquarters for public participation in archaeology and historic preservation in our area.

When visiting Citrus County in June,  you may want to contact Richard Estabrook at 795-0208 to see what events are planned at the park.

This blog has written an earlier article about the Printers Museum at this location.  It has a sweet little Cuban Cafe that you may enjoy while visiting the park.