Frequently Asked Questions about Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

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Question: Where was the Plantation House located?
Answer: The Plantation House and a small settlement were located on Tiger Tail Island about four miles down the Homosassa River from the mill. The house was ransacked and burned during the Civil War. On May 29, 1864 Union troops came up the river in attempts to destroy the plantation. They destroyed the house and associated buildings but were unable to locate the sugar mill.

Question: Where were the sugarcane fields located with relation to the mill.
Answer: It is not clear where the cane fields were, however, some speculate that they were located in the rich moist soil of hundreds of low-lying islands located in the coastal marshes. Additional research is needed to define the fields actual location.

Question: How did Mr. Yulee get his crops to the cities for sale?
Answer: The crops would be loaded onto boats and taken to Yulee’s railroad terminus at Cedar Key where they would be put on railcars for the trip to Fernandina and markets to the north. The majority of the molasses that was collected during the sugar making process was shipped to the islands and used in the manufacture of rum.

Question: What other type of crops were grown at Marguerita?
Answer: The primary crops grown for commercial income at the plantation included sugar cane, cotton and oranges. Yulee is credited with the development of a hybrid sweet orange known as the Homosassa Sweet. It is still used as a stock orange in the industry today.