Jacksonville Reflections - plantation history (#0048)

Close to the old neighborhood by how a crow flies, but difficult to reach by bike due to creeks and bridges, is the Clifton section of Arlington. Because the area is fairly isolated by busy roads and creeks/river, it had a remote feeling that made it interesting to explore. What we never realized in those days was that where we were exploring was a former plantation.

As I’ve said before, the myth during my childhood was that the Confederacy, plantations, and slavery were things that all happened somewhere else, not Jacksonville. Part of what made that myth easy to maintain was the lack of visual history – the sign describing this as a plantation land (more on that with later pictures) wasn’t erected until 2009.

What’s in this picture is what is now called the Clifton cemetery, which is dated as having been in use from 1841 to 1942. You can barely see the tombstones except in a large version of the picture – it was apparently a family cemetery of the former plantation owners.

(Part of a photo-essay series on personal history and race with keyword FlaAla0518)