What if Spain Had Never Conquered La Florida?
Celebrating Clay County History
The author is supervisor of Clay County Archives, a service of Clerk of Court and Comptroller Tara S. Green.
By VISHI GARIG
It’s a farfetched and illogical situation to imagine, but what if Spain never conquered La Florida? What would Clay County look like today?
We know, of course, that manifest destiny probably would have caused Florida to become an American territory regardless, but just for fun, let’s explore this question.
For starters, if not for Spain’s actions, Florida could have become a French colony. If not for Pedro Menendez de Aviles’ 1565 attack on the fledgling French Huguenots’ colony at Fort Caroline, Floridians might now be speaking French. Aviles’ successful extermination of the French colonists became the first domino to fall in the long line of dominoes that led to Clay County’s existence.
What if Spain hadn’t spread Catholicism across Florida? The first Spanish period (1565 to 1763) led to the creation of Fort San Francisco de Pupo in what is now Clay County. In 1675, Pupo was initially a ferry crossing, and it was the sister fort of Fort Picolata, which was directly across the St. Johns River on the east bank.
Picolata protected the Mission San Diego de Salamototo. The Spanish friars traveled from St. Augustine to Picolata, then crossed the river to land on the Clay side. This was the starting point of the Spanish mission trail that went west across Florida. The mission trail was the result of the efforts to Christianize the Native Americans that began shortly after Pedro Menendez’s victory over the French.
Spread Catholicism
Spanish colonists needed to build profitable Catholic settlements, and Spain also wanted to spread Catholicism amongst the native peoples. Since the local Timucua were semi-nomadic, missionaries needed to gather them into permanent settlements.
This endeavor began the mission system and the subsequent Camino Real (King’s Road). This road later became known as the Bellamy Road (first federal highway in Florida), and it cut southwest across Clay County from land now known as the Bayard Conservation area all the way to Melrose. Some parts of Bellamy Road are still used to this day.
Without the Catholicism goal, none of these things would have happened. The British colonies north of Florida were not on good terms with the Spanish, as both sides regularly raided each other’s territory.
When James Moore, the English governor of colonial Carolina, carried out attacks in 1704 and 1706, he succeeded in wiping out most of the Spanish missions in Florida. This loss caused the Spanish to begin building more forts and attacking the British.
Many believe this is when Fort San Francisco de Pupo was first built. What if, in 1737, the Spanish Royal Engineer Arredondo had not taken notice of these two small forts? He found them falling down and crumbling, and he recommended an immediate rebuilding and reinforcement due to the constant threat of British attacks.
In 1740, with the beginning of the War of Jenkins Ear, General James Oglethorpe, the British general from the colony of Georgia (of which he was a founder), chose this as an opportunity to invade St. Augustine.
Oglethorpe Thwarted
This is when the Royal Engineer, Arredondo, was proved to have had great foresight.
General Oglethorpe began with raids on Pupo and Picolata. He landed his troops in a classic pincher movement, trapping Fort Pupo inhabitants between the river and his troops. Fort Pupo’s recent refortifications made it difficult to take the fort.
The day-long artillery barrage that ensued gave the Spanish enough forewarning to prepare St. Augustine and successfully thwart the British invaders. If Oglethorpe’s invasion had been successful the British could have acquired its 14th colony twenty-three years earlier than it did.
In 1818, George J. F. Clarke received a Spanish land grant which included the fort. Later known as Bayard, it was part of Clarke's 16,000-acre grant which his heirs later sold. Sheriff John P. Hall eventually owned part of the property, and then the Bayard Conservation area was created.
Today, the fort site is on private property. What if, oh so many years ago, Sheriff J. P. Hall had not vowed to preserve the site? Clay County citizens would have lost the opportunity to enjoy the land.
The British Period (1763-1783) occurred as a result of the Seven Years’ War. England captured Spanish, Cuba, and the Philippines. To get these valuable colonies back, Spain was forced to give up Florida. The Treaty of Paris, signed on February 10, 1763, relinquished ownership of Florida to the British.
Meanwhile, in what was to become Clay County, massive British indigo plantations were spreading along the shores of Doctors Lake and Black Creek. What if a colonist named A. E. Ferguson had not applied for a British land grant? Thankfully he did, otherwise we might not have Whitey’s Fish Camp, or the underwater archeological treasure, a ship called Maple Leaf.
Harmony Hall
Ferguson called his land grant Harmony Hall. In later years, during the Civil War, the Harmony Hall lands were owned by Sheriff Joshua D. O’Hern. From there, he launched a very successful sabotage campaign by mining the St. Johns River and sinking four Union ships. One was the troop transport Maple Leaf.
In the 1990’s, the wreck was excavated, which led to the largest number of Civil War artifacts found in one place. Artifacts from the ship can be viewed at the Mandarin Museum (Jacksonville) and a smaller collection even in the lobby of the Clay County Courthouse in Green Cove Springs.
Today, Whitey’s sits on the former plantation’s land and offers a great atmosphere, food, and music. Also, a road in Doctors Inlet is named Harmony Hall.
The Second Spanish Period (1786 to 1821) brought a wave of settlers to Clay County, with Zephaniah Kingsley and George Fleming most notably among them. Without the Spanish, we would not have Fleming Island.
In 1812, the Patriots Rebellion, led by a group of insurgents hostile to the Spanish crown, caused Ana Kingsley to burn down her and Zephaniah’s Laurel Grove Plantation. She did it to deny the rebels shelter and supplies. What if the rebels had succeeded in overthrowing Spain? We wouldn’t have Orange Park or Kingsley Avenue.
Fast forward to 1821, when Spain was strong-armed into turning over La Florida to the United States. What if that never happened? We would not have Ft. Heileman, Whitesville, or later Middleburg.
The entire Black Creek District would not have come into existence, and ultimately, we would not have Clay County. There are so many other historical subjects from Clay County history with which one can play this “what if” game.
Residents and visitors alike are invited to the Clay County Archives to learn more from our staff and from review of original archival records and photographs preserved there. The Clerk’s Archives Center is open most weekdays 8am-5pm. We encourage Clay Today readers to visit clayclerk.com (click on Historical Archives button) to learn more or call Archives at 904-371- 0027 to arrange your visit.