Photos of the Edward Lewis Plantation in Windsor, Alachua County, Florida. For more of the story, read Providence Methodist Church, Windsor, Alachua, Florida
The Lewis family history is documented in a book titled, Edward Lewis, Antebellum Planter of Alachua County, Florida. Within this account, there is reference to the Stringfellow and Dudley families, also hailing from South Carolina, who potentially accompanied Lewis on his journey to Florida, using wagons for transportation. Prior to leaving South Carolina, the 1850 Slave Schedule indicates that Lewis' ownership of enslaved people had increased to thirty-two. They likely made the trip as well.
Upon arrival, Lewis undertook construction of an expansive plantation house situated along the Alachua Trail in Windsor, Florida. Though in detiorated condition today, the house is still standing, with a brick first floor and a frame second floor. According to the Lewis Family narrative, the second story landing had two staircases, from which one could see the shore of Newnans Lake. The reconstructed drawing below depicts the houses's initial appearance. By 1860, Lewis' real estate in Alachua County was valued at $20,000 and his personal estate at a healthy $46,715.00. He owned forty-one enslaved people.
During the Civil War, when Colonel Andrew L. Harris, leading Federal (Union) troops, confronted J. J. Dickison, the Confederate forces' commander in nearby Gainesville. This event became known as "The Battle of Gainesville." In the days leading up to this conflict, Federal troops passed through the cotton plantations of Edward L. King, Edward Lewis, and John A. Kennedy. The route taken by the Federal troops is documented in a 1917 issue of the Gainesville Sun, stating, "In August 1864, a Federal force advanced from the St. Johns River on the morning of August 17, 1864, and occupied Gainesville, having traveled through Baldwin, Starke, and then east of Santa Fe and Newnans Lake."
The Lewis Plantation in 2016.
The Lewis Plantation in 2023.
The Lewis Plantation in 2023.
The Lewis Plantation in 2023.
The Lewis Plantation in 2023.
The Lewis Plantation in 2023.
The Lewis Plantation in 2023.