Sweet Cane: The Architecture of the Sugar Works of East Florida

A look at the antebellum history and architecture of the little-known sugar industry of East Florida

From the late eighteenth century to early 1836, the heart of the Florida sugar industry was concentrated in East Florida, between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. Producing the sweetest sugar, molasses, and rum, at least 22 sugar plantations dotted the coastline by the 1830s. This industry brought prosperity to the region—employing farm hands, slaves, architects, stone masons, ri...