House Proud

The two-story, 10-room mansion was built by Robert Gamble, who, along with his younger brothers, bought up 3,500 acres of fertile land along the Manatee River to grow sugarcane. Their sugar refinery operation thrived for less than 10 years before falling victim to failing sugar prices, and he sold the entire estate in 1856 for $190,000.??

As every Sarasota" target="_blank">Manatee County schoolchild knows, the mansion is also known because, at the end of the Civil War, it is rumored that Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin was harbored here briefly as he made his escape from Richmond, Va., through Florida to the Bahamas, and then on to England. A historical exhibit in the park’s visitor center displays Confederate money bearing Benjamin’s likeness, as well as an old Rebel uniform and other artifacts.

Today, the Florida state park system operates the Gamble Plantation as the last remaining antebellum plantation house in South Florida. The land itself is now reduced to 33 acres dotted with picnic benches set under spreading oaks. Admission to the site is free, but guided tours are offered for a modest $5 fee several times daily. In December and again in March, the Daughters of the Confederacy, dressed in period costume, hold open houses. For details, visit www.floridastateparks.org/gambleplantation.