Island History
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The history of the Eagle Bend Island is very colorful when you consider both the facts and the myths about our beautiful island.
On nearby Fort George Island there remains much of the Kingsley Plantation that is now maintained by the National Park Service. Mr. Kingsley was very active in the slave trade in the early 1800s. It is said that he used this island, which was accessible only by boat, to hold some of his slaves while they were being taught basic English and the necessary skills so that they could be sold on the slave market.
Legend has it that at one time the island was used by pirates to hide their stolen treasure. This explains why so many of the first property owners on Eagle Bend Island found huge holes left by eager treasure hunters. Many residents have found pottery shards, arrowheads, sawmill artifacts, old railroad spikes and other items. Some residents have yards trimmed in non-native granite boulders that were brought to the island as ships’ ballast in the 1800s.
An early map shows the island divided in two sections. One section located on the north westerly side was called the Cyrus Briggs Grant and the rest was called Pearson Island. The easterly half of Pearson Island was sold to Jeremy Holmes on August 15, 1862. It is believed that Mr. Holmes operated a saw mill there. At that time the westerly half was owned by the Florida Railroad. We have been told that the foundation for the present causeway connecting the island to the mainland was originally the wagon road over which trees were moved to the sawmill and lumber to market.
In the chronicles of the Union Army’s operation in Florida during the year 1864, General William Birney was commanding at Jacksonville. The Confederates had reoccupied their lines in the Cedar Creek area. On July 20th General Birney reported that “under the command of Captain Hart, 3rd U.S. Colored Troops, had skirmished with the enemy at the mouth of the Trout River - and for ten miles“. After destroying the bridges over the Trout River, a squad under Major Fox was sent into Nassau County. An advance group of six blacks were sent up the Nassau River to Holmes’ Mill for the purpose of taking it down and bringing it away. The mill is described as one of the first ever erected in Florida, containing gang, rotary and circular saw machinery worth probably $50,000 when in operation. Part of the machinery was loaded on the “Alice Price” and the rest on the “Sylph”. General Birney estimated that when reassembled south of Jacksonville on the east side of the St. Johns River at Empire Point, the mill could turn out 40,000 to 50,000 board feet of lumber daily.
On September 19, 1969 the island was sold by a Jacksonville Realtor, Louis Nastri to H.G. Kenner of Panama City. He was a land dealer, developer, banker and owner of a fleet of boats that serviced offshore oil drilling rigs. The name of the island was changed from Pearson Island to it's present name, and ten days later, title was transferred to Murff and Company of Memphis, Tennessee. The rumored price to Mr. Kenner for the 400 acre island and adjoining property was $70,000. Mr. Kenner named himself as developer and began building and digging canals. The State of Florida subsequently challenged the legality of the
dredging, and amid counterclaims of corruption among elected officials regarding the causeway construction, a settlement was reached that closed all but two of the canals.
On nearby Fort George Island there remains much of the Kingsley Plantation that is now maintained by the National Park Service. Mr. Kingsley was very active in the slave trade in the early 1800s. It is said that he used this island, which was accessible only by boat, to hold some of his slaves while they were being taught basic English and the necessary skills so that they could be sold on the slave market.
Legend has it that at one time the island was used by pirates to hide their stolen treasure. This explains why so many of the first property owners on Eagle Bend Island found huge holes left by eager treasure hunters. Many residents have found pottery shards, arrowheads, sawmill artifacts, old railroad spikes and other items. Some residents have yards trimmed in non-native granite boulders that were brought to the island as ships’ ballast in the 1800s.
An early map shows the island divided in two sections. One section located on the north westerly side was called the Cyrus Briggs Grant and the rest was called Pearson Island. The easterly half of Pearson Island was sold to Jeremy Holmes on August 15, 1862. It is believed that Mr. Holmes operated a saw mill there. At that time the westerly half was owned by the Florida Railroad. We have been told that the foundation for the present causeway connecting the island to the mainland was originally the wagon road over which trees were moved to the sawmill and lumber to market.
In the chronicles of the Union Army’s operation in Florida during the year 1864, General William Birney was commanding at Jacksonville. The Confederates had reoccupied their lines in the Cedar Creek area. On July 20th General Birney reported that “under the command of Captain Hart, 3rd U.S. Colored Troops, had skirmished with the enemy at the mouth of the Trout River - and for ten miles“. After destroying the bridges over the Trout River, a squad under Major Fox was sent into Nassau County. An advance group of six blacks were sent up the Nassau River to Holmes’ Mill for the purpose of taking it down and bringing it away. The mill is described as one of the first ever erected in Florida, containing gang, rotary and circular saw machinery worth probably $50,000 when in operation. Part of the machinery was loaded on the “Alice Price” and the rest on the “Sylph”. General Birney estimated that when reassembled south of Jacksonville on the east side of the St. Johns River at Empire Point, the mill could turn out 40,000 to 50,000 board feet of lumber daily.
On September 19, 1969 the island was sold by a Jacksonville Realtor, Louis Nastri to H.G. Kenner of Panama City. He was a land dealer, developer, banker and owner of a fleet of boats that serviced offshore oil drilling rigs. The name of the island was changed from Pearson Island to it's present name, and ten days later, title was transferred to Murff and Company of Memphis, Tennessee. The rumored price to Mr. Kenner for the 400 acre island and adjoining property was $70,000. Mr. Kenner named himself as developer and began building and digging canals. The State of Florida subsequently challenged the legality of the
dredging, and amid counterclaims of corruption among elected officials regarding the causeway construction, a settlement was reached that closed all but two of the canals.
Aerial view circa 1971In the years following, the developer gradually added roads and sold one plus acre lots. Some property owners started building right away while others held on to their property for future use or investment purposes. New homes have been built almost every year, since the first lot was sold. Today their still remains a few undeveloped properties.
Aerial view 2004In 1988, with the efforts of Florida Representative Charles Bennett, the U. S. Government created the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve to protect one of the last pristine coastal wetlands and salt marshes on the Atlantic coast. Our island was incorporated into the National Park, which today, regulates the property surrounding it.
Eagle Bend Island is a wonderful place to live and raise our families. It’s large moss-draped oaks, large lots, many lovely homes and a vista of mile upon mile of uncluttered natural salt marsh along the Nassau River, and breath—taking sunsets over the River make the island our own paradise. Our residents also enjoy the wide variety of magnificent marsh birds, such as, Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and many other wildlife animals that give us a close-up look at nature at it's best.
Do you know any additional historical tidbits about Eagle Bend Island? If so, please let us know.