Many archaeological resources are identified within the A1A corridor, but the Mala Compra Plantation ruins site is the most significant. This site has the ruins of the plantation residence of General Joseph Hernandez, Florida's first delegate to the U.S. Congress. General Hernandez was an important military and political figure in Florida's history from the early 1800s until his departure to Cuba in the 1850s. Besides being a Brigadier General of the East Florida Militia, Hernandez also served as the President of the Florida Territorial Legislative Council and Mayor of St. Augustine. By the end of the 1820s, Mala Compra was the main residence of General Hernandez. The plantation was visited by John James Audubon during Christmas of 1831; one of his paintings depicts a water bird at Mala Compra. The Seminoles burned the plantation, which produced sea island cotton and sweet oranges, in 1836 in retaliation for housing U.S. troops during the Second Seminole Indian War.
For further information, click here.
Visitor Tip
54.5 miles: heading south on the byway.
Points Of Interest
- Ponte Vedra Beach
- Bird Island Park
- Mickler’s Landing
- Guana Tolomato Matanzas
- Guana Tolomato Matanzas Environmental Ed Center
- Nease Beachfront Park
- Vilano Beach
- Colonial St. Augustine
- St. Augustine
- The Flagler Factor
- America’s Tourism Capital 1890-1930
- Anastasia Island
- Fort Matanzas – National Monument
- Marineland and UF Whitney Lab
- Washington Oaks Gardens State Park
- Malacompra Plantation Archaeological Site
- Betty Steflik Memorial Reserve
- Flagler Beach Pier
- Gamble Rogers Memorial State Park