Sawpit Bluff Plantation (Historical Marker)

The Sawpit Bluff Plantation, named for a sawpit excavated to accommodate the up and down motion of a vertical sawblade, was built in the 1750s by Edmund Gray. Located on Black Hammock Island in Jacksonville, Florida, the main house on the estate was constructed of an old building material called tabby, made of shells, sand, and lime. During its operation, the plantation produced coveted Sea Island cotton, as well as was a location for cattle and horses to be raised. This made the plantation a target in June of 1776, when Georgia militiamen began crossing the St. Marys River to raid plantations and steal cattle. Eventually, Sawpit Bluff became the site of one of the few Revolutionary War battles fought in Florida as part of the greater Battle of Thomas Creek campaign.

In 1776, East and West Florida were still loyal to King George III. As retaliation for an expedition by Loyalist Thomas Brown in February of 1777 into Georgia, Georgia President Button Gwinnet made the decision to organize an expedition against St. Augustine, the capitol of British East Florida. The plan included forces from commander of the Continental Army’s Southern Department, General Robert Howe, who authorized Colonel Samuel Elbert’s 2nd Georgia Regiment and Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh to assist. The plan also included militia cavalry led by Colonel John Baker. Because political opponents McIntosh and Gwinnet could not agree on a strategy, command was given to Elbert.

On May 1, 1777, the men left Sunbury, with Baker’s troops traveling by land and Elbert’s sailing. The plan was to meet at Sawpit Bluff, but after Baker arrived on May 10 and reached the bluff two days later, Elbert was nowhere to be found. East Florida Governor Patrick Tonyn had known about the Georgians’ plans since April, and was alerted when Baker’s company crossed the St. Marys River on May 10. British Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brown was sent with his Loyalist East Florida Rangers and Creek Indians from Cowford to Trout Creek to search for Baker. Upon discovering the Georgians, Brown was spotted and fired upon, forcing him to retreat. Brown then sent 15 Indians (Native Americans) to steal Baker’s horses. Although they were successful, they were chased down, the horses were returned, and at least 1 Indian was killed, reportedly mutilated by the Georgians, further heightening tensions.

Worried about Elbert’s delay after the skirmish near Sawpit Bluff, Baker moved 9 miles west to wait at the bank of Thomas Creek. Brown was reinforced by British regulars under Major Mark Prevost, and around May 16-17, they located Baker’s camp. Brown’s Indians and rangers set up an ambush, causing Baker to ride directly into Prevost’s reinforcements. The Patriots were soon overwhelmed, with half of the Georgians fleeing at the first sign of enemies. In the chaos, Baker managed to escape into the swamps. Two days after the American defeat by the British, Elbert arrived at the Sawpit Bluff Plantation and rescued the survivors of Thomas Creek.

In 1783, Black Hammock Island was part of a land grant made to Juan Thorp after the return of East Florida to Spain. There, Thorp established the estate called “Sawpit Bluff,” or “Barranco de Acceradero.” After his death, the plantation passed to his daughter, Mary Thorp Smith. However, the plantation was again disrupted in 1801 and 1812 by conflicts between American settlers migrating south and the Spanish colonial government. During the War of 1812, the Smith family had a boat stolen from them by General George Matthews’s American forces during an invasion known as the Patriot’s War. After the war, Mary Smith’s two daughters, Mary Martha Reid, eventual wife of Florida’s fourth territorial Governor Robert Raymond Reid, and Rebecca, who married CSA General Joseph Finnegan, victor of the Battle of Olustee, grew up on the Sawpit Bluff Plantation. Eventually, Mary Smith lost the land after not being able to pay the property taxes, and the estate returned to swamp. It remained unchanged until the 1970s, and now there are only few tabby remains in the area. In 2014, a historical marker was erected on the site by Martha Reid Chapter 19, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and the Florida Department for the Sesquicentennial of the War Between the States.

1. Sawpit Bluff Plantation Marker (Obverse) Jacksonville, FL, University of North Florida. July 30th 2016. Accessed October 1st 2020. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/historical_architecture_main/7393/.
2. Fillmon, Tim. Sawpit Bluff Plantation, Historical Marker Database. August 1st 2017. Accessed October 1st 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=92973.
3. Revolutionary War and Aftermath - Battle at Thomas Creek, Vernon Johns. Accessed October 1st 2020. http://www.vernonjohns.org/nonracists/jxrevwar.html.
4. Battle of Thomas Creek, Military Wikia. Accessed October 1st 2020. https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thomas_Creek.
5. Three Expeditions into British East Florida - Overview Southernmost Battles of the American Revolution, J. Bruce History. Accessed October 1st 2020. http://www.jbrucehistory.org/American_Revolution/florida_expeditions.php.
6. Sawpit Bluff Plantation, Florida Department of State. Accessed October 1st 2020. http://apps.flheritage.com/markers/markerDetail.cfm?id=846&keyword=&city=&county=.