Cruger-dePeyster Sugar Mill Ruins

The coquina walls that remain of the sugar mill

Ah, those little diversions along the way.  Like the time I turned right to follow a brown sign saying Sugar Mill Ruins, then right again onto a one lane sand road and once I turned the curve, there they were.

Where the steam engine was mounted

Just behind a shopping center, off of busy highway 44 and Mission Drive in New Smyrna Beach, are the coquina remains of the sugar mill, burned by Seminole Indians in 1835.  Coquina in this case was mined locally, kind of like digging up the rock under your feet.  It was hauled here and used with masonry to build the mill.  Coquina can also be made my mixing sand, shells and mortar in a framework like they did at St. Simons Island in Georgia.

Another view

The mill only lasted for 5 years, built by Henry Cruger and William dePeyster on the 600 acres of land they purchased near New Smyrna.  Northern investers financed it, equipment was purchased in New York and local slave labor was used to clear the land, build the mill and grow and harvest the sugar cane crop.  Using slaves for free labor came back to haunt the men in a twist of irony when their own slaves joined with the indians to burn the mill and pillage other farms in the region.

The iron pots remain in place

The ruins were painted in 1843 by John Rogers Vinten with a Seminole Warrior watching it burn.
I suggest you drop by there on your next trip to New Smyrna beach.  The small park has lots of information signs, a couple small mills to extract the sugar solution from sugar cane, and some of the old iron pots where the solution was cooked down to crystals.  There is an old arm that was part of the steam engine that ran the plant and also powered a sawmill.  Artwork explains how the factory worked.

The mill to squeeze the sugar liquid from the sugar cane

The arm used to drive a saw blade

There are a few benches if you wish to sit and think about the harsh working conditions of the mid-1800's.  It is also interesting to find tree stumps over 100 years old growing inside the building walls.

Note how large the tree stump is, this is the area where they dried the sugar in barrels before shipment

To get there take I-4 north from Orlando.  Go east on SR 44.  After you pass under I-95, watch for the brown Sugar Mill Ruin sign at Mission Drive.  Turn right and take another quick right into the single lane sandy road leading you into the park.  Note that the mosquitos are hungry there.

Fine Fall Weather!

Looking north along the Atlantic Ocean.  Notice the hotels?  Nope.

Finally the fall weather has arrived in central Florida!
Last Sunday it was 62 degrees when I got going.  There was a cool breeze and the sky was crystal clear.  It even sounded different, like it does when the weather first changes temperature.
I drove to meet my friend Walt who cooked both of us a delicious breakfast with lots of hot coffee. Then we headed east to New Smyrna Beach where we raised a drink to the surf before driving south to Canaveral National Seashore.  Walt had just turned 62 this year and got us into the park for free with his new pass.  We drove in free and cruised along the coastal dune to the turnaround at the end of 6 paved miles.

And looking south, no hotels here either!

The car windows were open and we sat enjoying the cool wind waiting on a parking space, listening to the waves crash below.  After a few minutes waiting we drove back north to the next available parking space and walked down to the beach on the boardwalk.  Just watching the waves rush in and out was fine for me.  We waved at the Park Rangers and the people walking by, watched the surf fishermen cast lines about and followed the gulls as they flew overhead in the breeze.  This was nice.  No bugs, no heat and actually the wind was a bit chilly without a second shirt on.  I could stand here all day, leaning against the dry wooden rails and just stare out to sea.

The State House

Comfortable rockers!

An explosion of plant life above with Resurrection Ferns in the Live Oaks

The view from the rocking chairs.

Coral Honeysuckle, a Florida variety.  It doesn't smell as strong as northern varieties.

We drove up to the restored State House where we sat in the porch rockers watching the boat traffic and fishing people along the Intracoastal Waterway in Mosquito Lagoon.  Crowds came and went.  More birds flew by.  I noticed our conversation had gone quiet as we contemplated life's details.  I could also sit here, rocking all day, quietly.  It was nice to get peaceful.   One of the neatest things about using the free entrance pass is you don't feel you have to spend your every moment living to the fullest anymore.  You don't have to hike all the trails or get a line in the water to fish or see all the museums and displays.  You can slow down and just enjoy a short drive in a cool place that you probably wouldn't take before.

Intracoastal Waterway looking north from JB's

After a couple hours, a couple conversations and talking about a couple of dreams, we left and drove north to have lunch at JB's, a favorite eating stop along the barrier island. We waited a while after lunch on the dock, again just watching and listening.  There are some days I need to do just that and nothing else and today was that day.  I celebrated the end of summer's heat and bugs by leaning back and doing very little.  To end today with a quote, that made all the difference.