Gamble Plantation

Due to to popular demand (thanks, Mellan), I will tell you a little about the Gamble Plantation.  After the 2nd Seminole War, Major Robert Gamble took advantage of the Armed Occupation Act and claimed 160 acres of land on the Manatee River.  He started a sugar plantation.  His holdings eventually grew to 3500 acres.  About 2 miles from the river landing, Maj. Gamble built his Antebellum home.  The home is built mostly of tabby and, of course, painted white.  It took more than 5 years to build the house.  Maj. Gamble was not married, but felt it neccesary to have this fine house because of his status  The view out the front of the house was of the Manatee River and he could see anyone arriving.  In fact, the land surrounding the mansion was cleared completely of trees so that no one could get close without being seen.  Remember the threat of the Seminole was very real.

 As a working plantation in a remote area, they had to be self-supporting; therefore, there were

 vegetable and herb gardens, farm animals, and water purefication.  His water purefication "plant" consisted of a good sized building, low to the ground, where rainwater was collected.  In order to get to the well the water flowed thru a limestone screen which took out most of the impurities  Really quite innovative.  The cistern is just to the rightt of the house in this picture.

Due to the 3rd Seminole War (hard-headed bunch, weren't they) and the dip in the sugar market, Maj. Gamble was forced to sell his holdings and move back to Tallahassee.  He had lived there a total of 12 years.

After the War Between the States, Confederate Secretary of State, Judah P. Benjamin stayed at the house before sailing to England.  All the Confederate Cabinet had a price on their heads and Benjamin was no exception.  Therefore he stayed at the house under the name "Mr. Howard", rarely leaving his room.

After his escape to England, he became a barrister and was quite successful.

A forced sale in 1872 saw the Patten family buy the plantation for $3000.  Since the house was large and upkeep was expensive, the Pattens built a home of their own a short distance away.  Note that this house is up on blocks instead of having a foundation

The Gamble house became a repository for all sorts of flotsam, including fertilizer (manure).  And so it went.

In 1926-27, the Daughters of the Confederacy obtained the broken-down mansion and gave it to the State of Florida.  The mansion is now near its orginal condition.  The walls are 12 inches thick, keeping it cool most of the time.  Floors, of course, have been replaced and some drywall added.  The furniture in the mansion is what a man like Maj. Gamble would have in his home.  Poor man had a string of bad luck.  After losing his plantation, he moved all the furniture to a warehouse in Tallahassee, which then burned down about a week later destroying everything.

We enjoyed touring the house and do recommend it.  The ranger had a good spiel and made it interesting.  The building is the oldest in Manatee County and the only antebellum remaining in South Florida.

God Bless