El Destino Plantation
Corporate brand
UnclaimedEl Destino Plantation was a large nineteenth-century plantation and forced-labor farm in northern Florida.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
El Destino Plantation was a large agricultural estate in western Jefferson County and eastern Leon County, Florida. It was established in 1828 after John Nuttall purchased land from the United States government. The property ultimately covered approximately 7,638 acres, or 30.91 square kilometres, extending roughly six miles into Leon County and lying near present-day Waukeenah. The estate was part of the plantation economy that developed in northern Florida during the nineteenth century and was worked by enslaved African Americans until the abolition of slavery at the end of the American Civil War. The plantation entered the Nuttall family’s holdings after John Nuttall, a wealthy planter associated with Virginia and North Carolina, acquired the land. In 1832, his son William B. Nuttall obtained El Destino from his father’s estate for $17,000. William was active in Tallahassee as a lawyer and land and bank-stock speculator. After his death, ownership passed to his widow, Mary Savage Nuttall. Through her family connections, Mary also inherited enslaved people from her uncle, William Savage. The organization of labor across related properties was strengthened when Hector Braden sold Mary the nearby Chemonie Plantation, approximately six miles north of El Destino. On May 18, 1840, Mary Savage Nuttall married George Noble Jones. Jones purchased El Destino and Chemonie and managed them within a broader family and investment network. He had prior experience overseeing plantation operations through a property controlled by his mother and two aunts. His wealth also included inherited plantation interests, wharf and mercantile property in Savannah, Georgia, bank holdings, and other investments. Jones became an absentee planter, spending winters in Savannah and summers in Newport, Rhode Island, where he owned the Kingscote mansion before the Civil War. The arrangement illustrates how large plantations could be managed as geographically dispersed assets by owners who did not reside on the properties year-round. The historical record also documents the coercive conditions under which El Destino operated. In 1854, D. N. Moxley served as an overseer and faced a complaint alleging mistreatment of enslaved workers under his supervision. Archival materials associated with the Jones family include a 1847 list of enslaved people at El Destino, as well as records concerning enslaved families, clothing distributions, and sales connected with El Destino and Chemonie. These records are significant for documenting the people subjected to the plantation’s labor regime, rather than treating the estate solely as an agricultural or architectural site. El Destino remained in the Jones family until 1919, when it was sold for $70,000 while retaining its established name. In 1937, the property was purchased by Sheldon Whitehouse of New York. The principal plantation house was destroyed by fire in 1925. The available reference material does not establish the property’s current ownership, operating status, surviving structures, or any present-day commercial brand activity. El Destino is therefore best understood as a historical plantation estate and a site associated with the history of slavery, landholding, and agricultural development in Florida, rather than as an active consumer brand.
History
El Destino Plantation was established in 1828 in the area of western Jefferson County and eastern Leon County, Florida, near present-day Waukeenah. John Nuttall acquired the land from the United States government. The resulting estate became part of the expanding plantation system of northern Florida, where large landholdings depended on enslaved African American labor before the Civil War. In 1832, William B. Nuttall acquired El Destino from his father’s estate for $17,000. William combined legal work in Tallahassee with speculation in Florida land and bank stocks. Following his death, his widow, Mary Savage Nuttall, inherited the property. She also inherited enslaved people from her uncle, William Savage. The estate’s labor and management structure was linked to the nearby Chemonie Plantation, which Hector Braden sold to Mary in order to facilitate the use of enslaved labor across the related properties. Mary Savage Nuttall married George Noble Jones on May 18, 1840. Jones purchased El Destino and Chemonie and brought the properties into his wider plantation and investment interests. He had experience managing a plantation owned by his mother and two aunts and inherited or controlled additional plantation, mercantile, wharf, and financial assets. Jones generally operated as an absentee planter, dividing his time among Savannah, Georgia, and Newport, Rhode Island, rather than living permanently at El Destino. The estate covered about 7,638 acres, extending approximately six miles into Leon County and lying about three miles south of the W. G. Ponder Plantation. Documents from the Jones family holdings provide evidence about the enslaved population and the operation of the property. These include a 1847 family-group list of enslaved people at El Destino and related records from Chemonie concerning family groups, clothing, and sales. In 1854, D. N. Moxley, identified as an overseer, was the subject of a complaint concerning the mistreatment of workers under his supervision. Such evidence places the plantation within the coercive labor system that sustained its agricultural production. The plantation remained associated with the Jones family until 1919, when it was sold for $70,000. The property retained the El Destino name after the sale. Sheldon Whitehouse of New York purchased it in 1937. The plantation house was destroyed by fire in 1925. The available sources do not identify a current owner, surviving principal residence, active agricultural enterprise, or present-day public operation. Its historical importance rests on its landholding history, its connection to slavery in Florida, and the archival records documenting the people and management systems associated with the estate.
- 1937
Sheldon Whitehouse purchases the property
[1]The property was purchased by Sheldon Whitehouse of New York.
- 1925
Plantation house destroyed
[1]The principal plantation house was destroyed by fire.
- 1919
Property leaves the Jones family
[1]El Destino was sold for $70,000 after remaining in the Jones family for many decades; the property continued to use its established name.
- 1854
Complaint against an overseer
[1]D. N. Moxley, an overseer at the property, became the subject of a complaint concerning the mistreatment of workers under his supervision.
- 1847
Enslaved-population records documented
[1]A Jones family record listed enslaved people at El Destino in family groups, providing evidence about the labor system operating at the plantation.
- 1840
George Noble Jones enters the ownership history
[1]George Noble Jones married Mary Savage Nuttall on May 18 and purchased El Destino along with the nearby Chemonie Plantation.
- 1832
William B. Nuttall acquires El Destino
[1]William B. Nuttall acquired El Destino from his father’s estate for $17,000.
- 1828
Estate established
[1]John Nuttall purchased the land from the United States government, establishing the property later known as El Destino Plantation.
Products and positioning
A historical plantation estate and archival subject associated with nineteenth-century Florida agriculture, enslaved labor, and the plantation economy.
Controversies
1854
Complaint concerning overseer mistreatment
A complaint was lodged against D. N. Moxley, an overseer associated with El Destino, alleging mistreatment of enslaved workers under his supervision. The incident reflects the violence and coercion inherent in the plantation’s forced-labor system.
Brand decisions
1919
Sale outside the Jones familyM&ABackground
El Destino had remained in the Jones family since George Noble Jones acquired it in the nineteenth century.
Action taken
The property was sold for $70,000 while retaining the El Destino name.
Aftermath
Ownership moved outside the Jones family; the sources do not identify the buyer or provide later operational details until the 1937 purchase by Sheldon Whitehouse.
Sale price. $70,000 (1919)
1840
Consolidation with Chemonie PlantationStrategyBackground
El Destino was connected to the nearby Chemonie Plantation through Mary Savage Nuttall’s ownership and the plantation-management network of George Noble Jones.
Action taken
After marrying Mary Savage Nuttall, George Noble Jones purchased El Destino and Chemonie and managed them as related plantation assets.
Aftermath
The arrangement linked the two properties within a broader system of absentee ownership and enslaved labor.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/el-destino-plantation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled