El Destino Plantation was a large forced-labor farm of 7638 acre located in western Jefferson County and eastern Leon County, Florida, United States established by John Nuttall in 1828. It was worked by enslaved African Americans (prior to the end of the American Civil War).

Location

El Destino was located in western Jefferson County near present-day Waukeenah. It extended into Leon County, Florida by 6 mi and 3 mi south of the W.G. Ponder Plantation.

Plantation history

The land to become El Destino was purchased from the U.S. government in 1828. In 1832 William B. Nuttall bought El Destino from his father’s estate for $17,000 (~$ in ). Nutall died leaving the property to his widow, Mary Savage Nuttall. Mary Nuttall would inherit enslaved people from her uncle, William Savage. To these enslaved people, Hector Braden, a friend of William’s, sold Mary Chemonie Plantation 6 mi north of El Destino. On May 18, 1840 George Noble Jones married Mary Savage Nuttall and purchased El Destino. The plantation house was a large home, it was destroyed by fire in 1925.

Owners

El Destino remained in the Jones family until 1919. It was then sold for $70,000 but kept its name. In 1937 it was purchased by Sheldon Whitehouse of New York. In 1854 D.N. Moxley served as an overseer for the property, when a complaint was lodged against him for mistreating the workers under his supervision.