Flanked by three-hundred-year-old oaks, the grand entrance to the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park in Ellenton evokes Tara.
It’s an unmistakable landmark along US 301, which cuts through what was once Major Robert Gamble’s 3,500-acre sugar plantation along the Manatee River in 1843.
What remained of the plantation and Gamble’s antebellum home was purchased by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1925.
They donated it to the state with the proviso that it be designated the Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial.
The Gamble MansionResources
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Overview
Entrance: 27.521906,-82.526326
Address: 3708 US 301, Ellenton
Fees: Free. Guided tour $6 adult, $4 child
Restroom: At the visitor center
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 941-723-4536
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs permitted.
Directions
From Interstate 75 exit 224, Ellenton, follow US 301 south for 1.2 miles to the park entrance on the right.
About the Park
A visitor center provides context about plantations in Florida prior to the Civil War, with a particular emphasis on this historic site.
Purchase your ticket for a guided tour. A walk around the grounds reveals more background through interpretive markers, but your guide will take you inside the home.
Inside the Visitor CenterBuilt of tabby, a mix of oyster shells and lime, the walls of this Greek Revival mansion are two feet thick.
The home was designed to trap cool air like a cave. Wooden downspouts funneled rainwater off the roof into an underground cistern for fresh water.
Fresh water was drawn from the cisternRestored to its original beauty, the mansion features period furnishings and artwork, which your guide can answer your questions about.
Because of its early conservation, it is one of the few remaining examples of a Florida antebellum plantation home statewide.
A tour guide explains how to make coffee in the late 1800sSix years of fine craftsmanship went into the construction of this mansion, which incorporated much work by enslaved laborers.
Gamble’s fortunes with sugar production fell flat before the Civil War began. In debt, he sold the property to Capt. Archibald McNeil in 1859.
Dining room inside the mansionAccording to historic documents, this plantation played a pivotal role at the end of the Civil War in assisting the escape of Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin.
Prior to the war, Benjamin was a state senator of Louisiana and the first Jewish member to serve out a term in the U.S. Congress.
Benjamin’s cousin Florida senator David Levy Yulee, was the first Jewish U.S. senator elected, but renounced the faith while in Congress to marry a Christian governor’s daughter.
Period writing deskHe disguised himself as a French journalist, “M. Bonfal,” fled to Florida, and was briefly hid on these premises by McNeil, who arranged for a boat to Nassau for Benjamin’s escape.
From there, Benjamin sailed to Great Britain. He resumed his profession, becoming a renowned barrister in the area of commercial law, retiring in 1883.
The “Benjamin Bedroom” in the Gamble MansionLeaving the house, note the oak-lined entrance out front. The Manatee River was the transportation channel of its time, so this impressive entrance once reached a river landing.
A cane grinding exhibit and garden sit behind the mansion along with picnic tables and an accessible picnic pavilion.
The ruins of the Gamble sugar mill are roadside along SR 683, north of Memphis Rd.
Sugar rollers salvaged from the millExplore More!
Slideshow
See our photos of Gamble Plantation Historic State Park
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
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Terra Ceia Preserve State Park Home to many wading birds, Terra Ceia Preserve State Park is an aquatic preserve protecting the ragged northern shoreline of the island of Terra Ceia.
Camp Bayou Nature Preserve Located on the banks of the Little Manatee River, Camp Bayou Nature Preserve provides an easygoing set of trails through a variety of natural Florida habitats. 
Little Manatee River State Park With sandy shores around every bend and a canopy of trees overhead, Little Manatee River State Park provides a beautiful destination for a family getaway.
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