Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

Ok, so this post is a slight departure from my normal, as it focuses more on natural stuff than
pure history. I hope you will forgive me. This is from the same day that I went to Matazanas.
Remember the begining of that post had the Mala Compra Plantation? It was owned by Joseph Martin
Hernandez, who had a daughter named Louisa. She maried a man by the name of George Lawrence
Washington, a distant relative of the first president. When they were married, her father gave
them a portion of the land that had once been part of his plantation. They began a garden on the
property, which was purchased in 1936 by the Young family, who gave the property to the state of
Florida in 1964. The property is now part of the Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. The other
major portion of the park is across the highway, along the coast. This rare stretch of unditurbed
beach has a group of rock formations carved over many years by the ocean waves. Without queston
one of the most spectacular things I have seen on this coast!

So as for the photos, the "title" photo is part of the rock formations on the coast. Second is the marker for the gardens, followed by a picture of Hernandez, and a marker for his daughter and son in law's house. Then four photos showing around the gardens. The next photo is at the coast, showing the field of Saw Palmettos, a common plant in this area. The remaining photos are all of the coastal rock formations.