The Mala Compra Plantation once was home to Joseph Hernandez, who helped select Tallahassee as the state capital.

Palm Coast, FL – When Flagler County purchased an old waterfront fish camp 20-plus years ago, it had big plans for the site. The eyesore property, with its dilapidated trailers, primitive plumbing and electrical wiring, would be cleared out to make way for a picturesque county park with a boat ramp and nature trails.

But while county workers were removing trash, they unexpectedly discovered one of Florida's archaeological sites: the remnants of Mala Compra Plantation, once owned by Florida's first voice in the U.S. Congress and its first Hispanic member.

"The crews, of course, went in with the express purpose of demolishing and removing all the stuff that was there," recalls Al Hadeed, the Flagler County attorney. "One day the road and bridge superintendent called me and said, 'There is something here that you've got to see.' It was an old coquina well. And as we began to clear out stuff, we began to see other outcroppings of cut coquina."

Mala Compra Plantation History

In the early 19th century, the plantation was home to Joseph Hernandez, who served as everything from a brigadier general in the U.S. Army to a committee member who helped select Tallahassee as the state capital. The site is part of Bing's Landing, an eight-acre county park that also includes a boat launch, fishing pier, and picnic and playground facilities.

Flagler County pursued archaeological grants to study the physical evidence of Hernandez' plantation, and then more grants to create a permanent display at the site.

"Normally when archaeologists dig, they take the artifacts and then cover the site back up," says Sisco Deen, the archive curator for the Flagler County Historical Society. "With this one, we got the artifacts, but they left the dig."

Mala Compra Plantation Today

Today, visitors can walk on an elevated boardwalk around the perimeter of the plantation remains and read interpretive displays that explain the site's historical and cultural value.

"Typically, with these kind of sites, they bury them to preserve them because it's very expensive to preserve them in the open," Hadeed says.

In 2010, Mala Compra Plantation received two notable awards: One, an international recognition from the Society for Historic Archaeology, singled out the county for promoting historical archaeology. Another, from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, rewarded the county's "Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Historic Landscape/Archaeology."

Additionally, artifacts from this Florida archaeological site – and others donated by descendants of Hernandez – are on display at sites around Flagler County, such as the Flagler Beach Museum and the county government services building, which houses more-valuable items that require a higher level of security.

Flagler County, of course, didn't know what it was getting when it purchased this small portion of Hernandez' old spread. But officials were surprised and delighted as they pieced together the history.

The son of Spanish immigrants who came to Florida from Minorca, an island off the coast of Spain, Hernandez was born in St. Augustine in 1788, when Florida was controlled by the Spanish. Much of his family moved to Cuba when Florida became part of the United States in 1821, but Hernandez stayed behind and launched a political career in his home state.

In 1822, he was selected to represent the new Florida Territory in Congress, where he served until 1823.

His plantation, which produced cotton and oranges and once consisted of nearly 800 acres, is also notable because Hernandez hosted John James Audubon there during Christmas of 1831, and one of the naturalist's paintings in Birds of America depicts a water bird at Mala Compra.

Seminole Indians burned the plantation in 1836 during the Second Seminole Indian War.

The plantation's name, Mala Compra, translates to "bad bargain," but who gave it that name and who got the short end of whatever bargain is not clear. Today, for those who treasure history, Mala Compra is a great deal and one of Florida's archaeological sites you must visit.

If you go

Where: Bing's Landing County Park, 5862 N. Oceanshore Blvd., Palm Coast
Phone: 386-313-4020
Web: flaglercounty.org
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Cost: Free

In the area

To round out a visit to the remains of Hernandez' plantation, consider these other Palm Coast destinations:

The Hammock Beach Resort (200 Ocean Crest Dr., Palm Coast, 386-246-5500, hammockbeach.com), located just off Florida's scenic Highway A1A, is an oceanfront resort that offers myriad activities for golfers, anglers, families and relaxation seekers. The family-friendly resort includes a 91,000-square-foot water pavilion, complete with water park and lazy river. An onsite spa, two golf courses, nine-hole putting course, bicycle and kayak rentals and beachside bonfires complete the Hammock Beach experience.

Just north of Palm Coast, Marineland (9600 Oceanshore Blvd., St. Augustine, 904-471-1111, marineland.net) started the Florida tradition of bringing marine life to landlubbers. Opened in 1938 as Marine Studios, this Old Florida attraction was originally intended to satiate film and television studios' appetites for underwater footage, and Johnny Weismuller filmed here for his Tarzan movies. Most of the facility's original structures were retired after 2004, and today, dolphin encounters are offered at a modern 1.3 million-gallon facility.

PLACES TO REMEMBER