White Oak Conservation
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| Date opened | 1982 |
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| Location | Yulee, Florida |
| Land area | 600 acres—White Oak Conservation 7,400 acres—entire plantation |
| No. of animals | 200+ |
| No. of species | 20+ |
| Website | www |
White Oak Conservation is 600 acres of the 7,400 acres on White Oak Plantation, which is mostly forest, wetlands, arts and wildlife facilities, and a golf course outside Yulee, Florida just below the Georgia state line along the St. Marys River. The site houses more than 200 animals from 20-plus species and is internationally known for its wildlife conservation. It has been successful in breeding several types of endangered, threatened and vulnerable species, including addra gazelle, cheetah, gerenuk, Mississippi sandhill crane, okapi, and three of the five species of rhinoceros. The site also accommodates conferences and has welcomed renowned guests, most notably former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Additionally, White Oak was home to the Mikhail Baryshnikov Dance Studio, now located in New York, which was visited by choreographers, dance troupes and others in the performing arts from around the world.
The earliest recorded history of White Oak Plantation dates back to April 16, 1768, when the British governor of Florida gave land along the St. Marys River through a land grant to Andrew Way, his deputy surveyor of lands. Three years later, Jermyn Wright, also a recipient of a land grant on the St. Marys, purchased Way's property.
The plantation produced timber and was home to food stores for naval vessels using the river. After removing the stands of cypress from the property's swampy areas, Wright also began to cultivate rice, establishing the southern-most rice plantation on the Atlantic coast.
By 1833, Zephaniah Kingsley, a pre-Civil War agricultural baron, had become the plantation's owner. In 1842, White Oak Plantation was purchased by Abraham Bessent, a shopkeeper in nearby St. Marys, Georgia. The sale included extensive machinery and 118 slaves, 109 whose names were recorded on the deed.
Before the American Civil War, White Oak had about 350 acres of rice paddies in cultivation. Today, the abandoned paddies are still visible, and the remnants of a building from the Kingsley era still stand in what is now a cheetah enclosure. During the Civil War, most planters left their rice plantations and permanently relocated to their summer estates. It is probable that the plantation was abandoned at this time.
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