Remembering Suwannee: Convict leasing system, Part 6

Eric Musgrove Contributor This week, we will continue looking at some of the more interesting stories in the book "American Siberia" by J. C. Powell, captain of the convict camp for many years. After some time away, Captain Powell and his convicts returned to Suwannee County under the lease of railroad tycoon Henry Plant. His company, the Plant Investment Company, included what came to be called the Savannah, Florida & Western Railroad, which ran through Suwannee County. The company wished to expand its railroad lines and began construction of the Live Oak & Rowland's Bluff Railroad; Rowland's Bluff is now known as Branford. As the convicts began construction of the railroad