The park contains the ruins of a former sugar plantation owned by David Levy Yulee. Yulee was a member of the Florida Territorial Legislative Council, as well as a slave owner in Homosassa, Florida. Over 1,000 enslaved laborers worked the 5,000 acres of farmland yielding cotton, citrus fruit, and sugar cane. The steam-driven mill operated from 1851 to 1864 and served as a supplier for Confederate troops during the Civil War.

The mill was largely destroyed during the Civil War, but a few pieces of equipment can still be seen. A 40-foot limestone masonry chimney and a cane press are among the remnants of the steam-driven mill that was used to produce sugar, molasses, and syrup. Today there are informational diagrams to show how the mill functioned around the ruins.