The Francis Eppes Plantation was a

cotton plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

of 1,920 acres (8 km²) situated in east-central Leon County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States and established by

Francis W. Eppes Francis Wayles Eppes (September 20, 1801 – May 30, 1881) was a planter and slave owner from Virginia who became a cotton planter in the Florida Territory and later civic leader in Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and surrounding Leon County, F ...

in 1829.

Location

The Francis Eppes Plantation bordered Evergreen Hills Plantation on the east,

La Grange Plantation La Grange Plantation was a large cotton plantation of located in central Leon County, Florida, Leon County, Florida, United States established by Joseph John Williams. Location La Grange Plantation was located just east of Tallahassee in 2 tracts ...

on the north, and the northeast tip of

Southwood Plantation Southwood Plantation was a large cotton plantation of located in southern Leon County, Florida, United States and owned by George Taliafero Ward. Location Southwood Plantation bordered the Francis Eppes Plantation on the north and the R. G. Sh ...

on the south. The plantation was located on both north and south shores of

Lake Lafayette, Florida Lake Lafayette is a prairie lake located in the coastal lowland in eastern Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida with US 27 / State Road 20 running close on its south side. History Prehistoric Originally known as Prairie Lake, Lake Lafayette is ...

. Today that land encompasses the neighborhoods around Buck Lake including western Buck Lake Road, southern Pedrick Road, Planters Ridge Drive, Heritage Park Blvd and Doyle Conner Blvd.

Plantation specifics

The Leon County Florida 1860 Agricultural Census shows that the Francis Eppes Plantation had the following: *Improved Land: 950 acres (4 km²) *Unimproved Land: 970 acres (4 km²) *Cash value of plantation: $24,000 *Cash value of farm implements/machinery: $500 *Cash value of farm animals: $3000 *Number of persons enslaved: 70

Owner

, VII, was a grandson of

Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson Martha Skelton Jefferson ( ''née'' Wayles; October 30, 1748 – September 6, 1782) was the wife of Thomas Jefferson. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781. She died in 1782, 19 years before ...

and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

. Eppes came to Leon County in 1829 with his wife Mary and numerous slaves from Virginia, including some descendants of Betsy Hemmings, his nurse and a matriarch of the slave community at his childhood home of Millbrook. While the territory was under Spanish rule, Eppes served as ''Intendant'' (

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

) of Tallahassee. He is noted for initiating the proposal to locate a state-supported seminary in Tallahassee, which eventually developed into

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

. Eppes sold his plantation during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

for Confederate money. He lost the remainder of his investment and slaves by 1865, when they were freed. Eppes left Tallahassee for

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

to begin

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

farming. Florida became part of the United States in 1821. As Francis Eppes arrived in Florida in 1829, at the time he was Intendant/mayor of Tallahassee, Florida was no longer ruled by Spain.

References

Rootsweb Plantations1845 voters
*Paisley, Clifton; ''From Cotton To Quail'', University of Florida Press, c1968. Plantations in Leon County, Florida 1829 establishments in Florida Territory Cotton plantations in Florida {{Florida-plantation-stub