Oaklawn Plantation was a large forced-labor farm of 5326 acres (21½ km
2) in northern
Leon County in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
. It was established around 1850 by
Captain William Lester (born December 24, 1790) of
Burke County, Georgia
Burke County is a county located along the eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia in the Piedmont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,596. The county seat is Waynesboro. Burke County is part of the Augusta-Richmond County, G ...
.
Location
Oaklawn Plantation was located on two tracts of land. The first and northernmost tract would become what is now parts of Killearn Lakes Plantation and the private hunting preserve of
Horseshoe Plantation and extending south to
Bradfordville. The second and southernmost tract would become properties on Ox Bottom Rd and edge Thomasville Road.
Plantation statistics
The Leon County Florida 1860 Agricultural Census shows that Oaklawn Plantation had the following:
*Improved Land: 1200 acres (5 km
2)
*Unimproved Land: 4440 acres (18 km
2)
*Cash value of plantation:
$26,720
*Cash value of farm implements/machinery: $600
*Cash value of farm animals: $5,925
*Number of slaves: 156
*Bushels of corn: 5000
*Bales of cotton: 300
Plantation home
The plantation home was known as The Lester-Lauder House. The house was an
antebellum
Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to:
United States history
* Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US
** Antebellum Georgia
** Antebellum South Carolina
** Antebellum Virginia
* Antebellum architectu ...
I-house
The I-house is a vernacular architecture, vernacular house type, popular in the United States from the colonial period onward. The I-house was so named in the 1930s by Fred Kniffen, a cultural geographer at Louisiana State University who was a sp ...
with
Carolina type porch and enclosed rear shed rooms.
The owner
In 1834, prior to coming to Florida, Lester became the head of
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority.
A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...
committee called "The Regulators" during the funeral of a Mr. Roundtree. In May 1846, the
Florida Superior Court the grand jury investigated the deaths of two
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
citizens at the hands of The Regulators. Judge Scarborough instructed the grand jury not to indict The Regulators for murder, but to issue a warning that they would be indicted the next time. The grand jury called on the officers of The Regulators to dismiss the body that was no longer needed for the purpose it was organized.
William Lester was a signee to the Southern Rights Association of Centreville District on secession from the Union for the protection of Southern interests and the vindication of Southern rights to preserve and protect the Constitution in its purity as the basis of Federal compact, and the only foundation on which the Union of the States was made, or on which that Union should be preserved.
By 1870, he owned 5,000 acres (20 km
2) of land in
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, and Florida.
Lester Cemetery had an ornamental iron fence. An obelisk marked the location of Captain Lester and his wife Rhoda. A total of 11
interments with brick vaults were at this cemetery before its removal. Pieces of
pearlware sherd were found around the graveyard.
In 1997, the Lester-Lauder house was razed to the ground to make way for a commercial interest called Bannerman Crossing.
Bannerman Crossing
/ref>
References
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Plantations in Leon County, Florida
Cotton plantations in Florida