Orchard Pond Plantation

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General location of Orchard Pond Plantation.

Orchard Pond Plantation was a large cotton plantation originally of 8754 acres (35½ km²) located in northwestern Leon County, Florida, USA established by Richard Keith Call.

1 Location
2 Plantation specifics
3 The owner
4 References

[edit] Location

The exact boundaries of Orchard Pond Plantation are not available. What is known is that Orchard Pond lay between Lake Jackson and the Ochlockonee River to the west.

[edit] Plantation specifics

The Leon County Florida 1860 Agricultural Census shows that Orchard Pond Plantation had the following:

Improved Land: 1300 acres (5 km²)
Unimproved Land: 2544 acres (10 km²)
Cash value of plantation: $31,000
Cash value of farm implements/machinery: $300
Cash value of farm animals: $4000
Number of slaves: 118
Bushels of corn: 4500
Bales of cotton: 167

Orchard Pond Plantation eventually reduced in size down to 2644 acres (11 km²) and Call turned over his other plantation, The Grove, to his daughter. Call began turning his attention to agricultural experiments such as Florida hemp and livestock improvements.

[edit] The owner

Richard Keith Call gubanatorial portrait

Richard Keith Call was born October 24, 1792. Call was a friend and assistant of General Andrew Jackson and accompanied him to Florida. His monies were made in the land office and he promoted land in Leon County to northerners Call, a Democrat, was Governor from 1836 to 1839. He later was a Whig. The Grove, Richard Keith Call's home, is on the National Register.