Francis Eppes Plantation

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Location of the Francis Eppes Plantation.

The Francis Eppes Plantation was a small cotton plantation of 1920 acres (8 km²) situated in east-central Leon County, Florida, United States and established by Francis W. Eppes in 1829.

1 Location
2 Plantation specifics
3 Owner
4 References

[edit] Location

The Francis Eppes Plantation bordered Evergreen Hills Plantation on the east, La Grange Plantation on the north, and the northeast tip of Southwood Plantation on the south. The plantation was located on both north and south shores of Lake Lafayette, Florida. 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.

[edit] 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 slaves: 70

[edit] Owner

Francis W. Eppes.

Francis Wayles Eppes, VII was a grandson of Thomas Jefferson. Eppes came to Leon County in 1829 with his wife Mary. Eppes served as Intendant mayor of Tallahassee and is noted for initiated the proposal to begin an institution of higher learning in Tallahassee eventually to become Florida State University.

Eppes sold his plantation during the Civil War for, worthless, Confederate money and lost the remainder of his investment and slaves by 1865. Eppes left Tallahassee for Orange County, Florida to begin citrus farming.