Orchard Pond Plantation

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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.

Contents 1 Location 2 Plantation specifics 3 The owner 4 Photo gallery 5 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 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.

[edit] Photo gallery

Various views of Orhard Pond's plantation house, a 2-story brick home with 8 support columns, 4 for each floor.

[edit] References

• Rootsweb Plantations
• Largest Slaveholders from 1860 Slave Census Schedules
• 1845 voters
• Paisley, Clifton; From Cotton To Quail, University of Florida Press, c1968.
• The US 50