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 owners
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.

Richard Keith Call gubanatorial portrait

[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 owners

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.

Orchard Pond would be purchased by John H. Phipps and later become the home of John H. Phipps. Upon his death it became combined homes and interests of Colin Phipps and grandson John E. Phipps who was given 2100 acres on Ox Bottom Road.^[1]

See: Ayavalla Plantation

Orchard Pond is currently owned by Jeff Phipps and contains some of the most diverse wetlands the Red Hills Region with flowing streams, isolated lakes, and river floodplain and swamps.