Evergreen Hills Plantation
Encyclopedia
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
established by Green A. Chaires.
Location
Evergreen Hills was located in 2 tracts. The first tract was bordered Joseph John Williams' La Grange PlantationLa Grange Plantation
La Grange Plantation was a large cotton plantation of located in central Leon County, Florida, USA established by Joseph John Williams.-Location:La Grange Plantation was located just east of Tallahassee in 2 tracts of land...
on the north and the Francis Eppes Plantation
Francis Eppes Plantation
The Francis Eppes Plantation was a small cotton plantation of 1920 acres situated in east-central Leon County, Florida, United States and established by Francis W. Eppes in 1829.-Location:...
to the east.
The second tract was at the east end of Lake Lafayette, Florida
Lake Lafayette, Florida
Lake Lafayette is a prairie lake located in the coastal lowland in eastern Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida with US 27 / State Road 20 running close on its south side.- Prehistoric :Lake Lafayette is the remnant of a Pleistocene river delta...
and bordered a 2nd tract of Chemonie Plantation
Chemonie Plantation
Chemonie Plantation was a medium sized cotton plantation of in northern Leon County, Florida, USA established by Hector Braden.-Location:Chemonie Plantion was situated on two separate tracts of land. The first tract was located between Centerville Road and the Monticello Road occupying a large...
on the east. Green's Evergreen Hills Plantation, with Benjamin's Vendura Plantation
Vendura Plantation
Vendura Plantation was a large cotton plantation of in eastern Leon County, Florida, USA established by Benjamin Chaires, Sr.The Benjamin Chaires who owned VERDURA was not Benjamin Chaires Sr...
and Thomas Peter's Woodlawn Plantation
Woodlawn Plantation (Florida)
Woodlawn Plantation was a large plantation located in eastern Leon County, Florida, U.S. owned by Thomas Peter Chaires.Thomas Peter Chaires, along with his 2 brothers Green A. Chaires and Benjamin A. Chaires, established large plantations during the Florida Territorial Period of 1821-1845...
, would form the community hub of Chaires, Florida
Chaires, Florida
Chaires is an unincorporated community located just east of Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida. It is near the intersection of Chaires Cross Road and Capitola Road, northeast of Lake Lafayette and the Edwards Wildlife Area.-Geography:...
. In 2000 the community of Chaires was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today the Chaires-Capitola Community Park, the neighborhoods around Chaires Cross Road, Green Oak Drive, Boykin Road, Boyette Lane, Bucklake Road, Farraway Farms and others occupy the land.
Plantation specifics
The Leon County Florida 1860 Agricultural Census shows that the Evergreen Hills Plantation had the following:- Improved Land: 3600 acres (15 km²)
- Unimproved Land: 3100 acres (13 km²)
- Cash value of plantation: $United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
53,600 - Cash value of farm implements/machinery: $900
- Cash value of farm animals: $11,460
- Number of slaves: 135
- Bushels of corn: 6000
- Bales of cotton: 350
The owner
Green Chaires' father was Major Benjamin Chaires who laid out and named the area of JacksonvilleJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
in 1822. Chaires is also listed as a voter in First Florida Election of 1845.
During Florida's Territorial Period (1821-1845). Green A. Chaires along with brothers Benjamin of Vendura Plantation
Vendura Plantation
Vendura Plantation was a large cotton plantation of in eastern Leon County, Florida, USA established by Benjamin Chaires, Sr.The Benjamin Chaires who owned VERDURA was not Benjamin Chaires Sr...
and Thomas Peter of Woodlawn Plantation
Woodlawn Plantation (Florida)
Woodlawn Plantation was a large plantation located in eastern Leon County, Florida, U.S. owned by Thomas Peter Chaires.Thomas Peter Chaires, along with his 2 brothers Green A. Chaires and Benjamin A. Chaires, established large plantations during the Florida Territorial Period of 1821-1845...
moved to Leon County establishing very large plantations. Green Chaires' first plantation started large and eventually grew to 20,000 acres (80 km²) and had a large home on Lake Lafayette
Lake Lafayette, Florida
Lake Lafayette is a prairie lake located in the coastal lowland in eastern Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida with US 27 / State Road 20 running close on its south side.- Prehistoric :Lake Lafayette is the remnant of a Pleistocene river delta...
. During the 2nd Seminole War
Seminole Wars
The Seminole Wars, also known as the Florida Wars, were three conflicts in Florida between the Seminole — the collective name given to the amalgamation of various groups of native Americans and Black people who settled in Florida in the early 18th century — and the United States Army...
of 1835-1842, Chaires' wife and two of his children along with several slaves were massacred and the home was destroyed.
Aside from being a plantation owner, Green Chaires built the state's first plank road, which connected Leon County plantations to the Gulf Coast shipping communities of Newport
Newport, Florida
Newport is a small unincorporated community in Wakulla County, Florida, United States of America, situated where U.S. Highway 98 meets State Road 267.-1840s:...
and St. Marks
St. Marks, Florida
St. Marks is a city in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 272 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 299 .-Geography:...
. Also on the transportation end, Chaires was on the 1861-1865 Board of Directors of the Tallahassee Railroad.
http://csa-railroads.com/Tallahassee%20Officers.htm