Water Oak 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...
, USA established by Richard Bradford.
Location
Water Oak was located in the general area of BradfordvilleBradfordville, Florida
Bradfordville is an unincorporated community in northern Leon County, Florida, United States. It is north of Tallahassee and south of the Florida/Georgia state line by at the intersection of US 319 and County Road 0342 . Elevation is 237 feet .- Geography :Bradfordville has rolling hills and...
.
Adjacent plantations:
- Pine Hill PlantationPine Hill PlantationPine Hill Plantation was a large cotton plantation of established between 1829 and 1832 in northern Leon County, Florida, United States touching the southeast arm of Lake Iamonia established by Dr...
to the east - Walnut Hill PlantationWalnut Hill PlantationWalnut Hill Plantation was a small cotton plantation of located in northern Leon County, Florida, USA owned by Thomas Anderson Bradford.-Location:...
, Water Oak Plantation being very close to Walnut Hill
Plantation specifics
The Leon County Florida 1860 Agricultural Census shows that Water Oak Plantation had the following:- Improved Land: 900 acre (364.2 ha)
- Unimproved Land: 940 acre (380.4 ha)
- 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....
18,400 - Cash value of farm implements/machinery: $1500
- Cash value of farm animals: $3,500
- Number of slaves: 65
- Bushels of corn: 2500
- Bales of cotton: 130
The founder
Richard Henry Bradford born November 15, 1800 in EnfieldEnfield, North Carolina
Enfield is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina founded in 1740 and it is a predominantly African American town. The population was 2,347 at the 2000 census.Enfield is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
The Bradford brothers took turns hosting July 4 celebrations with massive barbecues for their slaves. When it was Richard's turn to host the celebration he included fishing parties on Lake Iamonia
Lake Iamonia, Florida
Lake Iamonia is a large, subtropical prairie lake in northern Leon County, Florida, United States created during the Pleistocene epoch.-Forming Iamonia:...
. No whites were allowed to attend these events.
During the Civil War, Richard was Captain of a company of the 1st Florida Regiment. He left with his regiment for Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
in the fall of 1861. On the night of October 9, 1861, while leading an attack column in the assault on Federal positions during the Battle of Santa Rosa Island
Battle of Santa Rosa Island
The Battle of Santa Rosa Island was an unsuccessful Confederate attempt to take Union-held Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island, Florida.- Background :...
, on Santa Rosa Island, Florida
Santa Rosa Island, Florida
Santa Rosa Island[p] is a 40-mile barrier island located in the U.S. state of Florida, thirty miles east of the Alabama state border...
, he was shot and killed by a sentinel of the 6th New York Volunteer Infantry
6th New York Volunteer Infantry
6th Regiment Infantry also called "Wilson's Zouaves" was organized at New York City on May 25, 1861. The Regiment was composed of 5 initial companies of A, B, C, and D...
. His body was returned for a hero’s funeral, and was buried in the cemetery at Pine Hill Plantation
Pine Hill Plantation
Pine Hill Plantation was a large cotton plantation of established between 1829 and 1832 in northern Leon County, Florida, United States touching the southeast arm of Lake Iamonia established by Dr...
. He could well have been the first Floridian killed in Confederate action.
The 1900s
Clement Griscom
Clement Acton Griscom was a prominent American Quaker businessman and nineteenth century shipping magnate.-Biography:...
died on October 19, 1916, Horseshoe Plantation
Horseshoe Plantation
Horseshoe Plantation is an cotton plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida and established around 1840 by Dr. Edward Bradford, a planter from Enfield, North Carolina.It is currently owned and maintained by Frederic C. Hamilton. Mr...
was divided up and part sold. Lloyd C. Griscom received 4000 acre (1,618.7 ha) on the west side naming it Luna Plantation
Luna Plantation
Luna Plantation was a quail hunting plantation located in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States established by Lloyd C. Griscom.Lloyd C. Griscom was the son of Clement A. Griscom from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Clement was a shipping magnate, President of the Red Star Line and American...
while Frances C. Griscom
Frances C. Griscom
Frances Canby Griscom was an American amateur golfer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and part-time resident of Tallahassee, Florida....
, a sportswoman, received 7000 acre (2,832.8 ha) of the old plantation to the east and named it Water Oak Plantation. Frances Griscom was the 1900 United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship
United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship
The U.S. Women's Amateur is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf championships organized by the United States Golf Association . Female amateurs from all nations are eligible to compete...
.
In 1951 Griscom sold a large part of Water Oak to J.C. (Bull) Headley, a recent transplant from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. Griscom retained Water Oak with a few hundred acres of land. Headley turned his property in to Bull Run Plantation
Bull Run Plantation
Bull Run Plantation was a private estate owned by Julien C. Headley located in Leon County, Florida, United States.-History:Originally a large part of Water Oak Plantation owned by Frances C. Griscom, Headley purchased all but a few hundred acres from Griscom in 1951. He named it Bull Run...
, a luxurious farm which grew in agricultural output. Headley ran several hundred head of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and continued with operations as a hunting plantation. Headley built a $150,000 Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
style brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
home overlooking Lake Iamonia. In 1964 Headley sold his hunting lodge and 3700 acre (1,497.3 ha) to Gillis Long, a Congressman from Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and assistant secretary of the Office of Economic Opportunity
Office of Economic Opportunity
The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...
under President Lyndon Johnson. Other hunters, golfers, and fishing enthusiasts joined in and the property became Kinhega Lodge
Kinhega Lodge
Kinhega Lodge was a hunting and fishing plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States on Lake Iamonia.From the 1830s through 1866 the land was part of the cotton plantation known as Water Oak Plantation owned by Richard Bradford....
.