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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Mt. Pleasant in Gadsden County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Joshua Davis House

 
 
Joshua Davis House Marker Side 1 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, April 9, 2014
1. Joshua Davis House Marker Side 1
Inscription.
In the 1820's, settlers from Georgia, South Carolina and other states came to the new United States Territory of Florida in search of land to homestead. One such frontiersman was Thomas Dawsey, who by 1824 was residing in the Gadsden County area. In 1827 Dawsey purchased the 160 acres upon which this house stands from the United States Public Land Office, a common practice for homesteaders. Another pioneer in the region was Joshua Davis, who brought his family from Laurens County, South Carolina to a farm two miles west of Quincy ca. 1828. He soon moved to the North Mosquito Creek community located about a mile northeast of this site. Between 1830 and 1849, Joshua Davis acquired the Dawsey property and moved with his wife and five children into what would be their permanent home. By 1830, a road had been built through this area from Quincy to the Apalachicola River crossing at Chattahoochee. Stage-coaches carrying mail and passengers through this fertile and well-populated farming region traveled over what was known as "the upper road." Some evidence suggests the Joshua Davis House served as a stage-coach stop and perhaps as a horse-changing station.

This house was the focal point of a cotton, tobacco, and corn plantation which by 1859 consisted of 1440 acres of land on which Joshua Davis had as many as 33 slaves, 6 horses,
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and 135 cattle. A map of 1857 designated this general locality as "Davis." After the death of Joshua Davis in 1859 and of his wife Esther in 1876, the house was occupied by their grand-daughter Esther and her husband Lieut. Mortimer B. Bates, C.S.A. This house has been used as a frontier home, tenant house, and storage facility. It was originally built as a one room, 18' by 27' dressed timber structure with a front porch and a heating-cooking fireplace at the west end. Early alterations included a rear porch, attic sleeping loft, and east room. Joshua Davis enclosed the rear porch into shed rooms opening onto a breezeway, refurbished the interior and exterior with hand-beaded siding, and is thought to have added a separated kitchen in the rear. The additions include several architectural elements not commonly found in Florida. This house, which was still the property of descendants of Joshua Davis at the time of its restoration in 1974, is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
Erected 1975 by David. A. Avant, Jr. and George Davis Avant in cooperation with Department of State. (Marker Number F-244.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & VehiclesSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1824.
 
Location. 30° 41.364′ N, 84° 
Joshua Davis House Marker Side 2 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, April 9, 2014
2. Joshua Davis House Marker Side 2
43.373′ W. Marker is near Mt. Pleasant, Florida, in Gadsden County. Marker is on Memorial Blue Star Highway (U.S. 90) 0.2 miles east of Atwater Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: US 90, Quincy FL 32352, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Camp Recovery Monument (approx. 4.4 miles away in Georgia); Camp Recovery (approx. 4˝ miles away in Georgia); Fort Scott (approx. 5.6 miles away in Georgia); Old Gretna School House (approx. 6.3 miles away); Ira Sanborn (approx. 6˝ miles away in Georgia); Apalachicola Arsenal (approx. 6.6 miles away); United States Arsenal (1832-1861) (approx. 6.7 miles away); a different marker also named Apalachicola Arsenal (approx. 7 miles away).
 
More about this marker. Although reported to the Division of Historical Resources last year the marker is still not viewable to the general public. Some visitors have been granted access by the Avant family.
 
Also see . . .  History of house. (Submitted on December 7, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
 
Joshua Davis House image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 5, 2014
3. Joshua Davis House
Joshua Davis House & Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 5, 2014
4. Joshua Davis House & Marker
Closest place to physically photograph marker. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 5, 2014
5. Closest place to physically photograph marker.
Previous condition before renovation. (Circa 1950's) image. Click for full size.
State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/30916
6. Previous condition before renovation. (Circa 1950's)
Partial view of Side 2 of marker image. Click for full size.
State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/3355, 1976
7. Partial view of Side 2 of marker
Note marker in different location at that time.
Nearest gate to property image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 5, 2014
8. Nearest gate to property
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 7, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 615 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on January 27, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.   3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on December 7, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.

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Mar. 19, 2024