Chaires in Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Chaires Historic District

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

1. Chaires Historic District Marker

Inscription. The community of Chaires was established in the 1820s during Floridas Territorial Period (1821-1845). The community is named after Green Hill Chaires, who, along with his two brothers, Benjamin and Thomas Peter, came from Georgia and established vast plantations in Eastern Leon County. Chaires plantation eventually grew to 20,000 acres with a home on Lake Lafayette. It was later destroyed and his wife, two of his children and several of his slaves were massacred in 1839 during the Second Seminole Indian War (1835-1842). He then built a house called Evergreen and his brother, Thomas Peter, built a house called Woodlawn. In 1851, Green Chaires built the states first plank road, which connected upland plantations to the Gulf Coast shipping communities of Newport and St. Marks. The establishment of Railroad Station #1 in 1857 and the Chaires Post Office in 1858 contributed to the sense of community. By the turn of the century, Chaires was the commercial hub for the area, with a cotton gin and packinghouse, public schools, stores and churches. Today, Chaires retains much of its turn-of-the-century character. In December 2000,

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it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2004 by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-504.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical month for this entry is December 2000.

Location. 30° 26.207′ N, 84° 7.267′ W. Marker is in Tallahassee, Florida, in Leon County. It is in Chaires. It is on Chaires Cross Road (State Road 154) 0.2 miles west of Parkhill Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4774 Chaires Cross Road, Tallahassee FL 32317, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

Chaires Historic District Marker in distance. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

2. Chaires Historic District Marker in distance.

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Mission Of San Pedro y San Pablo de Patale (approx. 2.7 miles away); Site of the Raid on Chaires Plantation (approx. 2.8 miles away); The Block-Sterns Site (approx. 3.3 miles away); Tallahassee National Cemetery Carillon (approx. 4.1 miles away); Tallahassee National Cemetery (approx. 4.1 miles away); Under Cover of Corn (approx. 4.2 miles away); Munree (Fleischmann) Cemetery of Welaunee Plantation (approx. 5 miles away); Leon County War on Terror Memorial (approx. 6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tallahassee.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Eastern Boundary of Lafayette Land Grant (was approx. 4.4 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . .
1. Chaires, Florida - Wikipedia article. (Submitted on December 9, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. The Chaires School - Wikipedia article. (Submitted on December 9, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Old Chaires Elementary School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

3. Old Chaires Elementary School

Old Chaires School & marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

4. Old Chaires School & marker

New Chaires Elementary School image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

5. New Chaires Elementary School

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 9, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,859 times since then and 179 times this year. Last updated on February 14, 2021, by Jason R. Surratt of Aurora, Colorado. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 9, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.