Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Bel Air Community
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 15, 2025
1. Bel Air Community Marker, Side One
Inscription.
Bel Air Community. . , In the early 1800s, wealthy Tallahasseans traveled to the mountains of Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Georgia during the summer. When the Panic of 1837 caused a national economic depression that resulted in the decline of Tallahassee's Union Bank, many of them could no longer afford to travel so far. In 1841, a resort community named Bel Air was developed two miles south of downtown Tallahassee. French for "Beautiful Air." the name refers to the air in the pine woods, which they believed would protect them from yellow fever. Bel Air was situated on a dry sandy ridge where breezes flowed and so had relatively fewer mosquitoes, the carrier of yellow fever. Early landowners and seasonal residents were plantation owners who, among others, included a future Governor and a Secretary of State, a prominent railroad manager, and a Circuit Court Judge. Another well- known resident was the Reverend James Page. who was enslaved by the Parkhill family. Page was ordained one of Florida's first Black Baptist ministers and founded Bel Air's Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. , Bel Air quickly became a bustling summer community. The St. Marks Railroad ran a mule tram between Tallahassee and the St. Marks River that brought vacationers, supplies, and progress to Bel Air. A boarding school, under the supervision of H. Hastings, opened in 1842. In 1854, cornerstone was laid for Trinity Chapel, an Episcopalian church which served the settlement. Other improvements included a ten-pin bowling alley and a distillery. During the Civil War, wealthy Tallahassee women sought refuge in the area. Following the end of the war, Bel Air began a steady decline. Few of Tallahassee's white residents chose to return to those summer homes. By 1884, The Weekly Floridian described Bel Air as "deserted and gone," overlooking the formerly enslaved people who had settled the area. An existing African American cemetery evidences the former Bel Air community as do the nearby streets of Belair and Sandy Ridge that evoke the memory of the summer resort. , A Florida Heritage Site
In the early 1800s, wealthy Tallahasseans traveled to the mountains of
Tennessee, the Carolinas, and Georgia during the summer. When the Panic
of 1837 caused a national economic depression that resulted in the decline
of Tallahassee's Union Bank, many of them could no longer afford to travel
so far. In 1841, a resort community named Bel Air was developed two miles
south of downtown Tallahassee. French for "Beautiful Air." the name refers
to the air in the pine woods, which they believed would protect them from
yellow fever. Bel Air was situated on a dry sandy ridge where breezes
flowed and so had relatively fewer mosquitoes, the carrier of yellow fever.
Early landowners and seasonal residents were plantation owners who,
among others, included a future Governor and a Secretary of State, a
prominent railroad manager, and a Circuit Court Judge. Another well-
known resident was the Reverend James Page. who was enslaved by the
Parkhill family. Page was ordained one of Florida's first Black Baptist
ministers and founded Bel Air's Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.
Bel Air quickly became a bustling summer
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community. The St. Marks
Railroad ran a mule tram between Tallahassee and the St. Marks River that
brought vacationers, supplies, and progress to Bel Air. A boarding school,
under the supervision of H. Hastings, opened in 1842. In 1854,
cornerstone was laid for Trinity Chapel, an Episcopalian church which
served the settlement. Other improvements included a ten-pin bowling
alley and a distillery. During the Civil War, wealthy Tallahassee women
sought refuge in the area. Following the end of the war, Bel Air began a
steady decline. Few of Tallahassee's white residents chose to return to those
summer homes. By 1884, The Weekly Floridian described Bel Air as "deserted and gone,"
overlooking the formerly enslaved people who had
settled the area. An existing African American cemetery evidences the
former Bel Air community as do the nearby streets of Belair and Sandy
Ridge that evoke the memory of the summer resort.
A Florida Heritage Site
Erected 2024 by The Tallahassee Historical Society and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1268.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
Location. 30° 23.214′ N, 84° 16.521′ W. Marker is in Tallahassee, Florida, in Leon County. It is at the intersection of Woodville Highway (Florida Route 363) and McNeil Boulevard, on the left when traveling north on Woodville Highway. Marker is located along the Tallahassee - St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3922 Woodville Hwy, Tallahassee FL 32305, 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, 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow
Credits. This page was last revised on June 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 609 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 16, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
