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

The Plantation Cemetery At Betton Hill

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

1. The Plantation Cemetery At Betton Hill Marker

Inscription. The site is all that remains of a much larger cemetery for African Americans dating from the pre-Civil War era through the 1940s. It was the main burial ground for black slaves and servants from the Betton Plantation as well as other surrounding plantations. The plantation system grew in North Florida as cotton plantations to the north depleted their soil from overuse. Prominent early plantations in this region included Goodwood, Waverly, and Live Oak. Turbett Betton was a prominent Tallahassee merchant who purchased roughly 1,200 acres from the Lafayette estate, lying between Thomasville and Centerville Roads. Shortly after Betton’s death in 1863, the land was purchased by Guy Winthrop. The emancipation of the slaves ruined the cotton industry and many planters turned their land into quail hunting plantations. In 1945, the Winthrop family began subdividing the property for a new housing community called Betton Hills. Henry Watson, buried at the back of the lot with his wife, was one of Winthrop’s servants. However, most of the burials were marked with a simple wooden cross or flowers, and so no longer remain. Evidence

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of a burial site is marked by elongated depressions in the earth covered with altered vegetation.
A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 1999 by the Betton Hills Neighborhood Association, Riley House Heritage Museum and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-410.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1863.

Location. 30° 27.954′ N, 84° 15.975′ W. Marker is in Tallahassee, Florida, in Leon County. It is in Betton Hills. It is on Betton Road 0.1 miles east of Thomasville Road (State Road 61), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Betton Road, Tallahassee FL 32308, 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

The Plantation Cemetery At Betton Hill (Only a few graves stones are still visible) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

2. The Plantation Cemetery At Betton Hill (Only a few graves stones are still visible)

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Woman's Club of Tallahassee (approx. ¾ mile away); Goodwood Mansion (approx. ¾ mile away); Goodwood (approx. 0.8 miles away); Lafayette Township Grant (approx. 0.8 miles away); Florida Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); Borne Monument (approx. 0.8 miles away); a different marker also named Lafayette Township Grant (approx. 1.1 miles away); Dream Builders (approx. 1.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tallahassee.

Plantation Cemetery Graves image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

3. Plantation Cemetery Graves

Plantation Cemetery grave image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

4. Plantation Cemetery grave

Looking towards Thomasville Road to the west. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014

5. Looking towards Thomasville Road to the west.

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 3,358 times since then and 167 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 9, 2014, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.