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.
Chaires Historic District. . 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, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ,
Florida Heritage Site.
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, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Florida Heritage Site
Erected 2004 by the Leon County Board of County Commissioners
Click or scan to see this page online
and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-504.)
Location. 30° 26.207′ N, 84° 7.267′ W. Marker is in Tallahassee, Florida, in Leon County. It is in Chaires. Marker 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.
. (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.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014
3. Old Chaires Elementary School
Photographed By Mark Hilton, December 6, 2014
4. Old Chaires School & marker
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 1,065 times since then and 120 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.