Meridian Plantation was a quail hunting plantation in central

Leon County, Florida Leon County () is a County (United States), county in the Florida Panhandle, Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population w ...

. It was established by Arthur Lapsley in 1915. Lapsley was from Pomfret Center in

Pomfret, Connecticut Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut with a population of 4,266 according to the 2020 United States Census. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. It was incorporated in 1713 and was named after Pontefract ...

. Meridian Plantation had previously been Mossview Plantation, and owned by the Whitehead family. In 1933, Meridian Plantation was purchased by

Dwight F. Davis Dwight Filley Davis Sr. (July 5, 1879 – November 28, 1945) was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 ...

. Davis was

Assistant Secretary of War The United States assistant secretary of war was the second–ranking official within the American Department of War from 1861 to 1867, from 1882 to 1883, and from 1890 to 1940. According to thMilitary Laws of the United States "The act of Augus ...

under President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

and

Governor General of the Philippines The governor-general of the Philippines (; ; ) was the title of the Executive (government), government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, first by History of the Philippines (1521–1898), the Spanish in Mexico City and l ...

from 1929-1932. Davis also founded the tennis world's prestigious

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...

. In 1945, Davis died with Meridian becoming the property of Griscom Bettle, nephew to

Lloyd C. Griscom Lloyd Carpenter Griscom (November 4, 1872 – February 8, 1959) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and newspaper publisher. Early life Lloyd Griscom was born on November 4, 1872, at Riverton, New Jersey. He was the son of shipping magnate Clement ...

Luna Plantation Luna Plantation was a quail hunting plantation located in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States established by Lloyd C. Griscom. Lloyd C. Griscom was the son of Clement A. Griscom from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Clement was a shi ...

. Bettle would also acquire ''Rose Hill Plantation'', a smaller plantation which bordered Lake Elizabeth on its east and also had considerable acreage near Lake Jackson. Rose Hill would be sold to Ralph Nicholson, former publisher of the ''

New Orleans Item-Tribune The ''New Orleans Item-Tribune'', sometimes rendered in press accounts as the ''New Orleans Item and Tribune'', was an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, in various forms from 1871 to 1958. Early history The newspaper, r ...

'' and other newspapers.Paisley, Clifton; ''From Cotton To Quail'', University of Florida Press, c1968, pp. 83-84. Adjacent plantations: * Ayavalla Plantation to the west * Live Oak Plantation to the south

References

{{reflist Plantations in Leon County, Florida 1915 establishments in Florida