Tall Timbers Plantation was a

quail hunting plantation A quail hunting plantation is a large tract of land typically with a natural wooded and grass habitat for the purpose of recreational hunting of bobwhite quail. Range Quail hunting plantations are found throughout the Southern United States, from T ...

located in northern Leon County,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

established by Edward Beadel in 1895.

History

In 1826, John Phinzy of Georgia purchased Lot 4 of Section 22, Township 3 North, Range 1 East. In 1827, Samuel Bryan purchased Lot 1, Section 22 and Island 3 on

Lake Iamonia Lake Iamonia is a large, subtropical prairie lake in northern Leon County, Florida, United States, created during the Pleistocene epoch. History Forming Iamonia Lake Iamonia's base was established during the Early Pleistocene through submergen ...

within Section 22. In 1834, Dr. Griffin W. Holland, of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

purchased Lots 2 and 3 of Section 22, Township 3 North, Range 1 East naming the property Woodlawn. Dr. Holland lived at Woodlawn for about 10 years. Holland sold the land to Alexander Mosely in 1871. Edward Beadel was an avid sportsman from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and had been coming to the Piney Woods Hotel, a massive wood structure in

Thomasville, Georgia Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,881 in 2020. The city deems itself the "City of Roses" and holds an annual Rose Festival. The city features plantations open to the public, a histor ...

for some time. The hotel was built around 1885 and attracted New Yorkers to Thomasville during the winter months. (The Piney Woods burned in 1906). Beadel would often cross the Florida border to hunt on the property of Charlie Davis. Beadel was so impressed with Leon County that he purchased of land along the north shore of

for $8000. The property had been owned by the heirs of Eugene H. Smith and was called Hickory Hill. It consisted of land from the former Woodlawn Plantation and other land to the west. Beadel built a $3000 home where a plantation house had once stood and renamed the property Tall Timbers. The home had its own

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system, distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towe ...

boat house A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

, and other outbuildings. Tall Timbers was used not only for quail hunting, but also

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...

and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

In 1919, Edward Beadel died and the property passed to his nephew, Henry Ludlow Beadel who had been hunting in Leon County since 1894. Henry Beadel enlarged the plantation to . Field hunting was accomplished via horse-drawn carriage. For duck hunting, Henry used a handmade tin boat of between 8 and 9 feet in length. Tall Timbers also had a number of

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

s. By this time, the house had a huge stone

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

and

rustic furniture Rustic furniture is furniture employing sticks, twigs or logs for a natural look. The term "rustic" is derived from Latin (peasant; as opposed to urban). The style is rooted in Romantic tradition. In the US it is almost synonymous with the Natio ...

fit for a lodge. The exterior had a sweeping porch facing the lake. Adjacent plantations: In 1947

Foshalee Plantation Foshalee Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, Leon County, Florida, United States. History First called Incochee, it was purchased in 1824 by Hezekiah and Ann Graham Ponder. Hezekiah and Ann ar ...

bordered Tall Timbers on the east. In 1967, Mistletoe Plantation bordered Tall Timbers on the extreme northwest. Henry Beadel's will left the plantation for use as a nature preserve for wildlife research. In 1963, his cousin, also named Henry Beadel, established the Tall Timbers Research Station Foundation for land and wildlife management.Tall Timbers Research
a
Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation, Inc.
/ref> On April 7, 1989, {{convert, 2800, acre, km2 of the property was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

References

Tall Timbers Research Center and Land Conservancy
Plantations in Leon County, Florida 1895 establishments in Florida

History

See also

References