Evergreen Hills Plantation

Evergreen Hills Plantation was a large nineteenth-century cotton plantation in eastern Leon County, Florida, established by Green Hill Chaires during Florida's territorial period. The property covered approximately 6,700 acres, or about 27 square kilometres, and was divided into two principal tracts. One tract bordered Joseph John Williams's La Grange Plantation to the north and the Francis Eppes Plantation to the east. The other lay near the eastern end of Lake Lafayette and bordered another tract associated with Chemonie Plantation. The plantation formed part of a cluster of large agricultural estates that helped shape the community later known as Chaires. Green Chaires's Evergreen Hills, his brother Benjamin Chaires's Vendura Plantation, and Thomas Peter's Woodlawn Plantation collectively functioned as an economic and social centre in the area. Chaires and his associates were among the planters who moved into Leon County during the territorial era and developed extensive agricultural holdings. The broader plantation landscape connected production sites with transportation routes, neighbouring estates, and Gulf Coast shipping points. The 1860 Leon County agricultural census recorded 3,600 acres of improved land and 3,100 acres of unimproved land at Evergreen Hills. It listed a plantation value of $53,600, farm implements and machinery valued at $900, and livestock valued at $11,460. The plantation produced 6,000 bushels of corn and 350 bales of cotton that year. The same census recorded 135 enslaved people at the property. These figures place Evergreen Hills within the antebellum plantation economy, whose agricultural output depended on the forced labor of enslaved African Americans. Green Hill Chaires also participated in regional infrastructure and public affairs. He built what is described as Florida's first plank road, linking Leon County plantations with the Gulf Coast shipping communities of Newport and St. Marks. He was also associated with the Tallahassee Railroad, serving on its board of directors during the Civil War period. He appears in records connected with Florida's first election in 1845. The Chaires family experienced severe violence during the Second Seminole War. A raid resulted in the deaths of Green Chaires's wife, two of his children, and several enslaved people, while the family's home on Lake Lafayette was destroyed. The plantation's original agricultural landscape did not survive as an intact estate. In the present day, residential areas, roads, and Chaires-Capitola Community Park occupy portions of the former plantation lands, including areas around Chaires Cross Road, Green Oak Drive, Boykin Road, Boyette Lane, Bucklake Road, and Farraway Farms. The community of Chaires was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

Evergreen Hills Plantation developed in eastern Leon County during Florida's territorial period, when Green Hill Chaires and other members of the Chaires family established large agricultural holdings in the region. Chaires's estate became one of several major plantations around Lake Lafayette and the later community of Chaires. The property was not a compact single tract throughout its history; historical descriptions identify two principal sections. The first was situated near the plantations of Joseph John Williams and Francis Eppes, while the second occupied land at the eastern end of Lake Lafayette near another tract of Chemonie Plantation. Green Chaires's original landholding reportedly expanded substantially before the Evergreen Hills estate was identified at approximately 6,700 acres. A large residence stood on Lake Lafayette. During the Second Seminole War, violence destroyed the home and killed Chaires's wife, two children, and several enslaved people. The episode illustrates the instability and conflict affecting settler communities in territorial Florida, while also reflecting the presence of enslaved people within the Chaires household and plantation system. By 1860, Evergreen Hills was a substantial cotton-producing operation. Census figures distinguish 3,600 acres of improved land from 3,100 acres that remained unimproved. The estate was valued at $53,600, with machinery and implements valued at $900 and animals at $11,460. Its reported output included 350 bales of cotton and 6,000 bushels of corn. The census also recorded 135 enslaved people. These records document the plantation's scale but should be understood within the coercive labor system that made its agricultural production possible. The plantation was part of a wider economic network. Alongside Vendura Plantation and Woodlawn Plantation, Evergreen Hills helped form the local community hub that became Chaires. Green Chaires contributed to transportation infrastructure by constructing a plank road connecting Leon County plantations with Newport and St. Marks on the Gulf Coast. He was also connected with the Tallahassee Railroad as a board director during the 1861–1865 period. Such links allowed agricultural estates to move crops and supplies between inland production areas and coastal shipping points. Green Chaires is also associated with Florida's transition from territorial government to statehood; records identify him as a voter in the first Florida election in 1845. His son was Green Averitt Chaires, while his brother Benjamin Chaires was associated with Vendura Plantation and with the laying out and naming of the area of Jacksonville in 1822. Evergreen Hills no longer operates as a plantation. Much of the former estate has been absorbed into modern residential development and public open space. Chaires-Capitola Community Park and neighbourhoods along several present-day roads occupy portions of the historic landscape. In 2000, the community of Chaires was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The plantation is therefore best understood as a historic site and settlement-related agricultural estate rather than an active commercial brand or operating farm.

• 2000

  Chaires is listed on the National Register

  [1]Evergreen Hills Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The community of Chaires was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing the area's historic settlement context.

• 1861

  Chaires serves on the Tallahassee Railroad board

  [1]Evergreen Hills Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Green Chaires is identified as a director of the Tallahassee Railroad during the Civil War period.

• 1860

  Agricultural census records plantation scale

  [1]Evergreen Hills Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The Leon County agricultural census recorded 6,700 acres, 135 enslaved people, 350 bales of cotton, and 6,000 bushels of corn at Evergreen Hills.

• 1845

  Green Chaires appears in Florida election records

  [1]Evergreen Hills Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Green Chaires is listed among voters associated with Florida's first election after statehood.

• 1835

  Second Seminole War destroys the Lake Lafayette home

  [1]Evergreen Hills Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  During the Second Seminole War, Green Chaires's wife, two children, and several enslaved people were killed, and the family's home was destroyed.

• 1821

  Chaires establishes a plantation estate in territorial Florida

  [1]Evergreen Hills Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Green Hill Chaires moved into Leon County during Florida's territorial period and developed the large estate later associated with Evergreen Hills Plantation.

A large antebellum agricultural plantation whose historical significance derives from cotton production, its role in the Leon County plantation network, and its connection to the development of the Chaires community.

• Agricultural commodity

  Cotton

  Cotton was Evergreen Hills Plantation's principal documented cash crop. The 1860 agricultural census recorded production of 350 bales. The crop was cultivated within an antebellum plantation system that relied on the forced labor of enslaved people and depended on regional roads and coastal shipping connections.

• Food and feed crop

  Corn

  Corn was another major agricultural output at Evergreen Hills. The 1860 census recorded 6,000 bushels, indicating its importance alongside cotton in supporting the plantation's agricultural economy.

• Agricultural production

  Livestock

  The plantation maintained farm animals valued at $11,460 in the 1860 census. The available reference material does not identify the individual species or provide a product breakdown.

1. 1Evergreen Hills Plantationen.wikipedia.org