James Kirksey Plantation

James Kirksey Plantation was a nineteenth-century agricultural estate in northwestern Leon County, Florida, established by James A. Kirksey. It was not a consumer brand or commercial company in the modern sense; the name identifies a historic plantation and the estate associated with its owner. The plantation operated within the antebellum cotton economy, relying on the forced labor of enslaved people and cultivating substantial quantities of cotton and corn. The estate covered approximately 2,600 acres, or about 1,100 hectares, and was divided into two principal sections. One section, measuring roughly 950 acres, lay west of what is now North Meridian Road near Orchard Pond and included Buck Pond. A second section of approximately 1,280 acres was located about three miles north of Tallahassee. The property bordered Frederick R. Cotten's Burgesstown Plantation to the north and the William A. Carr Plantation to the east. A plantation house associated with the estate was prefabricated in New York and assembled on the site in 1832. The two-story structure measures approximately 55 feet across its front and 33 feet in depth. Its most distinctive architectural feature is a two-level porch wrapping from side to front to side, supported by sixteen fluted Doric columns, eight on each floor. The house is located at 325 North Calhoun Street in Tallahassee and has been documented through the Historic American Buildings Survey. The surviving house is the most visible physical representation of the plantation's history. James A. Kirksey, who lived from 1804 to 1878, was the plantation's owner and a participant in Florida public affairs. He served as an election inspector in 1845 and became mayor of Tallahassee in 1847. He later served as a delegate to Florida's Secession Convention on January 10, 1861, linking the estate's history to the political structure that supported secession and slavery. The 1860 Leon County agricultural census recorded 1,320 acres of improved land and 1,280 acres of unimproved land. It valued the plantation at $33,000, farm implements and machinery at $500, and farm animals at $3,405. The estate held 180 enslaved people and produced 6,000 bushels of corn and 454 bales of cotton. Although it was not among the very largest plantations in the region, these figures made it the fourth-largest plantation in Leon County by the measure cited in the historical record. Around 1915 or 1916, the plantation was purchased by Dr. Tennent Ronalds of Edinburgh, Scotland. Ronalds also owned Live Oak Plantation and Orchard Pond Plantation, and his combined personal estate was reported as totaling 6,437 acres. The available references do not establish the later ownership history, operating status, or current legal status of the original agricultural estate. The historic house, however, remains associated with the James Kirksey name and has been photographed and recorded as an architectural and historical site.

James Kirksey Plantation was established by James A. Kirksey in Leon County, Florida, during the period when Tallahassee and the surrounding region were developing as an antebellum plantation district. The estate occupied approximately 2,600 acres and was organized into two principal areas northwest and north of Tallahassee. Its neighboring properties included Burgesstown Plantation, owned by Frederick R. Cotten, and land associated with William A. Carr. The plantation house was prefabricated in New York and constructed at the site in 1832. Its design reflects the architectural language often associated with prosperous Southern plantation residences: a two-story form, broad porches on both levels, and sixteen fluted Doric columns. The house measures approximately 55 feet across the front and 33 feet in depth. It is now located at 325 North Calhoun Street in Tallahassee. The structure has been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey and photographed as part of the historical record. James A. Kirksey was born in 1804 and died in 1878. In addition to managing the plantation, he participated in local and state political life. He served as an election inspector in 1845 and was mayor of Tallahassee in 1847. On January 10, 1861, he was a delegate to the Florida Secession Convention. His public roles placed him within the political elite of antebellum Florida, while the plantation's agricultural output depended on the forced labor of enslaved people. The 1860 agricultural census provides a detailed snapshot of the estate immediately before the Civil War. It listed 1,320 acres of improved land and 1,280 acres of unimproved land. The plantation had a stated value of $33,000, with farm machinery valued at $500 and farm animals at $3,405. The census recorded 180 enslaved people, 6,000 bushels of corn, and 454 bales of cotton. By the source's comparison, the plantation ranked fourth in Leon County, despite being smaller than the region's largest estates. The plantation's history is therefore inseparable from the institution of slavery, the expansion of cotton agriculture, and Florida's secession-era politics. The available material does not provide a detailed account of the lives, names, working conditions, resistance, or emancipation experiences of the enslaved people held there. Those absences are important limitations in interpreting the surviving record. Around 1915 or 1916, the property was acquired by Dr. Tennent Ronalds, a Scottish owner from Edinburgh. Ronalds also held Live Oak Plantation and Orchard Pond Plantation, and his total personal estate was reported at 6,437 acres. The references supplied do not document the full sequence of subsequent owners, the eventual disposition of the agricultural acreage, or the present legal status of the plantation as a landholding. The historic house remains the principal surviving site connected with the name and has been preserved in architectural documentation.

• 1962

  Historic house photographed

  [1]James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Photographs of the house from 1962 are cited in the historical record.

• 1915

  Estate acquired by Tennent Ronalds

  [1]James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Around 1915 or 1916, Dr. Tennent Ronalds of Edinburgh, Scotland, purchased the plantation. The precise year is reported as approximate.

• 1861

  Kirksey joins Florida's Secession Convention

  [1]James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  Kirksey was a delegate to Florida's Secession Convention on January 10, connecting the plantation owner to the state's secession politics.

• 1860

  Agricultural census records the estate

  [1]James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  The census recorded 2,600 acres in total, 180 enslaved people, 454 bales of cotton, and 6,000 bushels of corn, and ranked the plantation fourth in Leon County by the cited comparison.

• 1847

  Kirksey becomes mayor of Tallahassee

  [1]James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  James A. Kirksey served as mayor of Tallahassee while continuing to be associated with the plantation estate.

• 1845

  Kirksey serves as election inspector

  [1]James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  James A. Kirksey is recorded as participating in Florida public affairs as an election inspector.

• 1832

  Plantation house constructed

  [1]James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org

  A prefabricated house made in New York was assembled at the James Kirksey Plantation site. The two-story building featured wraparound porches and sixteen fluted Doric columns.

Historic plantation estate and architectural site; not a contemporary product or service brand.

1. 1James Kirksey Plantationen.wikipedia.org