Miccosukee, Florida

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Miccosukee
Unincorporated community
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Country  United States
State  Florida
County Leon County

Miccosukee is a historical small unincorporated community in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States. It is located at the junction of County Road 59 (Veterans Memorial Drive) and County Road 151 (Moccasin Gap Road). Miccosukee was a major center of the Miccosukee tribe, one of the tribes of the developing Seminole nation, during the 18th century.

Geography

Miccosukee, like other unincorporated areas in northern Leon County, is an area of rolling hills dotted with ponds and lakes. The large, swampy Lake Miccosukee borders the eastern edge of the community.

History

File:Miccosukee FL.png
Settlement of Miccosukee, Leon County, Florida.

The town of Miccosukee or Mikasuki was settled by members of the Miccosukee tribe, a group of Creek origin who had settled in Florida and become part of the developing Seminole nation. The Miccosukee often fought armed battles with white settlers. It was mapped by the British in 1778 and originally called Mikasuki with 60 homes, 28 families, and a town square. Some 70 gunmen protected the town. It was the capital of the short-lived State of Muskogee.

In 1818, Andrew Jackson invaded the village and defeated village chief Kinhagee. In 1831, the U.S. Post Office was built along with schools, churches, and stores. Eventually the area became a center of cotton plantations as was most of Leon County. Miccosukee had 2 cotton plantations nearby in Ingleside Plantation and Blakely Plantation.

After the Civil War, the area reverted to farms and by 1887, the Florida Central Railroad served Miccosukee. During the 1890s, wealthy industrialists bought large tracts of land for quail hunting plantations or estates removing thousands of acres of land from agricultural production. Miccosukee thrived until the boll weevil infestation of 1918. The Great Depression (1929-1935) destroyed Leon County's agriculture and the railroad pulled out in the mid-1940s.

Historical places

Civil War History

During the Civil War, soldiers from Miccosukee enlisted in Company K, 5th Florida Infantry and Company B, 1st Florida Cavalry. The following soldiers are interred at Runners Cemetery and other locations.

  • Pvt. Walter H. Averitt - Born December 24, 1841 in North Carolina. More details
  • 3rd Lieutenant Walter Richard Blake, Jr. - Born January 13, 1836 in Leon County. More details
  • 2nd Corporal C. Washington Branch - Born 1838 in Leon County More details.
  • Captain Isham Miles Blake - Born May 3, 1837 in Leon County. More details
  • Pvt. Leonidas Byrd - Birth date unknown. More details
  • Pvt. John Alexander Cromartie - Born August 14, 1834 in North Carolina More details.
  • 4th Sergeant Jesse Sinclair Montford - Born June 13, 1829 in Leon County. More details

Political

Miccosukee Governmental Representation
Position Name Party

County Commission At-Large Mary Ann Lindley Democrat
County Commission At-Large Nick Maddox Democrat
Commissioner Dist. 4 Bryan Desloge Republican
U.S. House Gwen Graham Democrat
Florida House Michelle Vasilinda Democrat
File:Concord Elementary School, Miccosukee.JPG
Concord School on Cromartie Road.

Community Facilities

  • Concord School - Served as a Leon County elementary school until it closed in 1985. The school yard now serves as a county park.
  • The Miccosukee Community Center is administered by the Tallahassee-Leon County Parks and Recreation Department. The center is used for a variety of activities including monthly "Senior Outreach" days.
  • Reeves Landing is a public boat launching facility on Lake Miccosukee just East of the village.
File:Miccosukee Volunteer Fire Station road sign.JPG
Miccosukee Volunteer Fire Department on Cromartie Road.

Groups and organizations

References

  • Paisley, Clifton; From Cotton To Quail, University of Florida Press, c1968.

External links