- Water Oak Plantation
Water Oak Plantation was a was a small
cotton plantation of 1840 acres (7½ km²) located in northern Leon County,Florida ,USA established by Richard Bradford.Location
Water Oak was located in the general area of Bradfordville.Adjacent plantations:
*
Pine Hill Plantation to the east
*Walnut Hill Plantation , Water Oak Plantation being very close to Walnut HillPlantation specifics
The Leon County Florida 1860 Agricultural Census shows that Water Oak Plantation had the following:
* Improved Land: 900 acres (3½ km²)
* Unimproved Land: 940 acres (4 km²)
* Cash value of plantation: $18,400
* Cash value of farm implements/machinery: $1500
* Cash value of farm animals: $3,500
* Number of slaves: 65 [ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~ajac/flleon.htm Largest Slaveholders from 1860 Slave Census Schedules] ]
*Bushels of corn: 2500
*Bales of cotton: 130The founder
Richard Henry Bradford born
November 15 ,1800 in Enfield,North Carolina . [ [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/fl/leon/census/1860agri.txt Rootsweb Plantations] ]The Bradford brothers took turns hosting
July 4 celebrations with massive barbecues for their slaves. When it was Richard's turn to host the celebration he included fishing parties on Lake Iamonia. No whites were allowed to attend these events.During the Civil War, Richard was Captain of a company of the 1st Florida Regiment. He left with his regiment for
Pensacola, Florida in the fall of 1861. On the night ofOctober 9 ,1861 , while leading an attack column in the assault on Federal positions during theBattle of Santa Rosa Island , onSanta Rosa Island, Florida , he was shot and killed by a sentinel of the6th New York Volunteer Infantry . His body was returned for a hero’s funeral, and was buried in the cemetery atPine Hill Plantation . He could well have been the first Floridian killed in Confederate action.The 1900s
When Clement A. Griscom died on October 19, 1916,
Horseshoe Plantation was divided up and part sold. Lloyd C. Griscom received convert|4000|acre|km2 on the west side naming itLuna Plantation whileFrances C. Griscom , a sportswoman, received convert|7000|acre|km2 of the old plantation to the east and named it Water Oak Plantation. [Paisley, Clifton; "From Cotton To Quail", University of Florida Press, c1968, pp. 83-84.] Frances Griscom was the 1900United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship . [ [http://www.leon.k12.fl.us/Public/History/LakeMcBride.html History of the McBride School] ]In 1951 Griscom sold a large part of Water Oak to J.C. (Bull) Headley, a recent transplant from
Kentucky . Griscom retained Water Oak with a few hundred acres of land. Headley turned his property in toBull Run Plantation , a luxurious farm which grew in agricultural output. Headley ran several hundred head ofcattle and continued with operations as a hunting plantation. Headley built a $150,000 Georgian stylebrick home overlooking Lake Iamonia. In 1964 Headley sold his hunting lodge and convert|3700|acre|km2|0 toGillis Long , a Congressman fromLouisiana and assistant secretary of theOffice of Economic Opportunity under PresidentLyndon Johnson . Other hunters, golfers, and fishing enthusiasts joined in and the property becameKinhega Lodge .References
*Paisley, Clifton; "From Cotton To Quail", University of Florida Press, c1968.
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