Welaunee Plantation, Florida

:"For Welaunee Plantation in Jefferson County."Welaunee Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation located in central Leon County, Florida, USA established by Udo M. Fleischmann.

History

Welaunee Plantation was created from land that once belonged to several cotton plantations and smaller farms. Known plantation lands that were purchased were R. A. Whitfield's The House Place Plantation, the southern tract of the James Kirksey Plantation, and Joseph John William's La Grange Plantation. [Paisley, Clifton, From Cotton To Quail: An Agricultural Chronicle of Leon County, Florida, 1860-1967, University of Florida Press, 1968. ISBN 13: 978-0-8130-0718-2]

In 1952, Udo Fleischmann died leaving the property to his wife. Under Mrs. Fleischman, the property was used for Hereford cattle. In 1962, Mrs. Fleischmann died and her nephew, John W. Mettler, Jr. of New Brunswick, New Jersey and son of John Wyckoff Mettler the founder and president of Interwoven Stocking Company. Mettler increased the size of stock cattle to 500 head.

In 1966 purchased 694 acres from his aunt, Mrs. Alfred B. Maclay. In 1967 he purchased the last acreage of Sunny Hill Plantation totaling 6000 acres.

Recent history

Welaunee Plantation falls within the Miccosukee Greenway project. This greenway preserves the plantation, a vast pie shaped area between Miccosukee and Centerville Roads, is still not developed. The greenway plan was carefully carried out through years of careful negotiation between the Trust for Public Land, Leon County and the Welaunee's owners preserves the Miccosukee and Centerville canopy roads. By providing a right of way transportation corridor for Welaunee Boulevard, the greenway anticipates the transportation problems associated with connecting thousands of Welaunee Plantation and other northeastern residents to Tallahassee's center. [An interview with County Commissioner Thaell, Tallahassee Democrat, 3-22-1998.]

References