Bellevue Plantation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bellevue Plantation
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Bellevue today, at the Tallahassee Museum
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| Location | Leon County, Florida |
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| Nearest city | Tallahassee, Florida |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000238 |
| Added to NRHP | March 11, 1971 |
Bellevue Plantation was once the home of Catherine Willis Gray Murat. It is located in Tallahassee, Florida, in the U.S.. Catherine bought the plantation in 1854. This was after her second husband, Prince Achille Murat, passed away in 1847. Achille was the son of Joachim Murat, who was Napoleon's brother-in-law and a king. Catherine was also a great-grandniece of George Washington, America's first president. Her family had many important connections in history.
Exploring Bellevue Plantation
The home was named after a fancy hotel in Brussels, called Hotel de Belle-Vue. Catherine and Achille had lived there when they were in Europe. Today, the house has been carefully restored. It is filled with furniture and items from that time period.
Bellevue Plantation is now part of the Tallahassee Museum. You can find it in the "Old Florida" section of the museum. Visitors can learn a lot about what life was like on plantations in the area. There are also two other buildings nearby. These are a reconstructed plantation kitchen and a cabin. The cabin shows how enslaved farm workers lived.
What Was Life Like at Bellevue?
Records from 1860 tell us about Bellevue Plantation. It had 470 acres (190 ha) of "improved land." This means land that was ready for farming. There were also 50 acres (20 ha) of "unimproved land." This was land not yet used for crops.
The plantation itself was valued at $10,000. The tools and machines for farming were worth $200. The farm animals were valued at $510. Sadly, 24 enslaved people lived and worked there. Their value was considered "immeasurable" in these records. This shows the terrible injustice of slavery.
Who Lived and Worked at Bellevue?
During her time at Bellevue, Catherine Murat became very active in a special project. She helped save Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's home. This was America's first big effort to preserve a historic place. Catherine worked with the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.
She was chosen as the "Vice Regent for Florida." This meant she led the association's work in Florida. Her state raised $3,791 for Mount Vernon's restoration. This was the most money raised per person by any of the 30 states involved!
During the Civil War, Catherine also helped local "Soldiers Aid Societies." These groups met to sew clothes for the southern troops. After the war, in 1866, Napoleon III of France gave Catherine some money each year. This was because she had lost a lot during the Civil War. Catherine Murat passed away at Bellevue on August 6, 1867.
After Catherine, Bellevue was sold to Captain Bloxham. He owned another plantation nearby. Later, in 1883, Bellevue was sold again. It had 357 acres (144 ha) of land at that time. Edward Smeaton Thomson from Wisconsin bought it.
