Lafayette Land Grant facts for kids
The Lafayette Land Grant was a special gift of land from the United States government. It was a huge area, more than 23,000 acres (about 93 square kilometers), located in the middle of Leon County, Florida.
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Why Lafayette Received Land
The Lafayette Land Grant was a thank-you gift to a French hero named Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. During the American Revolution, Lafayette helped the United States by lending money to the government.
After the French Revolution, Lafayette faced difficulties. To help him, the United States government gave him $24,000 and some land in what is now Louisiana in 1803. Later, in 1824, during his visit to the United States, he received another $200,000. He was also given the chance to choose a large area of land, known as a township.
Choosing the Land
Lafayette decided to choose land near his friend, Richard K. Call, in Florida. A man named Col. John McKee from Alabama was given the job of traveling to Florida to pick out Lafayette's specific piece of land.
The official document giving Lafayette the land was signed by President John Quincy Adams on July 4, 1825. This land included what is now Lake Lafayette.
Markers of the Grant
The southwest corner of Lafayette's land grant is marked by a special monument in Tallahassee. This monument also helps surveyors measure other land in the area.
There are two more markers along the edge of the original land grant. One is on Gadsden Street, inside the city's LaFayette Park. The second marker is located between Apalachee Parkway and LaFayette Street, at the intersection of East Indianhead Drive.
Early Settlers
Lafayette himself never actually visited his land in Florida. However, by the 1830s, some French people who knew Lafayette moved to the area. One of these settlers was Prince Achille Murat, who was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte.
These settlers found the subtropical climate of north Florida to be very hot. To make things worse, their land deeds (the papers proving they owned the land) were later found to be invalid. Because of these problems, some of the settlers went back to France. Others moved to New Orleans, a city in Louisiana that has a strong French history.
The Land Today
By 1855, all the land that was part of the Lafayette Township, over 23,000 acres, had been sold to different people. Today, this land is home to many neighborhoods in Tallahassee.
Some of these neighborhoods include Lafayette Oaks, Waverly, the southern part of Killearn Estates, Eastgate, Welanuee/Canopy, Woodgate, Betton Hills, and Los Robles. A part of Lake Lafayette is also still within the boundaries of the original land grant.
