Chaires, Florida

Location of Chaires

Chaires is an unincorporated community located just east of Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida. It is near the intersection of Chaires Cross Road and Capitola Road, northeast of Lake Lafayette and the Edwards Wildlife Area.

Geography

Chaires is located at 30°26′10″N 84°07′03″W / 30.436°N 84.1175°W / 30.436; -84.1175Coordinates: 30°26′10″N 84°07′03″W / 30.436°N 84.1175°W / 30.436; -84.1175 (30.436, -84.1175).^[1]

History

1830s

Chaires was named after one of its earliest founders, Green Hill Chaires. Green Hill was one of three brothers who moved to Florida and helped settle Tallahassee and the surrounding areas. Green Hill and his brothers, Benjamin and Thomas Peter, all created thriving plantations in the southeastern section of Leon County. They settled down, became wealthy planters and were influential, to varying degrees, on the politics of North Florida. Although the plantations are gone, their legacies still exist today in the names, families, pride and history of the area that is now known as Chaires.

Green Hill originally built a cotton plantation on the edge of Lake Lafayette, Florida. Here he began to develop into a wealthy and, therefore, influential Southern planter. In 1838, however, an Indian raid left several of his family members, including his wife, dead and his home burned to the ground. To rebuild, Green Hill moved further east. He built a new plantation, called Evergreen Hills, in the area that is currently known as Chaires. It was so named because Green Hill owned all of this land until he gave certain tracts of it to the building of the railroad and his descendants had to sell of portions to survive. Green Hill and his descendants, however, continued to own much of the land in the Chaires district even through the Civil War when so many people lost so much. It was where Green Hill had established his final home that the Chaires family prospered until they have become known as one of the original aristocratic families of Tallahassee.

The legacy of the Chaires family is rather mixed. Although descendants of the family take great pride in their family's heritage, to the descendants of their slaves, the family was remembered for their unrelenting cruelty and indifference towards blacks. According to one story, Green Hill, who had a habit of brutally beating his slaves, grew agitated with a slave child blocking his horse, trampled the child to death in front of his mother.

The Chaires Massacre of 1838. the story goes:

The Chaires family started construction on their plantation home when they were asked by a group of local Native Americans to build their house somewhere else, just not on this particular hill. The request was ignored and the construction continued. Soon the land was filled with crops and slaves..

Meanwhile the Native Americans waited, and watched, and planned for the perfect opportunity. and that day arrived in 1839. The Chaires men, along with a few slaves, left the boundaries of their plantation for a day of Hunting. The Chaires women and children stayed behind. along with many slaves to continue their daily work.

The Native Americans attacked the plantation quickly and forcefully. They were in the plantation house before the Chaires women knew they were being attacked. They were dead within minutes, including Mayo, a black servant. Most likely, Mayo was killed trying to protect the children.

Green Hill and his men returned that evening to their house... burnt to the ground. his wife and children dead.

The iron gated cemetery, that holds the bodies of the deceased Chaires family is located deep in the woods north of Lake Lafayette on private property. all death dates read the same year, 1838. Mayo was also buried in the Chairse cemetery. her grave faces the opposite direction of the Chaires family. Grave robbers have since visited the graveyard. a slave graveyard(unmarked) lays a few hundred yards away.

Story told by B. Calvin Jones(Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research) and Matt Diaguila (restored graveyard)

1920s

Chaires School

Main article: The Chaires School

Probably one of the greatest historical gems of Chaires is the Chaires School. Chaires became more settled and the land more open, the community of Chaires began to grow. In response to the needs of this agrarian community, a small schoolhouse was built for the education of the white children.

1980s

Chaires-Capitola Volunteer Fire Department

Main article: Chaires-Capitola Volunteer Fire Department

Fire and rescue services are provided to the community by the Chaires-Capitola VFD.

2000s

Chaires-Capitola Community Park

In the early 2000s, Leon County developed a new community park adjacent to Chaires Elementary School. The park has 4 Lighted Tennis Courts, 2 Basketball Courts, Restrooms/Concession Building, and 2 Standard Little League Baseball Fields.

Dorothy Cooper Spence Community Center

A community center was also built to serve the citizens of the community. Subsequently named after Dorothy Cooper Spence, a community activist. The community center and park have become the focal point of the larger Chaires community.

Unknown Boundaries or Population

Since Chaires is not a formal municipality, but rather a community by association, its boundaries are undefined. However, with the growing sprawl of the city of Tallahassee, more and more people in unincorporated eastern Leon County often distinguish themselves by associating with the "Chaires" community name. This sometimes includes neighborhoods south of Apalachee Parkway, along Williams, Louvinia, and WW Kelley Roads.

Political

Chaires Governmental Representation
Position	Name	Party
County Commission At-Large	Cliff Thaell	Democrat
County Commission At-Large	Ed DePuy	Republican
Commissioner Dist. 5	Bob Rackleff	Democrat
U.S. House	Ander Crenshaw	Republican
Florida House	Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda	Democrat

Note: DePuy was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2004.

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• Chaires-Capitola Volunteer Fire Department