The
Lake House
Historic
Lake Pineloch
The house Francis built
A convincing argument can indeed be made that a lake
house in South Orange County is in fact the area’s most significant historical
site. One need not take my word for it though, as I intend to lay out facts to
argue such a claim in this blog. The lake house has long been known as the home
Francis W. Eppes built, but the history of this parcel prior to and after Eppes, in my opinion, will be insightful news to every fan of central Florida
history.
Francis Eppes was not the first owner of the land when
he built his home in 1871. In fact, Eppes did not even own the land upon which
he built his house. Eppes arrived in central Florida a poor man. He had lost
all his wealth during the Civil War. Relocating his family from Tallahassee, he
came with Will Wallace Harney, William Mayer Randolph, and Ouachita Pushmataha Preston,
each desiring to settle in central Florida near the abandoned Indian War fortress
named Gatlin. Remnants of the old fortress were still visible when this clan
first arrived in 1869.
Good reasons for celebrating Pioneer Days!
As grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, the Orange
County, Florida home Francis Wayles Eppes, built on 80 acres on the west shore
of Lake Pineloch, has for decades been associated with the Jefferson’s Monticello,
which in turn associated the residence with our Nation’s Capital at Washington,
DC. But as a homestead, this exact parcel, half of 160 acres, is likewise linked
with President George Washington. And as a later “existing home sale”, the
house Francis built reconnected Lake Pineloch with Fort Gatlin history during the Indian War as well
as our Nation’s Capital once again.
For the above reasons, and then some, the house
Francis built - and the land upon which he built his house, makes the Lake
House and property the most historic location in all central
Florida.
A notable residence indeed
Two babies, born four weeks apart in 1801 at Thomas
Jefferson’s Monticello in Virginia, were to eventually grow apart as adults. A
baby boy and baby girl, the two grew up at Monticello. They even attended each other’s wedding at the historic Monticello estate. The girl, Virginia Jefferson
Randolph, married Nicholas Philip Trist, the private secretary of Thomas Jefferson.
The boy, Francis Wayles Eppes, the son of Jefferson’s youngest daughter, married
Mary Cleland Randolph.
Pine Castle Historical Society is once again sponsoring
The History Tent
Pine Castle Pioneer Days
Saturday & Sunday, February 26 & 27, 11 AM to 3 PM
July 4, 1826, forever changed the lives of Francis W.
Eppes and Virginia Randolph Trist. As our nation celebrated the 50th
Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, a signer of
that historic document, died at his Monticello estate. Francis W. Eppes and
Nichols P. Trist, after teaming up to close out the financial troubled estate, each went their separate ways. Nicholas P. Trist settled at Alexandria, Virginia
and joined the State Department. Francis W. Eppes followed his in-laws, the Randolph’s, south to Tallahassee in the Florida Territory.
Eppes and Trist each built a new life, each somewhat
successful until the Civil War, when both found themselves on the wrong side of
history. Each was on the brink of financial collapse. Nicholas P. Trist was still
residing with his wife Virginia at Alexandria, Virginia. Francis W. Eppes, at the center of war-torn Tallahassee, found himself bankrupt.
Continues below.
The History
Tent
Sponsored by Pine Castle Historical Society
Pine Castle Pioneer Days, Cypress Grove Park
290 W. Holden Ave, Orlando, Florida
Schedule for Saturday, February 26, 2022
11:00 AM Secrets of The Rutland Mule Matter, by Richard Lee Cronin
Noon What is Pine Castle? By Larry Miles
1:00 The Incomparable Alexander St. Clair-Abrams by Bob Grenier
2:00 My Sanford, Florida family, by Dean Berrien
3:00 Today’s Pine Castle looks toward Tomorrow
A Panel discussion led by Larry Miles
Each topic will begin promptly at the appointed hour
Free Admission, Free Parking,
Free Listening
Continued from above.
At Tallahassee, in 1868, a Louisiana Attorney named
William M. Randolph planted the seed of change for his family members. He purchased
a parcel of land in far off Orange County, acreage which served as the final
stretch of a three-decade historic trail which led to the front door of an
abandoned fortress. Family members from Texas, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Florida’s
Panhandle, then followed his lead, packing up their belongings to head toward a
land they had ever seen before.
Following a dirt trail 28 miles long from the steamboat
landing on Lake Monroe, the final stretch of land crossed land acquired by
William Mayer Randolph, but before reaching Randolph’s property, just to the north,
the trail also crossed a homestead of 160 acres which had only recently been sold.
Pine Castle Pioneer Days, February 26 & 27, 2022
The owner of the 160 acres had died in 1867, and her
husband was attempting to sell the entire parcel. A signed sales deed however was
suddenly voided, and all 160 acres became the property, in 1869, of Attorney William
Mayer Randolph.
The new property owner did not keep the land for
himself though. Instead, William M. Randolph gave permission to Francis W. Eppes to
build on one-half, or 80 acres, and he deeded the other half, the other 80
acres, to “Nicholas P. Trist, of Alexandria, Virginia”. Randolph left a hand written note saying that Eppes could pay him whenever he was able.
The historic Lake House on Lake Pineloch, begun 151
years ago, still exists today. The home is truly a monument to early settlers
of the Fort Gatlin region, but the residence is only part of an amazing story
of the land upon which the house was built.
I had the distinct honor recently of speaking to the
membership of the Central Florida Council for Florida House. A wonderful
organization, this group is part of a statewide organization that maintains
Florida House on Capitol Hill, the only State Embassy in Washington, DC. My
talk was entitled, Citrusland, DC, and at their meeting I introduced my latest mini
book of the same name, Volume 3 in a series, Righting Florida History.
The cover of this latest book features a portion of an 1874 painting of
a Washington, DC residence. The painting also has a historic connection
with the single-most historic parcel in all of central Florida. That story, and
more, as this series continues next Friday, February 11th.
Part 2, A Tree across the Lake
Stop by Cronin Books booth at Pioneer Days
And let's talk central Florida history
No comments:
Post a Comment