Miccosukee, Florida

Miccosukee is a historical small unincorporated community in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States. It is located at the junction of County Road 59 (Veterans Memorial Drive) and County Road 151 (Moccasin Gap Road). Miccosukee was a major center of the Miccosukee tribe, one of the tribes of the developing Seminole nation, during the 18th century.

Geography

Miccosukee, like other unincorporated areas in northern Leon County, is an area of rolling hills dotted with ponds and lakes. The large, swampy Lake Miccosukee borders the eastern edge of the community.

History

Settlement of Miccosukee, Leon County, Florida.

The town of Miccosukee or Mikasuki was settled by members of the Miccosukee tribe, a group of Creek origin who had settled in Florida and become part of the developing Seminole nation. The Miccosukee often fought armed battles with white settlers. It was mapped by the British in 1778 and originally called Mikasuki with 60 homes, 28 families, and a town square. Some 70 gunmen protected the town. It was the capital of the short-lived State of Muskogee.

In 1818, Andrew Jackson invaded the village and defeated village chief Kinhagee. In 1831, the U.S. Post Office was built along with schools, churches, and stores. Eventually the area became a center of cotton plantations as was most of Leon County. Miccosukee had 2 cotton plantations nearby in Ingleside Plantation and Blakely Plantation.

After the Civil War, the area reverted to farms and by 1887, the Florida Central Railroad served Miccosukee. During the 1890s, wealthy industrialists bought large tracts of land for quail hunting plantations or estates removing thousands of acres of land from agricultural production. Miccosukee thrived until the boll weevil infestation of 1918. The Great Depression (1929-1935) destroyed Leon County's agriculture and the railroad pulled out in the mid 1940s.

Historical Places

• Concord Elementary School was built in 1934 in the town of Miccosukee for grades 1-6. It was closed in the mid-1980s. The building is still used for Miccosukee's Head Start program.
• Van Brunt-Morris House just north of the junction of State Road 59 and Moccasin Gap Road.
• Averitt-Winchester House
• Miccosukee Methodist Church
• Strickland-Herold House NW of the junction State Road 59 and Moccasin Gap Road.

Civil War History

During the Civil War, soldiers from Miccosukee enlisted in Company K, 5th Florida Infantry and Company B, 1st Florida Cavalry. The following soldiers are interred at Runners Cemetery and other locations.

• Pvt. Walter H. Averitt - Born December 24, 1841 in North Carolina. More details
• 3rd Lieutenant Walter Richard Blake, Jr. - Born January 13, 1836 in Leon County. More details
• 2nd Corporal C. Washington Branch - Born 1838 in Leon County More details.
• Captain Isham Miles Blake - Born May 3, 1837 in Leon County. More details
• Pvt. Leonidas Byrd - Birth date unknown. More details
• Pvt. John Alexander Cromartie - Born August 14, 1834 in North Carolina More details.
• 4th Sergeant Jesse Sinclair Montford - Born June 13, 1829 in Leon County. More details

Political

Miccosukee Governmental Representation
Position	Name	Party
County Commission At-Large	Cliff Thaell	Democrat
County Commission At-Large	Akin Akinyemi	Democrat
Commissioner Dist. 4	Bryan Desloge	Republican
U.S. House	Steve Southerland	Republican
Florida House	Michelle Vasilinda	Democrat

Community Facilities

• Concord School - Served as a Leon County elementary school until it closed in 1985. The school yard now serves as a county park.
• The Miccosukee Community Center is administered by the Tallahassee-Leon County Parks and Recreation Department. The center is used for a variety of activities including monthly "Senior Outreach" days.
• Reeves Landing is a public boat launching facility on Lake Miccosukee just East of the village.

Notable Miccosukee Groups and Organizations

• Miccosukee_Volunteer_Fire-Rescue has a fire station in the village of Miccosukee on Cromartie Road.

• Miccosukee Youth Education Foundation

References

• Paisley, Clifton; From Cotton To Quail, University of Florida Press, c1968.

External links

• 1940 map of Miccosukee
• Miccosukee Land Co-op
• Miccosukee Youth Education Foundation
• Van Brunt-Morris House
• Photo of Reeves Fish Camp, Reeves Landing, Lake Miccosukee.

Coordinates: 30°35′41″N 84°02′29″W / 30.59472°N 84.04139°W / 30.59472; -84.04139