Tallahassee, Florida - Historic Sites & Points of Interest

Mission San Luis
The Spanish heritage of
Florida's capital city can be
explored at Mission San Luis.

Lake Jackson Mounds
These massive earthen
mounds in Tallahassee were
once the capital of a major
Native American civilization.

ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Historic Sites of Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee, Florida - Historic Sites & Points of Interest

Maclay Gardens State Park
Tallahassee's famed Maclay Gardens is one of the
most beautiful spots in the South.

Florida's Historic Capital City

One of the most beautiful cities in the South,
historic Tallahassee is the state capital of
Florida. Noted for its rolling hills, beautiful old
structures and scenic tree-lined streets, the
city also holds a unique Civil War distinction.

Founded in 1824 on the site of earlier Native
American and Spanish settlements, the city
was planned specifically to serve as a center
of government for the new Territory of Florida.

St. Augustine and Pensacola were the
capitals of the old Spanish colonies of East
and West Florida, but when the United States
took over the region in 1821, the need for a
capital "somewhere in the middle" soon
became apparent. Two explorers picked the
site of the Creek/Seminole town of
Tallahassee Talofa ("Old Field Town") for the
territory's new capital.

By the time of the Civil War, Tallahassee had
grown into a prosperous little antebellum
town. A railroad connected the city with the
port of St. Marks on the coast and the historic
Old Capitol Building (minus the dome added
in later years) dominated the landscape
much as it does today.

The city was fortified during the Civil War and
on March 6, 1865, a Confederate army that
included the corps of cadets from what is
now Florida State University defended
Tallahassee and St. Marks at the Battle of
Natural Bridge. Their victory preserved the
city's status as the only Southern capital east
of the Mississippi not captured during the
war.

Today Tallahassee is a vibrant and modern
city. The capital of one of the nation's most
progressive and largest states, it offers an
array of historic sites that reflect the rich
cultural heritage of Florida. Lake Jackson
Mounds and Mission San Luis offer visitors
the chance to step back centuries in time to
experience the rich Native American and
Spanish history of the community.

Other noteworthy historic sites include the
Black Archives Research Center and
Museum, Maclay Gardens, the DeSoto Winter
Campsite and Florida's historic Old Capitol.

The city boasts a wide array of museums
and other points of interest, including the
Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural
Science which preserves the home of a real
Florida princess!

Please follow these links to learn more about
the historic city of Tallahassee, Florida:

The Old Capitol Building
Florida's historic Old Capitol
in Tallahassee is now a
museum interpreting the
state's political history.

Battle of Natural Bridge
This 1865 battle preserved
Tallahassee's status as the
only Southern capital east of
the Mississippi not captured
during the Civil War.

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