Tallahassee History Facts and Timeline

(Tallahassee, Florida - FL, USA)

The early history of Florida's state capital, Tallahassee, can be seen in the city's name, which is an Apalachee word for 'abandoned fields' or 'old town.' Unfortunately, the original Apalachee village, which had been settled for over 10,000 years, lived up to this name after Spanish colonists brought war and disease to their settlement.

Tallahassee's most significant surviving landmarks from the Apalachee era are the Lake Jackson mounds, which the Native Americans used as an important ceremonial center for about six and a half centuries before European settlement. A large village and plaza once stood near these impressive mounds.

Mission San Luis de Apalachee

The history of European influence in Tallahassee really began with one-eyed Spanish explorer Panfilo de Navaez and his followers in 1528. In 1539, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto spent five months in Anhaica, an Apalachee community. Many believe de Soto celebrated the New World's first Christmas with a group of priests in a wooded area close to where the Florida State Capitol building now stands.


From the time the Mission San Luis de Apalachee was constructed in 1633, the Spanish repeatedly attempted to convert the Apalachee to Catholicism. More than 1,400 Apalachee continued to live alongside the Europeans when the community of San Luis, designated as the western capital of the Spanish, was established to the west of present day Tallahassee in 1656.

The impressive Mission San Luis de Apalachee played an integral part in the shipping of numerous goods to Cuba and St. Augustine, until it was attacked by the English in 1702. Two years later, Creek Indians completely destroyed the mission and banished its residents. Centuries later, the mission has been painstakingly restored to its original splendor and welcomes visitors once again.

Florida's State Capital

In the 1730s, Creek and Seminole Indians began establishing villages where they raised chickens, with these villages becoming known as 'fowl towns'. Tallahassee, like the rest of Florida, was under English or Spanish rule during most of the 18th century.

After Florida earned American statehood in 1821, Pensacola and St. Augustine alternated as state capital. It took nearly 20 days to make the hazardous journey between the two cities at the time, so Tallahassee was chosen as Florida's new state capital because it was situated roughly halfway between the two original capital cities. The first official capitol buildings in Tallahassee were three log cabins.

Frontier Town History

Although Tallahassee was now Florida's state capital, it was still widely known as an outlaw frontier community where knives and guns were necessary protection against frequent fights and brawls. Tallahassee was hit by a massive fire, a yellow fever epidemic and the Second Seminole War (1835 to 1842) during the 19th century.

Tallahassee also earned a reputation as a thriving farming community, where crops flourished in the rich soil of its plantations. An impressive social scene prevailed, in which the local elite hosted elaborate parties and dined on exotic cuisine. Tallahassee is famous in history for being the only Confederate state capital that was not captured by Union troops east of the Mississippi River during the American Civil War (1861 to 1865). Wealthy winter residents from northern states later converted many plantations into hunting lodges.

The Modern-Day City

Tallahassee is now a peaceful city surrounded by stately forests, where moss draped oak and pine trees grow. Until WWII, most residents lived within a 1.2-mile / 2-km radius of the state capitol building, but the city has grown dramatically since then.

Although Tallahassee is primarily a government and university city, it also boasts a vibrant arts scene, a state-of-the-art skate park and the relaxing Maclay State Gardens.