Sunny Hill Plantation was a large hunting plantation in northern Leon County, Florida.
Sunny Hill Plantation was a large hunting plantation in northern Leon County, Florida.
Sunny Hill Plantation was established by Lewis S. Thompson in 1913, and was created from the former W. G. Ponder Plantation. Just before World War I, Thompson purchased land to the north swelling the plantation to around 20,000 acres (8,100 ha).
Adjacent plantations:
Thompson was a resident of Red Bank, New Jersey. His father was William P. Thompson, an oil man from West Virginia had become treasurer of Standard Oil under John D. Rockefeller. [1] Lewis was a prominent Republican in New Jersey and was a delegate to Republican National Convention from Brookdale, Essex County, N.J. [2] Thompson was also a member in good standing with the Boone and Crockett Club founded by Theodore Roosevelt. [3] Having inherited much of his fortune, Thompson enjoyed outdoor activities of marksmanship, hunting, fishing, and raising dogs. Lewis Thompson died in 1936. [4]
Lewis' wife, Geraldine Livingston Thompson co-owned Brookdale Farm, a thoroughbred horse training facility in Lincroft, New Jersey. [5] Brookdale became Thompson Park in Monmouth County. She hosted Ava Alice Muriel Astor as a guest. Astor was the daughter of John Jacob Astor IV, who died during the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912. [6] Thompson, active in Republican politics, was a member of the Republican National Committee from Monmouth County, New Jersey, and an alternate New Jersey delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1940, 1948, and 1952. She died September 9, 1967, and was buried at St. James' Churchyard, Hyde Park, New York. [7]
In 1937, Sunny Hill was purchased by Walter E. Edge who had sold his portion of Norias Plantation the year before. The transaction required 19 pages of deeds and records. Edge spent more time at Sunny Hill after completing his 2nd term as Governor of New Jersey from 1944-1947. In 1966, Mr. Camilla Edge kept a herd of 100 Black Angus cattle. Out of 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), 780 acres (320 ha) out were set aside for growing corn, 14 for cotton, and 27 for peanuts.
John W. Mettler, Jr. of New Brunswick, New Jersey, son of John Wyckoff Mettler the founder and president of Interwoven Stocking Company of Somerset County, New Jersey, purchased 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) of Sunny Hill. [8]
By 1967, the land once known as Sunny Hill was purchased by other concerns and became Loveridge Plantation and Welaunee Plantation.
Today, Sunny Hill is listed as part of the Audubon Society's Important Bird Areas Of Florida as a conservation easement along with Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy, Horseshoe Plantation, Chemonie Plantation, Foshalee Plantation, and Woodfield Springs Plantation. [9]
The James A. Kirksey Plantation was a moderate forced-labor farm of 2,600 acres (1,100 ha) located in northwestern Leon County, Florida, United States, established by James A. Kirksey. In 1847 he served as mayor of Tallahassee. He had a large number of slaves.
The William G. Ponder Plantation was a large cotton plantation of over 5,756 acres (2,329 ha) situated in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States and established by William G. Ponder.
Chemonie Plantation was a forced-labor farm of 1,840 acres (740 ha) in northern Leon County, Florida, United States established by Hector Braden. By 1860, 64 enslaved people worked the land, which was primarily used to produce cotton as a cash crop.
La Grange Plantation was a large forced-labor farm of 4,150 acres (1,680 ha) located in central Leon County, Florida, United States established by Joseph John Williams.
Tuscawilla Plantation was a large cotton plantation of 3,000 acres (1,200 ha) located in eastern Leon County, Florida, United States established by George W. Parkhill.
The House Place Plantation was a small forced-labor farm of 1,800 acres (730 ha) located in central Leon County, Florida, United States established by R.A. Whitfield.
Walnut Hill Plantation was a small cotton plantation of 2,120 acres (860 ha) located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States owned by Thomas Anderson Bradford.
Water Oak Plantation was a small cotton plantation of 1,840 acres (740 ha) located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States established by Richard Bradford.
The R. G. Shepard Plantation was a small forced-labor farm growing cotton on 1,400 acres (570 ha) located in south central Leon County, Florida, United States established by R. G. Shepard.
Ingleside Plantation was a forced-labor farm of 2,620 acres (1,060 ha) located in extreme northeast Leon County, Florida and established by Robert W. Alston and his family. Eventually, the property was acquired by Joel C. Blake. In 1860, Blake was enslaving 116 people to work his land, which was mostly devoted to producing cotton as a cash crop.
El Destino Plantation was a large forced-labor farm of 7,638 acres (30.91 km2) located in western Jefferson County and eastern Leon County, Florida, United States established by John Nuttall in 1828. It was worked by enslaved African Americans.
Welaunee Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation located in central Leon County, Florida, United States established by Udo M. Fleischmann.
The Daniel B. Meginniss Plantation was a forced-labor farm of 1,610 acres (650 ha) located in Leon County, Florida, United States established by Daniel B. Meginniss. In 1860, 70 enslaved people worked the land, which was primarily devoted to producing cotton as a cash crop.
Horseshoe Plantation is an 11,000-acre (45 km2) cotton plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida and established around 1840 by Dr. Edward Bradford, a planter from Enfield, North Carolina.
Barrow Hill Plantation was a large forced-labor farm of 3,990 acres (1,610 ha) located in central Leon County, Florida, United States. It was established by John S. Winthrop, who by 1860 enslaved 71 people to work his land, which was primarily dedicated to growing cotton as a cash crop.
Loveridge Plantation is a quail hunting plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States and established by George H. Love. Loveridge began as 1,000 acres (400 ha) on the northwest corner of Lake Miccosukee. In 1956, Love acquired an additional 10,500 acres (4,200 ha) of Sunny Hill Plantation from the estate of New Jersey Governor Walter E. Edge.
Norias Plantation is a small quail hunting plantation located north of Lake Miccosukee in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States.
Ayavalla Plantation was a quail hunting plantation located in northwest Leon County, Florida, established by John Henry Howard Phipps, son of John Shaffer Phipps of the prominent Phipps family.
Tall Timbers Plantation was a quail hunting plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States established by Edward Beadel in 1895.
Geraldine Livingston Morgan Thompson (1872–1967) was an American social reform pioneer who became known as the "First Lady of New Jersey" due to her philanthropic and social service activities in New Jersey. Thompson owned Brookdale Farm, an 800-acre (320 ha) estate in Lincroft. In her will, Thompson left 206 acres (83 ha) of the estate to Monmouth County for a public park named for the Thompsons. Thompson Park includes the administrative headquarters of the Monmouth County Park System.