Up to the Big City

Today it poured with rain, at least 4 inches was recorded at the campground. We took off and went into Tallahassee, Florida’s state capital, for the day. We drove past the Capitol building ( like a mini Capitol, which is in Washington D.C), which is the State’s parliament building. Then we visited a plantation house, called an Antebellum House, which is Latin for Before The War (ante – before and bellum – war). This was really fascina
Plantation houses seem to be built following a particular pattern. As it’s so hot and humid during the summer and, of course, there was no air conditioning, the houses were designed with a wide central hallway on each floor which went from the front to the back with doors or large windows at both ends. The doors/windows could be left open and a cooling breeze would flow through each floor. A grand sweeping staircase would rise from the hall. These hallways were multi purpose. The upstairs one was where the family could relax without being fully dressed – ladies had to wear seven layers before coming downstairs so it must have been a relief to shed a few layers when upstairs- reading, doing embroidery etc. The downstairs hallway was used for similar occupations as well as entertaining visitors. On each side of the hallways would be four or more large rooms also with large windows or French doors to the front and rear and side windows. The doors or windows could be opened to allow cooling breezes through all the rooms. Downstairs rooms were usually a formal dining room, formal sitting room, music room, breakfast room. The kitchen was a separate building to the rear of the house – fear of it setting on fire- and food would be carried into the house and served in the formal dining room. Some large houses had a room in the house where the food could be reheated and arranged before serving. There were no built in cupboards in these houses as there was a tax on each room and a cupboard counted as a room, so they would have very large wardrobes and chests of drawers. There were no bathrooms or toilets either – they had to use chamber pots and washstands.
The houses from the outside looked very grand with extensive grounds, usually with a drive sweeping up to the front. There would be a large covered veranda at the front and usually one at the rear too, which gave plenty of shaded space for sitting outside. They were often painted white.
The plantation house in Tallahassee was started in 1837 by Croom who had come to Florida and started a successful cotton and tobacco business on land he had bought. The only way he could persuade his wife to leave New England was to promise her a mansion. Unfortunately, he and his entire family were drowned in a shipwreck as they were on their way to Florida. His brother took over the business and the mansion. A succession of owners ensured that the house survived the Civil War until it was turned into a museum in the 1950’s. The house was left intact with all it’s furnishings, paintings etc.etc spanning every era from it’s beginning to the 1950’s. It was absolutely fascinating to see how the house had been altered and added to over the years and to see the wonderful collection of fine furniture, porcelain and what nots that had been added to over the years.

ting to visit.