Kanapaha
a.k.a. Haile Homestead;Haile Plantation House
8500 FL 24, Gainesville, FLThe Haile Plantation House is significant architecturally as an outstanding example of a large antebellum country residence that has survived virtually unchanged since 1860. The classically symmetrical house which is still owned by the Haile family has never been modernized or altered. It is historically significant because it is one of the few remaining homesteads built by Sea Island cotton planters in this part of Florida.
The Thomas Evans Haile family immigrated from Camden, South Carolina, to Alachua County, Florida, about 1854 to establish a Sea Island cotton plantation; the spacious house which they called "Kanapaha," was probably completed by 1860. Its veranda with detached columns, the central doorway with its glazed transom and sidelights, and the classic symmetry of the design echo features which were part of the architectural tradition of antebellum Camden.
Family history indicates that after flooding ruined four successive cotton crops in South Carolina, Thomas Haile packed up his wife and five children, and their slaves, traveled by wagon to Charleston and chartered a boat to take them to Florida. Among the Haile, slaves were experienced carpenters and cabinetmakers, and their skill is evidenced in the quality and finish of the Haile plantation house. iv
Alachua County, Florida was on the threshold of prosperity when the Hailes moved to Kanapaha, eight miles southwest of Gainesville. The production of Sea Island cotton by settlers from Georgia and South Carolina had begun with the removal of the Indians and the opening of the Bellamy in 1826, 1860 Cedar Key and Fernandina, giving planters ready access to their markets.
Thomas Haile was the fourth son of a prosperous Camden planter, Benjamin Haile, who had amassed a substantial fortune as the result of the discovery of gold on his property. Benjamin Haile's will, dated May 9, 1849, reveals that, in addition to 1,500 acres of land near Camden, Thomas inherited $4,000 in cash and an unspecified number of slaves from his father's estate. Thomas' wife, Esther Serena Chesnut Haile, also was descended from a prominent and wealthy Camden family. She was related to General James Chesnut, whose wife Mary Boykin Chesnut, wrote Diary From Dixie.
The land the Hailes settled on in Alachua County was originally part of the Arredondo Grant and was purchased from Henry Marquand. Edward Haile (whose wife, Mary, was Serena Haile's sister), Thomas Chesnut (Serena Haile’s brother) Halle (Edward and Thomas's mother), all purchased tracts of land in the Kanapaha area of Alachua County in the 1850s. The 1860 census indicates that each had a sizable plantation and owned numerous slaves (Thomas Haile, 66; Edward Haile, 101; and Amelia Haile, 175)." It is likely, therefore, that the HaileChesnut clan, while adapting to the climate and frontier conditions of north central Florida, also duplicated as much as possible the buildings and lifestyle they had left behind in Camden, located in the rich cotton-producing up-country of South Carolina.
Thomas and Serena Haile had five children when they moved to Florida; ten more were born at Kanapaha. The plantation house was designed to provide for this increase; it was built to its present size by 1860, with four large rooms and two smaller ones on the first floor and on the second floor there are two even larger rooms used as bedrooms by the children. One downstairs room served as a schoolroom. The kitchen, (since burned to the ground), was a separate building to the rear of the house. Although the 1860 census indicates that the Hailes had built 18 cabins for their slaves, none of these have survived.
During the Civil War the Hailes, like most South Carolinians who had migrated to Florida, were staunch Confederates. Thomas E. Haile served as First Lieutenant with Col. John J. Dickison's Company H, South Florida, Cavalry; his oldest son John, who was in his teens, enlisted as a private. * Their most memorable contact with the events of the war came in May of 1865 when "Kanapaha" sheltered Sid Winder and Francis Tench Tilghman, two of the men who escorted the Confederal Baggage and Treasure train containing the records and funds of the Confederate government. Tilghman's diary entry for May 23, 1865, the day after they learned of the capture of Jefferson Davis and the end of their hopes for the Confederacy, confides, "Today all has been confusion ... we are all going to seek some point where we can be paroled and go home." Later in the day ... "We were received & treated very kindly by Mr. Haile indeed & a clean bed, & entire undress after so many nights on the ground was elegant indeed."
After the war the, Hailes continued to grow cotton. Many of their former slaves stayed on and it is likely that Thomas Haile expanded
to meet the demands of a boom in cotton price in 1868, he was cleared bankrupt by the court and most of his property was sold. Perhaps he, like many planters in Alachua County, had gambled on a big crop in 1867 but was ruined by exceptionally heavy spring rains and a plague of caterpillars in September." Fortunately, Edward Haile, who had developed a successful merchantile business in Gainesville, WAS able to reserve the forty acres upon which his brother's home stood." In 1873 this land and an additional seventy acres were conveyed by deed to Esther Serena Haile; these properties have remained in possession of direct descendants to the present date.
The Haile family continued to live at Kanapaha until around the turn of the century, at which time Evans Haile, the fourteenth child of Thomas and Serena Haile, who then owned the property on which the house stood, moved into Gainesville to practice law. Since that time the house has been largely unoccupied but has functioned as a family retreat, hunting lodge, and party house. Evans Haile hosted a notable fox hunt in 1905, attended by prominent Floridians and out-of-state guests who arrived at the "magnificent country home of Mr. Haile" by private railroad car." A 1908 article in the Gainesville Sun refers to a ten-day house party chaperoned by the Hailes for a group of young people at the "picturesque old Haile Homestead."
In 1979 the house was used in the filming of Gal Young Un, a movie based on a short story by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The house was chosen because it closely fit Miss Rawlings' description of "an air of prosperity," set deep in the woods.
Local significance of the building:
The Thomas Evans Haile family immigrated from Camden, South Carolina, to Alachua County, Florida, about 1854 to establish a Sea Island cotton plantation; the spacious house which they called "Kanapaha," was probably completed by 1860. Its veranda with detached columns, the central doorway with its glazed transom and sidelights, and the classic symmetry of the design echo features which were part of the architectural tradition of antebellum Camden.
Family history indicates that after flooding ruined four successive cotton crops in South Carolina, Thomas Haile packed up his wife and five children, and their slaves, traveled by wagon to Charleston and chartered a boat to take them to Florida. Among the Haile, slaves were experienced carpenters and cabinetmakers, and their skill is evidenced in the quality and finish of the Haile plantation house. iv
Alachua County, Florida was on the threshold of prosperity when the Hailes moved to Kanapaha, eight miles southwest of Gainesville. The production of Sea Island cotton by settlers from Georgia and South Carolina had begun with the removal of the Indians and the opening of the Bellamy in 1826, 1860 Cedar Key and Fernandina, giving planters ready access to their markets.
Thomas Haile was the fourth son of a prosperous Camden planter, Benjamin Haile, who had amassed a substantial fortune as the result of the discovery of gold on his property. Benjamin Haile's will, dated May 9, 1849, reveals that, in addition to 1,500 acres of land near Camden, Thomas inherited $4,000 in cash and an unspecified number of slaves from his father's estate. Thomas' wife, Esther Serena Chesnut Haile, also was descended from a prominent and wealthy Camden family. She was related to General James Chesnut, whose wife Mary Boykin Chesnut, wrote Diary From Dixie.
The land the Hailes settled on in Alachua County was originally part of the Arredondo Grant and was purchased from Henry Marquand. Edward Haile (whose wife, Mary, was Serena Haile's sister), Thomas Chesnut (Serena Haile’s brother) Halle (Edward and Thomas's mother), all purchased tracts of land in the Kanapaha area of Alachua County in the 1850s. The 1860 census indicates that each had a sizable plantation and owned numerous slaves (Thomas Haile, 66; Edward Haile, 101; and Amelia Haile, 175)." It is likely, therefore, that the HaileChesnut clan, while adapting to the climate and frontier conditions of north central Florida, also duplicated as much as possible the buildings and lifestyle they had left behind in Camden, located in the rich cotton-producing up-country of South Carolina.
Thomas and Serena Haile had five children when they moved to Florida; ten more were born at Kanapaha. The plantation house was designed to provide for this increase; it was built to its present size by 1860, with four large rooms and two smaller ones on the first floor and on the second floor there are two even larger rooms used as bedrooms by the children. One downstairs room served as a schoolroom. The kitchen, (since burned to the ground), was a separate building to the rear of the house. Although the 1860 census indicates that the Hailes had built 18 cabins for their slaves, none of these have survived.
During the Civil War the Hailes, like most South Carolinians who had migrated to Florida, were staunch Confederates. Thomas E. Haile served as First Lieutenant with Col. John J. Dickison's Company H, South Florida, Cavalry; his oldest son John, who was in his teens, enlisted as a private. * Their most memorable contact with the events of the war came in May of 1865 when "Kanapaha" sheltered Sid Winder and Francis Tench Tilghman, two of the men who escorted the Confederal Baggage and Treasure train containing the records and funds of the Confederate government. Tilghman's diary entry for May 23, 1865, the day after they learned of the capture of Jefferson Davis and the end of their hopes for the Confederacy, confides, "Today all has been confusion ... we are all going to seek some point where we can be paroled and go home." Later in the day ... "We were received & treated very kindly by Mr. Haile indeed & a clean bed, & entire undress after so many nights on the ground was elegant indeed."
After the war the, Hailes continued to grow cotton. Many of their former slaves stayed on and it is likely that Thomas Haile expanded
to meet the demands of a boom in cotton price in 1868, he was cleared bankrupt by the court and most of his property was sold. Perhaps he, like many planters in Alachua County, had gambled on a big crop in 1867 but was ruined by exceptionally heavy spring rains and a plague of caterpillars in September." Fortunately, Edward Haile, who had developed a successful merchantile business in Gainesville, WAS able to reserve the forty acres upon which his brother's home stood." In 1873 this land and an additional seventy acres were conveyed by deed to Esther Serena Haile; these properties have remained in possession of direct descendants to the present date.
The Haile family continued to live at Kanapaha until around the turn of the century, at which time Evans Haile, the fourteenth child of Thomas and Serena Haile, who then owned the property on which the house stood, moved into Gainesville to practice law. Since that time the house has been largely unoccupied but has functioned as a family retreat, hunting lodge, and party house. Evans Haile hosted a notable fox hunt in 1905, attended by prominent Floridians and out-of-state guests who arrived at the "magnificent country home of Mr. Haile" by private railroad car." A 1908 article in the Gainesville Sun refers to a ten-day house party chaperoned by the Hailes for a group of young people at the "picturesque old Haile Homestead."
In 1979 the house was used in the filming of Gal Young Un, a movie based on a short story by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The house was chosen because it closely fit Miss Rawlings' description of "an air of prosperity," set deep in the woods.
Agriculture; Architecture
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
About National Register Listings
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
The Seminole Wars, a series of conflicts between the United States government and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, lasted for over 40 years from 1817 to 1858. The wars were some of the longest and most expensive conflicts in American history.
About Alachua County
Alachua County Timeline
Alachua County, located in northern Florida, has a rich history that dates back thousands of years. The area was originally inhabited by Native American tribes, including the Timucua and Seminole people. They relied on the fertile soil and abundant water sources for their sustenance and developed intricate cultural practices.
In the 16th century, Spanish explorers ventured into the region, establishing missions and attempting to colonize the area. However, conflicts with the Native Americans and the lack of resources hindered their efforts. The territory eventually came under British control in the late 18th century, followed by transfer to the United States after the Revolutionary War.
During the mid-19th century, Alachua County experienced a boom as many settlers arrived, drawn by the promise of fertile lands for farming and the expanding railroad system. The city of Gainesville, Alachua County's seat, was established in 1854 and became an economic and cultural hub in the region.
However, the county also faced turbulent times during the Civil War, with significant impact and casualties endured. The University of Florida was founded in Gainesville in 1905, marking a turning point for education and intellectual growth in the region. Today, Alachua County continues to thrive as a diverse and dynamic community, preserving its history while embracing progress and growth.
In the 16th century, Spanish explorers ventured into the region, establishing missions and attempting to colonize the area. However, conflicts with the Native Americans and the lack of resources hindered their efforts. The territory eventually came under British control in the late 18th century, followed by transfer to the United States after the Revolutionary War.
During the mid-19th century, Alachua County experienced a boom as many settlers arrived, drawn by the promise of fertile lands for farming and the expanding railroad system. The city of Gainesville, Alachua County's seat, was established in 1854 and became an economic and cultural hub in the region.
However, the county also faced turbulent times during the Civil War, with significant impact and casualties endured. The University of Florida was founded in Gainesville in 1905, marking a turning point for education and intellectual growth in the region. Today, Alachua County continues to thrive as a diverse and dynamic community, preserving its history while embracing progress and growth.
Alachua County Timeline
This timeline provides a concise overview of the key events in the history of Alachua County, Florida.
- 1824 - Alachua County is established on December 29, 1824, as Florida's first inland county.
- 1832 - The first courthouse in the county is constructed in Newnansville.
- 1837 - Newnansville becomes the county seat.
- 1853 - Gainesville is established as a railroad depot, leading to the decline of Newnansville.
- 1868 - Gainesville becomes the county seat.
- 1905 - The University of Florida is established in Gainesville.
- 1915 - The Seagle Building, the first skyscraper in Gainesville, is completed.
- 1930s - The Great Depression impacts the county, leading to economic struggles.
- 1950s - Growth of the University of Florida and postwar development fuel population growth.
- 1969 - Santa Fe Community College is established.
- 1990s - A period of rapid growth and urbanization begins.
- 2001 - Celebration Pointe, a major mixed-use development, breaks ground.