A Matter of Record
Tallahassee was established on March 4, 1824, and designated as the capital of the Florida Territory.
In the same year on Dec. 29, the Florida Legislative Council established Leon County as a county separate from Gadsden County. It was appropriate then for Tallahassee and Leon County to celebrate their centennial in 1924, and it is equally so for us to observe our bicentennial in 2024.
In 2015, I compiled two volumes for the State Library on the Tallahassee Centennial, consisting mainly of articles found in the Tallahassee Daily Democrat and other newspapers and magazines.
Tallahassee had never seen anything like it; 1924 brought the greatest celebration ever recorded in our city up to that time. The town really outdid itself, and all the stops were pulled out. People from throughout the state (estimates as high as 50,000) poured in for events held from Nov. 9–15, including parades, shows, concerts and exhibits.
The earliest mention of the centennial found in the Daily Democrat appeared on the front page on Nov. 19, 1921. The paper took the lead in the promotion of the celebration with an article titled “Tallahassee Should Celebrate Its Centennial Year.”
“It was during 1823 that the old Indian field of Tallahassee was selected as the site for the state capital,” the article noted. “At some time during the year 1923, there should be a celebration of statewide or nationwide interest.”
Still, there persisted some question as to whether Tallahassee was selected as the capital in 1823 or 1824. The newspaper advocated that “the exact date should be established and the citizens of Leon County should get busy making plans for a celebration of the Capital Centennial.”
As of April 28, 1922, the date 1923 was still being considered and city manager J.W. Greer recommended that “the city, the Chamber of Commerce, Leon County and the State of Florida join hands in staging a great celebration of the centennial in the city of Tallahassee and the permanent capital of the state. The cooperation of the Florida State College for Women would be enlisted, and the celebration would take the form of an outdoor historical play or pageant outlining the history of Florida.”
Consensus about the centennial year eventually shifted to 1924.
An article published by the Daily Democrat on Aug. 29, 1923, was headlined “SITE SHOULD BE BOUGHT AT ONCE FOR CELEBRATION OUR CENTENARY.” The paper repeatedly called attention to the fact that 1924 is Tallahassee’s centennial and that the city and state should celebrate it in an elaborate and spectacular way.
Mrs. F.R.S. Phillips, secretary of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, in a telegram sent from Cincinnati, recommended that the citizens of Tallahassee and the Leon County commissioners, in particular, purchase a site for the centennial consisting of 100 acres for permanent fair and exhibition purposes, on or near a railroad.
Mrs. Phillips further stated, “As next year will be a centennial of the selection of Tallahassee as the permanent capital of Florida, a fitting celebration including a pageant, races, baseball, fireworks, a flower show and so forth, should be staged on the permanent grounds next November or December to attract tourists and home seekers.”
The first organization, as best determined, to endorse participation in the planning for the centennial celebration was the Caroline Brevard Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It did so on Sept. 22, 1923.
At a subsequent meeting on Oct. 23, 1923, Miss Shores, the chapter’s historian, presented the outline for the next year’s programs. The subjects selected were to familiarize the society with the life and history of Tallahassee so that they may be better fitted to planning for the centennial.
This article originally appeared on the Tallahassee Historical Society website, tallahasseehistoricalsociety.org, and is used here with the society’s permission.
