CAPITOL BUILDING
Dr. William Simmons of St. Augustine and John Lee Williams of Pensacola recommended Tallahassee as the site for Florida’s permanent capital in the fall of 1823. And, on March 4, 1824, Governor William Duval signed the proclamation making it official.
Shortly after, three log cabins were constructed to serve as the meeting place for the thirteen members of the Legislative Council and Governor. There is still uncertainty over how big these buildings were, how many floors they had or where they were exactly located.
REPLICAS
For the 1924 centennial and the 1974 sesquicentennial, a replica of one cabin was made. The 1924 replica was constructed largely by Boy Scouts on the grounds of the Capitol, while the 1974 replica was built by Sheriff Raymond Hamlin Jr. for the Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board and Tallahassee Lions Club, also on the grounds of the Capitol.
The 1974 log cabin was then moved to the Tallahassee Museum (then the Junior Museum) where it was displayed until 1988.
At the suggestion of local residents and historians, Mayor John Dailey announced Tallahassee would build another log cabin replica for the city’s Bicentennial as part of its celebrations.
COMMUNITY-WIDE SIGNIFICANCE
Though constructed only as a temporary structure to house Florida’s early government, the single log cabin building
has since become a symbol of Tallahassee's founding and has taken on a larger community-wide significance that makes it an important landmark of 200 years of American settlement in Tallahassee.
The efforts of this project are made possible by the City of Tallahassee and Friends of First Florida Capitol, Inc., a non-profit, charitable and educational organization exclusively in support of Tallahassee's First Florida Capitol exhibit.
The 2024 replica of the First Florida Capitol is a community-built project located in Cascades Park, led by Habitat for Humanity.
