Sunny Hill Plantation
Encyclopedia
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
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Plantation
Sunny Hill Plantation was established by Lewis S. Thompson in 1913, and was created from the former W. G. Ponder PlantationW. G. Ponder Plantation
The William G. Ponder Plantation was a large cotton plantation of over situated in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States and established by William G. Ponder.-Location:...
. Just before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Thompson purchased land to the north swelling the plantation to around 20000 acre (8,093.7 ha).
Adjacent plantations:
- Foshalee PlantationFoshalee PlantationFoshalee Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States.First called Incochee, it was purchased in 1824 by Hezekiah and Ann Graham Ponder. Hezekiah and Ann are buried in a cemetery near U.S. 319....
to the west - Horseshoe PlantationHorseshoe PlantationHorseshoe Plantation is an cotton plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida and established around 1840 by Dr. Edward Bradford, a planter from Enfield, North Carolina.It is currently owned and maintained by Frederic C. Hamilton. Mr...
to the southwest - Norias PlantationNorias PlantationNorias Plantation is a small quail hunting plantation located north of Lake Miccosukee in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States.The land for Norias was sold by Colonel Lewis S. Thompson of Sunny Hill Plantation to Walter E. Edge, Governor of New Jersey and his hunting companion and...
to the east
Lewis S. Thompson
Thompson was a resident of Red Bank, New JerseyRed Bank, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,844 people, 5,201 households, and 2,501 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,639.1 people per square mile . There were 5,450 housing units at an average density of 3,055.0 per square mile...
. His father was William P. Thompson, an oil man from West Virginia had become treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
of Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
under John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
. Lewis was a prominent Republican in New Jersey and was a delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
to Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
from Brookdale, Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
, N.J. Thompson was also a member in good standing with the Boone and Crockett Club
Boone and Crockett Club
The Boone and Crockett Club conservationist organization, founded in the United States in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt. The club was named in honor of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, whom the club's founders viewed as ethical hunters and honest men who loved the outdoors and earthly pursuits...
founded by Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
. Having inherited much of his fortune, Thompson enjoyed outdoor activities of marksmanship, hunting, fishing, and raising dogs. Lewis Thompson died in 1936.
Geraldine L. Thompson
Lewis' wife, Geraldine Livingston Thompson co-owned Brookdale Farm, a thoroughbred horse training facility in Lincroft, New JerseyLincroft, New Jersey
Lincroft is a part of Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the Lincroft census-designated place had a population was 6,135.-Geography:Lincroft is located at ....
. Brookdale became Thompson Park in Monmouth County. Mrs. Lewis hosted Ava Alice Muriel Astor
Ava Alice Muriel Astor
Ava Alice Muriel Astor was the daughter of John Jacob Astor IV and Ava Lowle Willing and sister of Vincent Astor.-Early life:...
as a guest. Miss Astor was the daughter to John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV was an American businessman, real estate builder, investor, inventor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish-American War and a member of the prominent Astor family...
who died during the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912. Mrs.
Thompson was also active in Republican politics and was a member of the Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
from Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
and alternate delegate Republican National Convention from New Jersey in 1940, 1948, and 1952. Geraldine died September 9, 1967 and was buried at St. James' Churchyard, Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
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2nd owner
Norias Plantation
Norias Plantation is a small quail hunting plantation located north of Lake Miccosukee in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States.The land for Norias was sold by Colonel Lewis S. Thompson of Sunny Hill Plantation to Walter E. Edge, Governor of New Jersey and his hunting companion and...
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
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
from 1944-1947.
In 1966, Mr. Camilla Edge kept a herd of 100 Black Angus cattle
Angus cattle
Angus cattle are a breed of cattle much used in beef production. They were developed from cattle native to the counties of Aberdeenshire and Angus in Scotland, and are known as Aberdeen Angus in most parts of the world....
. Out of 6000 acre (2,428.1 ha), 780 acre (315.7 ha) out were set aside for growing corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, 14 for cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, and 27 for peanut
Peanut
The peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s.
John W. Mettler, Jr. of New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, son of John Wyckoff Mettler the founder and president of Interwoven Stocking Company of Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, purchased 6000 acre (2,428.1 ha) of Sunny Hill.
By 1967, the land once known as Sunny Hill was purchased by other concerns and became Loveridge Plantation
Loveridge Plantation
Loveridge Plantation was a quail hunting plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States and established by George H. Love.Loveridge began as on the northwest corner of Lake Miccosukee. In 1956, Love acquired an additional of Sunny Hill Plantation from the estate of New Jersey...
and Welaunee Plantation
Welaunee Plantation, Florida
Welaunee Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation located in central Leon County, Florida, USA established by Udo M. Fleischmann.-History:...
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Current
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 ConservancyTall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy is a research and learning facility located in northern Leon County, Florida, just off County Road 12 on the north side of Lake Iamonia...
, Horseshoe Plantation, Chemonie Plantation
Chemonie Plantation
Chemonie Plantation was a medium sized cotton plantation of in northern Leon County, Florida, USA established by Hector Braden.-Location:Chemonie Plantion was situated on two separate tracts of land. The first tract was located between Centerville Road and the Monticello Road occupying a large...
, Foshalee Plantation, and Woodfield Springs Plantation
Woodfield Springs Plantation
Woodfield Spring Plantation was a large quail hunting plantation in northern Leon County, Florida, United States.Woodfield Springs was owned by Gilbert W. Humphrey, an executive with the M.A. Hanna Company of Cleveland, Ohio serving as president of the company in 1960 and chairman of the board in...
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