In honor of the city of Tallahassee’s bicentennial this year, it’s rebuilding a best guess replica of the original log cabin that served as Florida’s first legislative home.
The project is being spearheaded by the bicentennial steering committee along with Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey, who says “we will be continuing that tradition at the bicentennial by rebuilding the first Florida Capitol because it plays a very important role in the story of Tallahassee.”
The log cabin will be debuted around August and will be in Cascades Park, open to the public until the end of this year.
Yes, it was really made out of logs
According to the Florida Capitol’s website, legislators in the early 1820s would alternate government business between St. Augustine and Pensacola.
“Travel was hazardous and took almost 20 days,” the website said. “As a result, Tallahassee was chosen as the capital of American Florida in 1824, primarily because it was the midway point between the two principal cities.”
With the formal designation of Tallahassee as the capital in 1824, the legislature needed a place to meet. The cabin served as the Capitol for two years; in 1826, a newer two-story building was built.