A look at Gadsden County’s history reaches far back: the Chattahoochee Landing Mounds served as a ceremonial center of the Mississippian culture from approximately 900 to 1550 AD. The complex originally included seven earthen mounds; three are clearly visible today.
Historic Traces in Quincy
Downtown Quincy is home to historic commercial buildings dating from the 1880s. The commercial district spans nine blocks and is surrounded by a 36-block Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After its use as a school, Quincy Academy served as a temporary courthouse; it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Since 1912, the Gadsden County Courthouse has been a landmark of the historic courthouse square in downtown Quincy. The current courthouse is the fifth to occupy this site.
Buildings and Collections Tell More Stories
The Gadsden Historical Society is housed in a brick building constructed between 1852 and 1854 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The society preserves and shares the county’s heritage, covering topics such as its colonial origins, the history of shade-grown tobacco, the Civil War and Coca-Cola history.
The Apalachicola Arsenal Museum presents the site’s military history through artifacts, exhibits and interpretive displays. The original arsenal was built between 1834 and 1839 on the high ground above the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers. On January 6, 1861, Florida state troops occupied the arsenal; this was Florida’s first military engagement of the Civil War.
Trade and railroad history also have tangible landmarks. Planters Exchange houses an antiques market with about 30 dealers in a historic 14,000-square-foot building. It was built as a tobacco warehouse in 1928. Greensboro Depot Railroad Station dates from 1907. The Greensboro Depot Railroad Museum focuses on the railroad history of North Florida. If you’re planning a visit, check current visiting hours in advance.
Art, Theater and Music
Gadsden Arts Center & Museum has six exhibition galleries and presents 14 to 18 exhibitions each year. Gadsden Arts also launched a drop-in ArtZone studio that reaches more than 1,300 participants annually. For a specific visit, check the current exhibition schedule.
Quincy Music Theater produces five Broadway shows each season and holds summer theater camps for children and teens. Quincy Porchfest is a recurring, free music festival in historic downtown Quincy. Local drummer Walter Kelleher founded it in 2012; it was the first festival of its kind in the state of Florida. Check the event dates for your travel period when planning.
Experience Nature and the Water
Talquin Wildlife Management Area covers more than 3,000 acres and is one of nine larger units within the 19,347-acre Lake Talquin State Forest. At the Joe Budd Aquatic Education Center, the Wetland Nature Trail passes through a cypress swamp. Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area offers opportunities to paddle on Lake Talquin and the Little River. At Lake Talquin, a fishing pier and a wildlife observation platform in this area are part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.
Pat Thomas Park offers RV and tent sites with water and electric hookups, as well as a boat ramp and fishing pier. River Road Scenic Drive follows State Road 271 and offers views of Lake Seminole and the rural landscape of North Florida. Alongside historic sites, visitors can choose from different ways to explore, including water activities, wildlife viewing and scenic landscapes.
Discover more destinations: Quincy, Liberty, St. Johns, Miami-Dade, Bay, Lee, Seminole and Clay.
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