History
Florida Photo Archives
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For centuries prior to European conquest, Lake Lafayette was a favored
settlement of Florida’s native peoples. At least 40 mounds and middens
are still located around the lake’s periphery, mute testimony to the
connections humans have always had with these lovely and productive
waters.
In 1825, the U.S. Congress gave the French Marquis de Lafayette a full
township of land, including a portion of this lake's shoreline, in
gratitude for his assistance during the American Revolution. Lafayette
established a colony of Norman peasants on the shores of the lake,
intending to cultivate vineyards, olive groves, mulberry trees, and
silkworms. But the colony quickly failed "due to the ravages of the
climate," and cotton and other agricultural production became the
economic mainstay for these lands, and much of newly established Leon
County.
For thousands of years, the interconnected wetlands of Lake Lafayette
functioned as a single unit, drying and refilling in response to
rainfall and drought. In 1909, geologist Eli Sellards investigated what
he dubbed the “disappearing lakes” north and east of Tallahassee:
Iamonia, Jackson, Miccosukee, and Lafayette. Eventually, it was
understood that all of the lakes were governed by seasonal rainfall and
one or more sinkholes connected to the aquifer. For example, during
times of high water or flood, Lake Lafayette would flow east and spill
into the St. Mark's River. But in a dry spell, much of the lake water
would drain west and disappear into the underground aquifer through
Fallschase Sink, a large sinkhole in the northern reaches of the lake.
Lake Lafayette was so frequently dry and grassy, early settlers
used it to graze their cattle, and knew it as the "Prairie Lake." Many
remnants of old fence lines can still be seen emerging from the water.
During these droughty periods, the lake bottom would be cleansed--that
is, its plant matter would oxidize and be reduced. Lightning-ignited
fires sometimes crept down from surrounding fields and pinewoods,
burning the lake’s organic, mucky soils. The lake would refill with
clear water when the rains returned, and its hard, sandy bottom would
once again offer good habit for aquatic plants and animals. Such
cycling was indispensable to the health of the lake.
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Florida Photo Archives
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In the 1820s, the entire length of the lake's northern shore was
separated from Alford Arm and stabilized so that the CSX railroad might
be built close to the water's edge. In 1948, the owners of Piney Z
Plantation built earthen dikes in the middle of the lake. The lake was
alternately farmed and flooded for duck hunting. Over time, the lake was
further fragmented by numerous dikes into the artificial basins that
exist today. Stabilized water levels interrupted natural cycles of
drought and reflooding.
In 1977, Louise Kirk Edwards donated 687.57 acres of the property to the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In 1984, the FWC
purchased a 4.82-addition, bringing the total acreage to 692.39.
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