Tallahassee’s history far pre-dates the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s. Now the area’s latest historical marker fully acknowledges the story of those original occupants.
The marker, at the J.R. Alford Greenway trailhead was placed by the Tallahassee Historical Society and unveiled January 29. But it was the Panhandle Archeological Society’s Lonnie Mann who put the significance of the site in context.
“This site has material that’s over 12,000 years old.”
Those Native Americans were identified as members of the Swift Creek culture. That’s also how the nearby modern middle school got its name. Those early residents were connected to the larger Miccosukee Tribe. Edward Ornstein is the director of the tribe’s embassy in Tallahassee.
“The tribal government is quite happy to see that Leon County and the Tallahassee Historical Society are paying attention to that history and commemorating it here.”
The Historical Society began a campaign of placing markers at significant heritage sites around the county during last year’s Tallahassee Bicentennial celebration.
