Gadsden County

Gadsden County, Florida's fifth county, was formed in 1823 and once extended from Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Suwannee River to the Apalachicola River. Quincy, the county seat, was incorporated in 1828. Previously known as Middle Florida, the county was named for Capt. James Gadsden, an Army engineer and later diplomat who campaigned in this area under Andrew Jackson in 1818. Gadsden designed and built the fort on the Apalachicola River that bears his name, and in 1855 he was responsible for the Gadsden Purchase, which completed the boundaries of the continental United States. Indian Wars troubled this frontier area until 1840. Before the Civil War, the county was noted for cotton, sugar cane, and tobacco, and later its farmers also produced rice, wine grapes, livestock, and timber. By 1890 shade-grown Cuban tobacco had become the major industry, with production ranging from field to finished cigar, including such brands as White Owl and King Edward. Other important industries included mining fuller's earth and growing tomatoes, and the county also produced governors, Supreme Court chief justices, and numerous other high state officials.

Quincy, Florida · United States