Chiles and His Florida: Mount Pleasant

Mount Pleasant resembles an abandoned company town, although I'm not sure what company once ran it. I'm guessing at some point--at least 50 years ago I'd say--it had a purpose and something to make its mark on highway 90. But now all it marks is a milestone on the Lawton Chiles Trail. It's something scenic to look at between Quincy and Chattahoochee.

I may go to Greensboro eventually, but for now this rounds out my tour of Gadsden County, relic of the Old Cotton Belt, Democratic stronghold, and Florida's only majority-black county. This look so new I doubt it was there in 1970. It is a milestone between Mount Pleasant and Oak Grove/Chattahoochee. It's also a good place to turn around, which I did there.

Nothing like a good junk yard when the back yard won't do.

Given the old age of the town, I'd say it sprang up as a place to switch horses between Pensacola and Tallahassee. Or, since there is a railroad track nearby, it was a rest stop on the ride. But I think 1877 was just before the era when track was laid down there.

This general store supports my theory of it being a hitching post. You get your foodstuff and horses at the store, then you're on your way to the state capitol. The general store looks long-since abandoned.

Highway 90 east to Gretna, Quincy, and Tally.