Gadsden County History

Florida became a Territory of the United States on February 22, 1821, and Andrew Jackson was appointed the first Territorial Governor. Gadsden County was created out of Jackson County on June 24, 1823, by the Territorial Legislature, and it became Florida Territory's fifth county. The county was named Gadsden County in honor of James Gadsden, an aide de camp to Andrew Jackson.

There were settlers in this area that would become Gadsden County since the Spanish occupation. When the United States acquired this territory, the existing settlers had to prove their claims. In 1825 what land in Gadsden County was not already privately owned was opened up by the United States Government for sale. After that, there was a steady influx of settlers who came from Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia. By 1827, Gadsden County had upwards of 3,000 inhabitants.

The first regular session of County Court was called on April 5, 1824. The city of Quincy was formally established by the County Court on May 10, 1825, and declared the county seat.

The foregoing history excerpted from Gadsden, a Florida County in Word and Picture, by Miles Kenan Womack, Jr., copyright 1976.

Contents of this site © 2007 by Angela Boynton Cassidy.

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