Sixteenth Century Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto and his army spent years exploring the American South, but their presence has been positively identified only in Tallahassee. While investigating the grounds of the historic home of former Governor John Martin in 1987, state archaeologist Calvin Jones unearthed some unusual artifacts that turned out to be from De Soto’s occupation of the site.

De Soto and his army arrived there after blazing a trail of destruction up the peninsula of Florida. Despite the resistance of the native inhabitants, De Soto pushed his way west to the area of present-day Tallahassee where he occupied the village of Anhaica Apalache during the winter of 1539-1540. It is likely that the explorers observed Christmas during a special mass, possibly the first Christmas observance in the continental United States.

This state-owned historic site is located on Lafayette Street south of Apalachee Parkway. A historical marker describing the significance of the site is placed at the entrance to the Governor John Martin House where visitors can see a small exhibit of artifacts from the De Soto encampment.

Courtesy of the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources