Lichgate on High Road

The Lichgate cottage was the home of the late Laura Jepsen, an associate professor of comparative literature at Florida State University from 1946 to 1978.^[3]

Jepsen purchased the property on which the cottage now stands in 1955 from a group of individuals representing the Capital City Free Will Baptist Church. This Church was never established but the sale of the property included covenants preventing development for 25 years after the sale.^[4]

Jepsen drew inspiration for the design of her cottage from many different sources.^[5] The primary source was the appearance of the Earl Gresh Wood Parade Museum located in St. Petersburg, FL.^[6] Jepsen even refers to the Wood Parade home in her final book called Lichgate on High Road, writing, "It occurred to me that it might not be impossible to move a small house from St. Petersburg, Florida, to a site in Tallahassee...The little house, constructed by the builders of a museum to display woods of various trees in the world, was, like its neighbor, a model of Tudor architecture, with the steep roof cut away over doors and windows to represent the rood of a thatched cottage and with the tall chimney surmounted by a chimney pot."^[7]

In addition to Lichgate, Jepsen owned a tract in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina with a cabin and a wildflower preserve. She also had a large parcel of restored farmland on the Iowa prairie. After her death on Christmas Eve 1995, the title to Lichgate and other properties were transferred to The Nature Conservancy for preservation. However, the wildflowers and cabin in North Carolina were sold to a private owner, while most of the 160 acres in Iowa were sold to the farming family next door, with just 28 acres protected. The Laura Jepsen Institute Inc. was established by former students, friends, and admirers. They were justifiably concerned that Lichgate would be sold to a developer for redevelopment. The Nature Conservancy wanted $100,000 for the property, which several interested parties passed on. In the late years of her life, Lichgate was in need of maintenance. When Jepsen fractured her ankle in 1994 and was hospitalized, delinquents from Godby High School vandalized the house, breaking windows and destroying documents.^[8][9] Eventually, the individuals behind the Institute were able to arrange financing and acquired the property and it was restored.^[10] The property is open to the public and small groups. Features include a centuries-old live oak tree, a Tudor-style fairy-tale cottage, and multiple gardens.^[11]

• Friends of Laura
• Laura Jepsen Institute

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