Lake Monkey Business is a private

Privately held company

A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...

 park and lake not opened to the public located in northern Leon County, Florida

Leon County, Florida

Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...

 and within the planned private community of Killearn Lakes Plantation.

History

Though the lake was created by Julian C. "Bull" Headley (of Kentucky) in the early to mid 1950s

1950s

The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...

, as part of Bull Run Plantation

Bull Run Plantation

Bull Run Plantation was a private estate owned by Julien C. Headley located in Leon County, Florida, United States.-History:Originally a large part of Water Oak Plantation owned by Frances C. Griscom, Headley purchased all but a few hundred acres from Griscom in 1951. He named it Bull Run...

, the land which Lake Monkey Business is on was originally part of Frances C. Griscom

Frances C. Griscom

Frances Canby Griscom was an American amateur golfer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and part-time resident of Tallahassee, Florida....

's Water Oak Plantation

Water Oak Plantation

Water Oak Plantation was a was a small cotton plantation of located in northern Leon County, Florida, USA established by Richard Bradford.- Location :Water Oak was located in the general area of Bradfordville.Adjacent plantations:...

. The lake is within the Killearn Lakes Plantation development, north of Tallahassee, Florida. The present-day Bull Headley Road frames the western boundary of Killearn Lakes Plantation; the northern terminus of the road ends at a public boat ramp for the nearby Lake Iamonia.

Water Oak's purchase in 1951 the name change occurred with Headley making several enhancements to the property, including a dam

Dam

A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

, a new brick mansion

Mansion

A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...

, bathhouse, swimming pool

Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

, and Headley's own duck

Duck

Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...

 lake, which he called Lake Monkey Business. This was the last of Headley's land alteration projects "to monkey around with" - hence the name - which sought to attract waterfowl.

There are three other lakes which he created by damming the feeder stream further up the drainage system. These consist (in order of drainage) of Lake Petty Gulf, Lake Dianne, and Lake Blue Heron, which then drains into Monkey Business. Lake Monkey Business is fed through the prominent sweeping estuary arm to the south west. The lakes were drawn down during spring and summer months and refilled by the autumn rains and attract many migrating waterfowl. This practice is no longer employed on these lakes, but remains common on nearby hunting plantations.

A small, natural island, approximately 200 feet in diameter, within Lake Monkey Business provides a natural retreat for water fowl. The island is located about halfway between the isthmus and the western end of the lake. The island contains many large hardwood and pine trees and relatively dense underbrush.

In 1964 Headley sold Bull Run Plantation to a financial syndicate

Syndicate

A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies or entities formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest or in the case of criminals, to engage in organized crime...

 of sportsmen interested in a recreational preserve. Kinhega Lodge

Kinhega Lodge

Kinhega Lodge was a hunting and fishing plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida, United States on Lake Iamonia.From the 1830s through 1866 the land was part of the cotton plantation known as Water Oak Plantation owned by Richard Bradford....

 was established and Lake Monkey Business remained. Kinhega Lodge would eventually become Kinhega Lodge Estates, Limited. In the early 1970s the property was sold again to investors, who developed the property into Killearn Lakes Plantation, a development of over 4500 homes.

Located approximately 11 miles north of Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...

's center, Killearn Lakes Plantation is a planned, heavily forested suburban development which fully surrounds the lake. The lands on the southern and eastern permieter of the lake form a part of the private Golden Eagle development. The western and northern perimeter is rural property in Leon County within Killearn Lakes Plantation.

Use of the lake is exclusive to residents of Killearn Lakes Plantation. Access to the lake and its boat ramp is provided by a gated access road.

Recreation

A gated entrance on Turkey Hill Trail leads to a boat ramp and park. The park is located on a grassy isthmus

Isthmus

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...

 with ample shade provided by many Spanish moss

Spanish Moss

Spanish moss is a flowering plant that grows upon larger trees, commonly the Southern Live Oak or Bald Cypress in the southeastern United States....

-draped live oak

Live oak

Live oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...

s and three docks useful to residents for catching various species of panfish (genus Lepomis

Lepomis

Lepomis is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The most recognizable species of the sixteen in this genus is the Bluegill....

). A boat ramp is located at the park's north end. Until about 2000, playground equipment was provided at the park. The lake itself has a low population of juvenile American Alligator

American Alligator

The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...

s. State-licensed nuisance alligator trappers are usually called upon to remove larger alligators once they reach a length of four to six feet (2 m). Although it is reported that an 8-foot (2.46 m) specimen had matured there until captured.

The park is considered "well stocked" in that it supports a large community of largemouth Bass

Bass (fish)

Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...

 and various catfish

Catfish

Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...

. The lake is generally green in color with photosynthetic plankton

Plankton

Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...

 and low in weeds due to invasive grass carp

Grass carp

The grass carp is a herbivorous, freshwater fish species of family Cyprinidae, and the only species of the genus Ctenopharyngodon. It is cultivated in China for food, but was introduced in Europe and the United States for aquatic weed control...

. The bottom of the lake is between 6-10 feet (1.8-3.1m) in depth and strewn with small branches and trees due to beaver

Beaver

The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...

 activity. No swimming is allowed due to alligators and rare plankton blooms that have turned the water bright orange for months.

Through 2008, on July 4, the Killearn Lakes Plantation Homeowners Association provided a fireworks

Fireworks

Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...

display over Lake Monkey Business paid for by residents' dues. In 2009 and 2010 the homeowners association voted to suspend the display due to financial constraints.