The Stories that Lie Here: Biographies of the Call-Collins Family Cemetery

   This exhibit tells the stories of those buried at the Call-Collins Family Cemetery at The Grove in Tallahassee, Florida. While the cemetery is primarily used for members of the Call family, descended from Florida’s third and fifth territorial governor Richard Keith Call, there are non-family members buried here as well. Richard Keith Call is buried here along with his wife and many of his children. Mary Call Collins, Call’s great-granddaughter, is buried here with her husband, LeRoy Collins, who was the 33^rd Governor of Florida. The two governors serve as bookends for interpretation of the site, chronicling the history of slavery and civil rights in the state. Tragically, there are nine known graves of children in this cemetery, many of whom died at a young age due to malaria and the harsh environment of territorial Florida. The prevalence of child burials is not uncommon in historic cemeteries, especially ones on frontiers. Unfortunately, as a result, there is very little known about their short lives.

     Rather than looking at cemeteries as solely places of death, we can gain a better understanding of local history by looking at the lives of those whose memorials rest here. This exhibit aims to bring life to these individuals. Although some stories are shorter than others, each story here gives us a better understanding of Tallahassee and Florida history. To better illustrate their stories, these short biographies are organized in chronological order by birth date. While this cemetery looks at some individuals who impacted Florida history, it is important to note that those who were excluded from this cemetery also impacted Florida history. It was the labor of enslaved artisans that provided the Call family with the wealth and privilege of owning a private family cemetery, and those individuals were excluded from the cemetery. As a result, this history is also a history of exclusion and racism in Florida.