About The Grove

   The Grove Museum, once called the Hickory Grove or the Old Call Mansion, is located on Monroe Street in Tallahassee, Florida. [1] It is comprised of the Call-Collins House and the surrounding 10.5 acres. Originally a private residence for the Call and Collins families, The Grove Museum is now dedicated to interpreting the relationship between Florida’s civil rights history and the former residents of The Grove. Territorial Governor Richard Keith Call purchased The Grove’s original 640 acres in 1825, and enslaved craftspeople built the Call-Collins House around 1835 to 1840. Richard Keith Call exploited the labor of enslaved African American people to complete not only the construction of the mansion, but also for farming, railroad, and brickyard operations.[2] Calls’ descendants managed the property during the late 19^th century and through the 20^th century. His daughter, Ellen Call Long, was the second owner of The Grove. She was a writer and prominent member of Tallahassee society. Her granddaughter, Reinette Long Hunt, took over the property when Ellen passed away. It was Reinette’s cousin, and Call’s great-granddaughter, Mary Call Collins, and her husband who were the final owners of The Grove before the State of Florida began to manage the property in 2009. Mary Call’s husband, LeRoy Collins, is often referred to as Florida’s civil rights governor for his support of the civil rights movement. Their stories give us a better understanding of civil rights history in Florida.

[1] Divoll Report, 1992, iii

[2] “Richard Keith Call | Grove.” Accessed February 1, 2021. https://thegrovemuseum.com/learn/history/call/.