Background
Constructed between 1826 and 1836 by Richard Keith Call and ten skilled African American slaves, the Call-Collins Mansion at The Grove is a Greek Revival style home that was part of a one square mile, or 640 acres (260 ha) plantation located in central Leon County, Florida. Call was also owner of Orchard Pond Plantation, an agricultural plantation located north of Tallahassee on the shores of Lake Jackson. As a military and political protege of Andrew Jackson, Richard Keith Call's mansion at The Grove was heavily influenced by architectural styling incorporated at The Hermitage. In addition to its simplistically elegant Georgian floor plan, the house also includes a raised basements that was constructed to protect inhabitants in the event of an Indian attack and to also provide a cooler, less formal cooking and dining space. Having served twice as Florida's territorial governor (1836–39, 1841–44) and as a battlefield commander during the Second Seminole War, Call lived at The Grove until 1850, when he deeded the property to his oldest surviving daughter, Ellen Call Long. Call died in 1862, days after learning of the death of his favorite nephew on the battlefield at Shiloh.
The period from 1850 through the 1930s was one marked by female ownership and resourceful economic entrepreneurealism at The Grove. The home was the site of a silkworm farm, a boarding and guest house, and Reinette Long Hunt (daughter of Ellen Call Long) taught art and dance classes on the property. A New Year's Eve fire in 1934 caused some damage to the home but was confined to the attic.
In 1942, The Grove was purchased by the Collins family and became the home of the late Gov. LeRoy Collins and his wife, Mary, great-granddaughter of Call. The Collins family rescued The Grove and its grounds from disrepair. Collins was central in the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and was instrumental in the peaceful integration of Florida's public schools. He was also a central figure in the creation of Florida's first Historic Preservation initiatives and statues. In 1985, The Collins family sold the home and remaining 10.33 acres (4.18 ha) to the state for eventual use as a museum. Richard Keith Call and his wife, Mary Kirkman Call, as well as Mary Call Collins and LeRoy Collins, are buried in the cemetery at The Grove.
Read more about this topic: The Grove Plantation
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