Front of House


Check out some historic photos of the front of The Grove property and see how the yard and Call-Collins House have changed over time.  

This is one of the oldest known photographs of the Call-Collins House, taken around 1880. Below the porch deck, between the center columns, note the glass squares. Ellen Call Long, second owner of The Grove, raised her silkworms under the front porch behind the glass, and also in a wood-frame cottage behind the house. Starting in the 1870s, Ellen spent parts of several years working in Philadelphia with the Ladies Silk Culture Association and, in 1884, published Silk Farming. Photo courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

This photograph of a dog in the driveway from the late 1800s looks much different than the same view today. Note the abundance of oaks, small pines, and Spanish bayonet. Budding on the trees indicates the time of year as early spring. Photo courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

This early colorized postcard distributed in the early 1900s shows a circular driveway that was lined with oyster shells during Reinette Long Hunt's lifetime, the third owner of the property. Note the concrete steps, replaced in the 1960s. Postcard courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

This postcard features shows the Call-Collins House as it appeared around 1930, when Reinette Long Hunt, third owner of the property, operated the house as a hotel. Note the large clump of sago palms in the center of the circle driveway. Visible on the right side of the house is a wooden addition containing bathrooms, added by Reinette when she and her mother Cora Gamble Long lived on the first floor, east side, and guests rented rooms upstairs. Postcard courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

This photograph shows signage for the first Grove Museum, which opened for tours while LeRoy and Mary Call Collins, the final residents of the home, lived in Washington, D.C. About 10,000 visitors toured furnished areas of the house in the early 1960s. At that time, admission for adults was $1.00 and children only 50 cents. Photo from The Grove's collection

This photograph shows the Call-Collins House around 1950. Note the many vines climbing the large live oak trees and the columns. In the center-left of the photograph is a southern magnolia still growing today. Photo courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

The Collins family in 1954: Little Mary Call, Mary Call Collins, Jane, Darby, LeRoy Collins, and LeRoy Jr. Photo courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

LeRoy and Mary Call Collins walking from the old Florida Governor's Mansion back to their home next door in 1955. Photo courtesy of the State Archives of Florida

This photograph shows masonry restoration in progress in 2012. Artisans repaired cracks, re-pointed mortar joints, and re-faced bricks throughout the structure using techniques that hearkened back to the craftsmanship of the original builders, skilled artisans enslaved by Richard Keith Call, the first owner of the home. Photo by Roy Lett, courtesy of the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research

Find

Visitor Parking:

902 N. Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32303

Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: House tours on the hour, 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

Saturday: House tours on the hour, 10, 11 a.m., Noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

Closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday

Group Tours: Tours for groups of ten (10) or more are available at $1.00 per guest. For group tours, please contact the museum in advance to make arrangements.

Grounds open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.