page_title: The Grove Plantation
section_title: Richard Keith Call
hierarchical_section_title: The Grove Plantation / Family / Richard Keith Call
caption_attribution_description: English: Richard Keith Call, former territorial governor of Florida.
context_page_description: The Grove, known officially as the Call/Collins House at The Grove, is an antebellum plantation house located in Tallahassee Leon County, Florida. Territorial Governor Richard Keith Call constructed The Grove circa 1840. By 1851, Call deeded the property to his daughter, Ellen Call Long, who owned it until 1903. Long's granddaughter, Reinette Long Hunt, acquired the property and owned it until her death in 1940. Hunt opened The Grove Hotel during this era and developed onsite cottages that served as rental properties. After a brief period under the ownership of John W. Ford and Josephine Agler, future Florida governor LeRoy Collins and his wife, Mary Call Darby Collins, a great-granddaughter of Richard Keith Call, bought The Grove.
  Mary Call Darby Collins was the last of Call's descendants to own The Grove. During LeRoy Collins' tenure as governor, The Grove served as the unofficial executive residence while the current Florida Governor's Mansion was under construction, from 1955 to 1957. The Collins family owned The Grove until 1985, when the state of Florida acquired the property for the purpose of creating a state historic house museum.
context_section_description: The 10-acre parcel on which The Grove is situated was once part of a much larger 640 acres (2.6 km²) tract purchased by Richard Keith Call in 1825. Call came to Tallahassee after his single term as territorial delegate to the United States House of Representatives. He was a member of future president Andrew Jackson's inner circle and used his connections to secure a position with the federal land office in Tallahassee. The first residence on the property, described as "a plain building of several rooms on one floor, with outside chimneys and porches," was built around the time Call acquired the property in 1825. According to oral tradition, Mary Kirkman Call, Richard Keith Call's wife, was responsible for the naming of The Grove. In an early letter written by Mrs. Call to Jackson's wife, Rachel, the letter is datelined from "Hickory Grove."
  In 1836, President Andrew Jackson appointed Richard Keith Call as Territorial Governor of Florida. The overriding concern of the territory at this time was the Second Seminole War, in which Call played a central role. As Brigadier General of the Florida Militia prior to his governorship, Call led the state militia into the ill-fated Battle of Withlacoochee, which took place on December 31, 1835. Upon his return to Tallahassee, Call sought to regroup his forces and was prepared to set sail with them for Tampa Bay when the death of his wife forced him to remain behind and attend to family matters, including handling the arrangements for his newborn daughter, Mary Call Brevard. It was during this time that he received his appointment to the governorship, and immediately immersed himself into the administration of the territory. The Grove likely served as an important planning center during the war, as Call, who advocated for a more aggressive military strategy, often sent the Florida militia off to conduct their own campaigns. The Grove also served as the headquarters for a contingent of the US 6th Infantry during the war.
  The exact date of The Grove's construction is not known. The earliest known reference to the home's construction comes from Thomas Hagner, who wrote in November 1838: "I was at Governor Call's yesterday, he has not returned. Col. Green of the infantry makes his house headquarters, and Mr. Walker, a fine gentleman of the bar – a relative of the governor, also lives there. The house is about ½ mile from Tallahassee. The Governor is building a very fine brick house there just in front of his present residence, which they say will be the finest house in the Territory." The Grove was finished by the end of 1839. The "Col. Green" referenced in this letter was likely Lt. Col. John Green, an officer in the 6th US Infantry who later died in 1840, and was originally buried in the Call Family Cemetery before being reinterred at St. Augustine National Cemetery. 
  Built during the Second Seminole War, security concerns were a major aspect of The Grove's construction. The thick exterior and interior walls and the columns are all made from brick, likely manufactured onsite, giving the building a fortress-like appearance. Having access to clean water was also important during this time, and at least one cistern, recently restored, was built for this purpose. The construction of The Grove also coincided with the completion of the Tallahassee Railroad, first to St. Marks in 1837 then to Port Leon in 1839. Elements of the building were most certainly imported at this time, including the wood flooring, marble fireplaces, and sandstone window sills. These items likely arrived to Tallahassee through the newly completed railroad from either St. Marks or Port Leon.
  The Grove was built by enslaved craftsmen of African descent, many of whom were likely hired from other slave owners and had perhaps also worked to build Call's railroad. The level of their craftsmanship can be seen in the building itself, which still stands after over 175 years. While Call owned a number of slaves at this time and later became a cotton planter, there is little evidence to suggest The Grove itself ever served as a m
caption: Richard Keith Call, circa 1840s
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