419 East Jefferson Street • Tallahassee, Florida 32301 • (850) 681-7881
HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday thru Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The Riley House - A Community Museum and Educational Center
The Riley House is a historical and cultural gem that sits at the bottom of a hill in downtown Tallahassee, at the corner of Meridian and Jefferson Streets.Nestled among beautiful shade trees, the John G. Riley historic home represents the thriving black neighborhood that once existed in what is just east of downtown Tallahassee. The Riley House is especially significant when compared to other such historical sites in that it is the last vestige we have of the accomplishments of an entire group of people, the black middle class, which emerged in the latter part of the nineteenth century.
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area just east of downtown Tallahassee and west of Myers Park Drive was an African American community called Smokey Hollow. According to the Tallahassee City Directory, published in 1904, there were five houses on Riley's block on Jefferson Street, all owned by black men. In 1919, there were six homeowners and they too were black. Several other homes, owned or rented by blacks, surrounded the Riley property, extending up College and Gadsden Streets. This situation changed in the 1950's, when plans for the Department of Transportation Building and the expansion of Apalachee Parkway encroached into the boundaries of the Smokey Hollow community. By 1978, only two houses remained, that of John Riley and John Hicks, a black tailor who lived across the street from Riley. Hicks died in the early 1970's and his home was purchased by Colmar Corporation for speculative purposes.
In 1978, through the efforts of local preservationists, the Riley House became the second house in Florida owned by a black person to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first being the Mary McLeod Bethune house in Volusia County.
In 1995, a group of Tallahassee citizens established a museum at the Riley House dedicated to African-American history and culture. This facility draws more visitors and tourist into the area while providing a historically diverse attraction.
WHO WAS JOHN GILMORE RILEY?
John Gilmore Riley was born in 1857, when slavery was a way of life and educational pursuits for blacks were illegal. With the help of his Aunt Henrietta, Riley defied the law of the land and learned to read and write. Riley began his first teaching job in 1877 at a school in Wakulla County.
In 1881 he began teaching at Lincoln Academy, one of three freedmen schools built during the Reconstruction era in Florida to provide secondary instruction to blacks. In 1892 Riley became principal of the school until his retirement in 1926. In addition to his career as an educator, he also distinguished himself as a leader in business and was Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons of Florida. John G. Riley died in 1954. The house that he built for his family in 1890 stands today as a testament to the rich, cultural heritage of African-Americans.
John Gilmore Riley was born in 1857, when slavery was a way of life and educational pursuits for blacks were illegal. With the help of his Aunt Henrietta, Riley defied the law of the land and learned to read and write. Riley began his first teaching job in 1877 at a school in Wakulla County.In 1881 he began teaching at Lincoln Academy, one of three freedmen schools built during the Reconstruction era in Florida to provide secondary instruction to blacks. In 1892 Riley became principal of the school until his retirement in 1926. In addition to his career as an educator, he also distinguished himself as a leader in business and was Grand High Priest of the Royal Arch Masons of Florida. John G. Riley died in 1954. The house that he built for his family in 1890 stands today as a testament to the rich, cultural heritage of African-Americans.
FOUNDERS
Many persons are to be thanked for playing a significant part in saving the Riley House. Among the notables are: Nancy Dobson, past executive director of the Tallahassee Historic Preservation Board, who documented the significance of the house and had it placed in the National Register of Historic Places; Attorney Robert Travis and Dean M.S. Thomas, who labored as Chairmen of the John G. Riley Foundation Board through restoration; other chairmen Leon Russell, Arthur Teele, Jr. and T.H. Poole; Attorney Jesse McCrary, who served as Secretary of State, and was a strong advocate for restoration of the house; and Dr. A.E. Teele, Sr., who developed the history of the Riley House and Professor Riley.
Many persons are to be thanked for playing a significant part in saving the Riley House. Among the notables are: Nancy Dobson, past executive director of the Tallahassee Historic Preservation Board, who documented the significance of the house and had it placed in the National Register of Historic Places; Attorney Robert Travis and Dean M.S. Thomas, who labored as Chairmen of the John G. Riley Foundation Board through restoration; other chairmen Leon Russell, Arthur Teele, Jr. and T.H. Poole; Attorney Jesse McCrary, who served as Secretary of State, and was a strong advocate for restoration of the house; and Dr. A.E. Teele, Sr., who developed the history of the Riley House and Professor Riley.
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