The John G. Riley House has stood in Tallahassee's downtown neighborhood for about 130 years, and the museum it became continues to connect the community to a history that shaped the city, the state, and the nation.
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Originally built in 1890, the house was the home of John Gilmore Riley, a former enslaved person who became a businessman and educator.
The structure is one of the remaining remnants of the historic Smokey Hollow neighborhood.
In the 1970s, activists blocked plans to demolish it, eventually transformed into a museum in 1996.
Amalie Ostertag, assistant curator and lead docent at the center and museum, said the space carries on Riley's legacy.
"He has had a significant impact on education here in Leon County,” she said. “He also, of course, has inspired us here at the museum, and the folks who have been a part of the museum for the past 30 plus years maintain his legacy and keep his legacy alive by talking about the importance of education, talking about the importance of community, and the importance of knowing one's history.”
Talethia O. Edwards, a board member with the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation, said the home acts as a portal to the past and that preserving spaces like it matters.
“You're brought back to what people was experiencing at that time, and it's a weight and a responsibility that we have to remember those times and those people who actually fought and worked to build the very city that we call home and that we love,” Edwards said.
Andrea Carter, President of the Wakulla County Historical Society, said a visit to the museum offered her history she had never encountered before.
"I'm 77, so I remember segregation. I never went to de-segregated schools until I went to college, so all of this history, I did not know at all, was not covered in our history books,” Carter said. “It’s especially important now to make sure that this does not get left out."
Ostertag said the museum's connection to history extends well beyond Tallahassee.
“This house is connected to the broader American history in the sense that African American history is American history,” Ostertag said. “We are very proud and thrilled to be able to talk about these folks who contributed such a great deal to not only Tallahassee and Florida's history, but the broader history of the United States of America.
The museum is listed as a stop on the America250 Florida Roadtrip.
The John G. Riley Museum's current exhibit runs through the end of the year.
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