TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Calling it a reflection of the "larger American experience," a home that has been witness to slavery, the Civil War and the civil rights era has been opened to the public in Tallahassee.
State officials on Saturday swung open the doors to the Grove, a state-owned mansion that was once the residence to Gov. LeRoy Collins. Secretary of State Ken Detzner was joined at a ribbon-cutting by members of the extended Collins family.
The grand opening came one day and 108 years after Collins was born.
Built by one of Florida's early territorial governors using slave labor, the Grove would later serve as home to Collins as he tried to shepherd the state through the civil rights era. The state spent nearly $6 million to renovate it.
