John Gilmore Riley House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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John G Riley House
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 Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | Tallahassee, Florida |
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| NRHP reference No. | 78000950 |
| Added to NRHP | August 1, 1978 |
The John Gilmore Riley House is a special historic home in Tallahassee, Florida. You can find it at 419 East Jefferson Street. This house is so important that it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1978. Today, it's known as the John G. Riley Center/Museum of African American History and Culture. It helps us learn about the rich history of African Americans in the area.
A Look Back: The Riley House Story
The Riley House was built around 1890. It's one of the last remaining buildings from a lively African-American neighborhood called Smokey Hollow. This community thrived in downtown Tallahassee in the early 1900s. The house is a two-story home made of wood. It stayed in the Riley family until 1970.
This house isn't just an old building. It shows how much progress was made and how its owner, John G. Riley, succeeded even when things were tough. Unlike some grand historic places, the Riley House started small. It didn't come with a lot of money or help to keep it going.
In the 1960s, the house was almost torn down by the government for a new project. But local people and activists worked hard to save it. The Riley House was fixed up in 1981. In 1982, the Florida NAACP (a civil rights organization) teamed up with the Riley Foundation to buy the house. The museum officially opened its doors in 1996. Althemese Barnes was the first director, and she retired in 2020. She also helped create the special "shotgun homes" in Cascades Park. These homes look like the ones that used to be in Smokey Hollow. Barnes also recorded many interviews with people who used to live in Smokey Hollow.
What You Can See Today
The museum is open to everyone from Tuesday to Thursday. You can take a guided tour that also includes a visit to the Smokey Hollow Commemorative Park.
Inside the museum, you'll find a cool animatronic figure of John G. Riley. This speaking robot was given to the museum by Disney!
In 2021, the museum received a special grant. This money helps them turn old photos, documents, books, and stories into digital files. This way, more people can learn about the history of Black Floridians in Leon and Gadsden counties.
Who Was John Gilmore Riley?
John G. Riley was a very important person in the African-American community of Tallahassee. He was born into slavery in Tallahassee on September 24, 1857. After slavery ended, Riley went to school and became a teacher himself. He started teaching in 1877 in Wakulla County.
From 1892 to 1926, he was the principal of the Lincoln Academy. This was the first high school in Tallahassee for Black students. It was also one of only three schools in Florida that offered higher education to formerly enslaved people. This school later became Lincoln High School.
Besides his work in education, Riley was active in his community. He was a leader in the Royal Arch Masons of Florida, a fraternal group. He also served as the Secretary of the Florida NAACP. Plus, he was a member of the Negro Business League. Riley bought seven big properties in Tallahassee. He built his own home on one of them and rented out others to families. Some of his land later became sites for important government buildings and even part of Florida State University's Law School.
John Gilmore Riley passed away in 1954 at the age of 97. He was a millionaire, showing his great success and impact.
