Upstairs at The Grove

This week I have been showing photos of the Call-Collins House at The Grove and all of the pictures in this post were taken upstairs. The gentleman in the painting is LeRoy Collins, who served as a Florida State Senator and as Florida's 33rd Governor from 1955-1961. He was married to Mary Call Darby Collins, who was the great-granddaughter of Richard Keith Call, the man who built the Call-Collins House and who was also Florida's Territorial Governor from from 1836-1844. Governor and Mrs. Collins lived in this house during part of his term as Governor because the original Florida Governor's Mansion, located next door, was torn down and had to be rebuilt. The Collins family sold The Grove to the State of Florida in 1985, entrusting the property to the Florida Department of State and ensuring its future use as a museum. Governor Collins passed away at The Grove in 1991 and his wife died in 2009. Both are laid to rest in the family cemetery on the property. The last photo shows some memorabilia from Governor Collins career. I had the pleasure of meeting him many years ago at an event where I worked. I also have an autographed copy of his book Forerunners Courageous, a collection of short stories on Florida History.