Frenchtown in Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Taylor House

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 16, 2016

1. The Taylor House Marker

Inscription. Built in 1894 by Lewis Washington Taylor and Lucretia McPherson Taylor, the Taylor House is located in Frenchtown, one of Tallahassee’s most historic neighborhoods. Settled by freed slaves after the Civil War, it quickly became a vibrant African-American area. Lewis (1865-1931) was an educator, tutor for white children, civic/religious leader, businessman, and landowner. Lucretia, a cook and seamstress, was born into slavery in Tallahassee on May 19, 1865, the day before the Emancipation Proclamation was read downtown. The Taylors married in 1887. They had 13 children, 11 of whom survived and became educators. Lewis bought the site of the Taylor House in 1893 from Fannie and Simuel Butler. Family members lived here until 1977. In 1995, the house was saved from demolition by Aquilina Howell (1917-2000), a granddaughter of the Taylors and the first woman Assistant Superintendent of Leon County Schools. She is credited with easing the integration of local schools in the 1960s and early 1970s. In 2001, with the aid of the Tallahassee Urban League and Lucille Alexander, a noted nurse and professor and Howell’s sister, the house

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was restored and became a museum.

Erected 2013 by Maggie Lewis Butler, Ernest Ferrell, Curtis Taylor,Scott Maddox, Delaitre Hollinger, Patricia Branton, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-793.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.

Location. 30° 26.885′ N, 84° 17.241′ W. Marker is in Tallahassee, Florida, in Leon County. It is in Frenchtown. It is on West Georgia Street 0.1 miles east of Old Bainbridge Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 442 West Georgia Street, Tallahassee FL 32301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of

The Taylor House and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 16, 2016

2. The Taylor House and Marker

America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Historic Frenchtown (a few steps from this marker); Lincoln High Our Alma Mater (within shouting distance of this marker); Educators and Entrepreneurs (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Frenchtown History (about 300 feet away); Lincoln High School (about 400 feet away); Energy and Pride (about 400 feet away); Dreamers and Innovators (about 500 feet away); Original Lincoln High School (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tallahassee.

Also see . . . The Taylor House Museum of Historic Frenchtown. Tallahassee Urban League, Inc. (Submitted on July 31, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 747 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 14, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.