Historic Calhoun Street and the Building of the House

Tallahassee became territorial Florida's capital in 1824, while Florida itself became a state in 1845. The Calhoun district was home to many of Tallahassee's affluent citizens and was known as "Gold Dust Street" after the economy recovered from the devastating effects of the Civil War. 

The house is one of a handful still remaining that was constructed by free Spanish/African American carpenter, George Proctor. Proctor occupied a unique position in antebellum Tallahassee as he enjoyed many privileges of a white citizen, such as paying the poll tax or hiring slave labor onto his work crews. However, Proctor also suffered from the effects of falling behind on the mortgage payments on his wife and children, who were still enslaved.

In 1849, Proctor joined a group headed for the California Gold Rush in an attempt to raise money to pay the mortgage, but he never returned to Tallahassee nor reunited with his family.