In February of 2010, we had the distinct pleasure and honor of evaluating the estate library of former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins and his wife, Mary Call Darby Collins. "The Grove," located in Tallahassee, Florida, just across the street from the Governor's mansion, is an historic home that has been in the family since the 19th century. It was once a plantation encompassing much of what is now downtown Tallahassee. Though the late Governor Collins passed away in 1991, his wife lived at the Grove until her passing in November of 2009.
Through an arrangement with the state of Florida many years ago, this historic home is now the property of the state (as of the passing of Mrs. Mary Call Darby Collins) to be turned into an historic house museum. Currently, access to The Grove is restricted due to its location on the current Governor's compound; however, we assume that in future years, there will be access to The Grove for viewing by the public.
It was our delight to meet two of the Collins' daughters: Mrs. Mary Call Proctor, and Mrs. Jane C. Aurell. Many of the books in the library were "NFS," or not for sale, as the state of Florida kept many volumes to remain in the house for historic reasons. And some books were kept by the children for sentimental reasons. Fortunately, we were able to acquire some 100 volumes from the estate, and we are listing the majority of these books for sale. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have been able to make these acquisitions, and we are excited about the opportunity this presents to our clients to own books from this historic home. These select volumes are the "ones that got away" from the future historic house museum, and could have easily been "NFS" forever.
Again, we wish to thank Mrs. Proctor and Mrs. Aurell for the opportunity as well as for their kindness and hospitality during our time at The Grove. For any interested in learning more about The Grove and the Collins family, Jane Aurell Menton has written a wonderful book entitled, "The Grove," published by the Sentry Press in 1998.
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