Tallahassee was chosen as Florida's territorial capital in 1824 and established in 1825. Its 65 National Register listings, museums and historic cemeteries.
Last checked Oct. 10, 2026. Facts come from the City of Tallahassee’s Area History and Characteristics page, the city’s cemetery histories and the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places listed properties file (May 22, 2026). Museum hours are as each museum publishes them.
Tallahassee is Florida’s capital because of geography. In 1824 the territorial Legislature created Leon County with Tallahassee as county seat and capital, a site picked midway between St. Augustine and Pensacola, and the City of Tallahassee was established in 1825, according to the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department’s area history. It is the only incorporated city in Leon County.
Who to call
- John G. Riley Center & Museum: 850-891-3560, 419 E. Jefferson St.
- Florida Historic Capitol Museum: 400 S. Monroe St., flhistoriccapitol.gov
- Mission San Luis: 850-245-6406 (programs), 2021 Mission Road
- Goodwood Museum and Gardens: 850-877-4202, 1600 Miccosukee Road
A short timeline
From the city’s area history:
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1528 | Panfilo de Narvaez’s expedition is the first European contact with the Apalachee. |
| 1539 | Hernando de Soto’s expedition winters within a mile of today’s Capitol. |
| 1633 | The Spanish establish a mission chain from St. Augustine to Tallahassee. |
| 1704 | Creek and British forces destroy the Spanish missions. |
| 1819 | Spain cedes Florida to the United States. |
| 1822 | Congress creates the Territory of Florida. |
| 1824 | Leon County is created with Tallahassee as county seat and capital. |
| 1825 | The City of Tallahassee is established. |
| 1834 | The Tallahassee-St. Marks railroad is built. |
| 1845 | Florida becomes the 27th state. |
| 1851 | The West Florida Seminary is founded; it becomes Florida State University. |
| 1865 | Federal troops are turned back at Natural Bridge; Tallahassee is the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi not captured. |
| 1887 | Florida A&M is founded. |
| 1919 | A new charter creates the commission-manager government. |
| 1997 | Voters elect the first directly elected mayor since 1919. |
The city grew from a quarter of a mile to 28.18 square miles by 1980, and to 103.37 square miles by Dec. 31, 2016, mostly through annexation.
Historic districts downtown
The heart of old Tallahassee is in its National Register districts: the Tallahassee Historic District Zones I and II along Calhoun Street and East Park Avenue (listed 1972), the Park Avenue and Calhoun Street historic districts (1979), and Smoky Hollow (2000). Cascades Park, now the city’s downtown park, was listed in 1971.
Museums, sites and cemeteries open to visitors
- John G. Riley Center & Museum, 419 E. Jefferson St.: the former home of John Gilmore Riley, born enslaved in Leon County in 1857, who became a civic leader and educator. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; free special events this year mark its 30th anniversary, with a celebration Dec. 3, the city says.
- Florida Historic Capitol Museum, 400 S. Monroe St.: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday and holidays; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Monroe Street entrance is closed for construction.
- Mission San Luis, 2021 Mission Road (use the west entrance; the Tennessee Street entrance is closed for construction): 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It closed for Isaias on Oct. 9-10, and its website will post reopening.
- Goodwood Museum and Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Road: grounds open free 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, per its visit page.
- Museum of Florida History, 500 S. Bronough St.: temporarily closed for renovations.
- Old City Cemetery: the city’s oldest public cemetery, established in 1829 and acquired by the city in 1840. It was segregated by race from the start; Union and Confederate dead from the Battle of Natural Bridge are buried there, the city’s history says.
- Greenwood Cemetery, Old Bainbridge Road (National Register, 2003): its history is tied to the history of race relations in Tallahassee, the city’s page says.
Every National Register listing
The National Park Service’s May 22, 2026, file lists 64 properties with a Tallahassee address and one in the Tallahassee vicinity, by year listed. Some are outside the city limits. Archaeological sites with restricted addresses are shown without one.
| Property | Location | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis de Apalache | 2 miles west of downtown | 1966 |
| Bellevue | Southwest of town off State Road 371 | 1971 |
| Cascades Park | Bounded roughly by Apalachee Parkway, Bloxham, Suwannee, Munroe and Meridian streets and state property | 1971 |
| Escambe | Address restricted | 1971 |
| Lake Jackson Mounds | Address restricted | 1971 |
| Union Bank | Apalachee Parkway and Calhoun Street | 1971 |
| Brokaw-McDougall House | 329 N. Meridian Road | 1972 |
| Goodwood | 1500 Miccosukee Road | 1972 |
| San Pedro y San Pablo de Patale | 6 miles east of downtown | 1972 |
| Tallahassee Historic District Zones I and II | Calhoun Street between Georgia and Tennessee streets, and East Park Avenue between Gadsden and Calhoun streets | 1972 |
| The Grove | Adams Street and First Avenue | 1972 |
| Florida State Capitol | South Monroe Street | 1973 |
| First Presbyterian Church | 102 N. Adams St. | 1974 |
| Pisgah United Methodist Church | North of town, southeast of State Road 151 | 1974 |
| The Columns | 100 N. Duval St. | 1975 |
| David S. Walker Library | 209 E. Park Ave. | 1976 |
| Carnegie Library | FAMU campus | 1978 |
| John Gilmore Riley House | 419 E. Jefferson St. | 1978 |
| St. John’s Episcopal Church | 211 N. Monroe St. | 1978 |
| Calhoun Street Historic District | U.S. 90 and State Road 61 | 1979 |
| Lewis House | North of town at 3117 Okeeheepkee Road | 1979 |
| Old City Waterworks | Gaines and Gadsden streets | 1979 |
| Park Avenue Historic District | Park Avenue and Call Street | 1979 |
| Gallie’s Hall and Buildings | Off State Road 61 | 1980 |
| Bradley’s Country Store Complex | Moccasin Gap Road | 1984 |
| Exchange Bank Building | 201 S. Monroe St. | 1984 |
| Magnolia Heights Historic District | 701-1005 E. Park Ave. and Cadiz Street | 1984 |
| Gov. John W. Martin House | 1001 Governor’s Drive | 1986 |
| Caroline Brevard Grammar School | 727 S. Calhoun St. | 1987 |
| Woman’s Club of Tallahassee | 1513 Cristobal Drive | 1987 |
| Covington House | 328 Cortez St. | 1989 |
| Los Robles Gate | Thomasville and Meridian roads | 1989 |
| Tall Timbers Plantation | County Road 12, 3 miles west of U.S. 319 | 1989 |
| Flavius C. Coles Farmhouse | 411 Oakland Ave. | 1992 |
| Leon High School | 550 E. Tennessee St. | 1993 |
| Old Fort Braden School | Jackson Bluff Road, 18 miles west of downtown | 1994 |
| Roberts Farm Historic and Archeological District | Roberts Road, 1 mile east of Centerville Road | 1995 |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College Historic District | Roughly Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Adams Street to Wahnish Way | 1996 |
| Williams House | 450 St. Francis St. | 1996 |
| Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad Company Freight Depot | 918 Railroad Ave. | 1997 |
| Ruge Hall | 655 W. Jefferson St. | 1997 |
| Greene-Lewis House | 535 W. College Ave. | 1998 |
| Winterle House | 1111 Paul Russell Road | 1998 |
| Blackwood-Harwood Plantations Cemetery | Northeast of Capital Circle (State Road 263) at I-10 | 1999 |
| Smoky Hollow Historic District | Roughly bounded by East Lafayette Street, CSX railroad tracks, Myers Park and Myers Park Lane | 2000 |
| Rollins House | 5456 Rollins Pointe | 2001 |
| Tookes House | 412 W. Virginia Ave. | 2001 |
| Bannerman Plantation | 13426 N. Meridian Road | 2002 |
| Killearn Plantation Archeological and Historic District | 3540 Thomasville Road | 2002 |
| Greenwood Cemetery | Old Bainbridge Road | 2003 |
| Florida Governor’s Mansion | 700 N. Adams St. | 2006 |
| Lichgate on High Road | 1401 High Road | 2006 |
| Billingsley Farm | 3640 Oakhurst Lane | 2007 |
| Woman’s Working Band House | 648 W. Brevard St. | 2010 |
| Sollner-Wall House | 2235 Chaires Cross Road | 2012 |
| Meridian Road | Roughly John Hancock Drive to Georgia state line | 2013 |
| Los Robles Historic District | Roughly bounded by Thomasville Road, North Meridian Road and the rear lot lines of properties facing Desoto Street | 2014 |
| Strickland School | 14735 Beth Page Road | 2014 |
| Taylor House | 442 W. Georgia St. | 2015 |
| Gaither House | 212 Young St. | 2016 |
| Fire Station No. 2 | 224 E. Sixth St. | 2017 |
| Leon County Health Unit Building | 325 E. Gaines St. | 2018 |
| Wahnish Cigar Factory and Tobacco Warehouse | 469 St. Francis St. | 2018 |
| Camp House | 2307 Ellicott Drive | 2020 |
| Jake Gaither Golf Course | 801 Bragg Drive | 2022 |
Related: Tallahassee population and growth, parks and trails and things to do this month.
Frequently asked questions
When was Tallahassee founded?
The territorial Legislature made Tallahassee the county seat and capital in 1824, midway between St. Augustine and Pensacola, and the city was established in 1825, according to the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department.
What does Tallahassee mean?
The city’s planning history says the name refers to the “old fields” the area once encompassed, a name from the Apalachee who lived there.
How many National Register of Historic Places listings are in Tallahassee?
The National Park Service’s May 2026 list has 64 listings with a Tallahassee address and one more in the Tallahassee vicinity, from San Luis de Apalache (1966) to the Jake Gaither Golf Course (2022).
What is the oldest cemetery in Tallahassee?
The Old City Cemetery, established in 1829 by the Territorial Legislative Council and acquired by the city in 1840, is the oldest public cemetery in Tallahassee.
Is the Museum of Florida History open?
Not right now. The museum at 500 S. Bronough St. is temporarily closed for renovations at the R.A. Gray Building, its website says.
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