Welcome to the Knott House Museum

SIGNIFICANT DATES

1843- The Knott House was constructed, possibly by free black builder George Proctor.
1928- The Knott family acquired the house, adding the Colonial Revival portico out front.
1992- The Knott House Museum opened to the public.

DESCRIPTION

To enter the Knott House is to step back in time. This 1840s home is decorated in Victorian splendor. Unlike most house museums, all of the furnishings are original to the house when the Knott family took possession. Poems written by Luella Knott hang from the items of furniture, just as she left them, giving the building its nickname, "the house that rhymes." Explore what life was like in the 1930s, when Luella's husband, William, served as State Treasurer. The kitchen, complete with vintage electric appliances, is a special treat. An upstairs gallery features exhibits on Tallahassee history and development. The gift shop offers books on local history, as well as period toys, tins, and postcards. Volunteers provide guided tours on a regular basis.

KITCHEN	LIVING ROOM

FACTS AND FIGURES

The Knott House was built around 1843 for Thomas and Catherine Gamble Hagner, possibly by free black builder George Proctor who built some of Tallahassee's finer homes of that era. Originally, the house was about half its current size, with six rooms and a side hall. Catherine Hagner added six more rooms in around 1853, bringing the house to close to its current layout. Union General Edward M. McCook occupied the Knott House at the end of the Civil War, reading from its front steps the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves of North Florida. May 20th is still celebrated as Emancipation Day in this area. In 1883, physician George Betton purchased the Knott House from Catherine Hagner, reportedly conducting his practice from an office in the basement. He sponsored the training of Dr. William Gunn, the first African-American in Florida to graduate from medical school. In the early twentieth century, three Florida Supreme Court Justices and their families lived in the Knott House in succession: Frances Carter from Pensacola; Charles Parkhill from Tampa; and T.M. Shackleford from Tampa. The Knott family acquired their Park Avenue home in 1928, adding the Classical Revival portico to the front of the building. They also decorated the home with Luella's Victorian furnishings. She wrote poems about many of the pieces in the house, attaching to the furnishings with satin ribbons. William V. Knott had an active political career. He served as State Treasurer twice (1903-1912 and 1928-1941), State Comptroller (1912-1916), and ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 1916, against Sidney J. Catts. Luella and William's three children went on to make their own marks in Florida history: J. Charles Knott was general counsel to the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles; Mary Knott Bazemore was the second woman in Florida to receive her medical degree; and James R. Knott served as circuit court judge in Palm Beach. Luella and William lived in the house until their deaths, within a few days of each other, in 1965. Luella was 93 and William was 101. Son, J. Charles Knott inherited the house and lived there until his death in 1985. The Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board accepted the house to operate as a museum in 1986. After a $900,000 museum quality restoration, funded by Florida Department of State Historic Preservation Grants, the Knott House opened to the public in 1992. It is currently operated as a museum by the Florida Department of State, Museum of Florida History.

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