Knott House Museum — Tallahassee, Florida

Built in 1843 by free Black builder George Proctor, the Knott House Museum is where Union forces declared Emancipation in Florida on May 20, 1865.

Overview

The Knott House Museum, located at 301 East Park Avenue in Tallahassee's Park Avenue Historic District, is one of the most historically layered structures in Florida's capital city. The Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources documents the house as having been constructed in 1843 by George Proctor, a free Black builder — a distinction that makes its provenance singular among antebellum Florida properties. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is administered by the Museum of Florida History, an arm of the Florida Department of State. The house is known by a secondary name — The House That Rhymes — owing to a practice by its most celebrated occupant, Luella Knott, who attached original poems to the Victorian-era furnishings with satin ribbons.

Year Built
1843
Florida Department of State, 2026
Address
301 East Park Avenue, Tallahassee
Museum of Florida History, 2026
Administered By
Museum of Florida History (Florida Dept. of State)
Florida Department of State, 1997

Construction and Early History

The house at 301 East Park Avenue was built in 1843 by George Proctor, identified by Florida Memory, the digital archive of the State Library and Archives of Florida, as a free Black builder. The original occupants documented in the same source were Thomas Hagner and Catherine Gamble, the first owners of record. The structure's construction in the antebellum South by a free Black craftsman represents a circumstance of particular historical weight, given the legal and social restrictions of the period.

In 1883, the Museum of Florida History documents that Dr. George Betton purchased the house, extending its use as a private residence through the latter half of the nineteenth century. The property's position on East Park Avenue — a principal avenue in Tallahassee's historic core — placed it in proximity to the governing institutions of Florida's capital, a setting that would prove consequential in May 1865.

Builder
George Proctor (free Black builder)
Florida Memory, 2026
First Occupants
Thomas Hagner and Catherine Gamble
Florida Memory, 2026
1883 Owner
Dr. George Betton
Museum of Florida History, 2026

The Emancipation Declaration of 1865

On May 20, 1865 — more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 — Union Brigadier General Edward M. McCook used the house on East Park Avenue as his temporary headquarters and formally declared the Emancipation Proclamation to be in effect in the greater Tallahassee region. This announcement, documented by the Museum of Florida History, constituted the official notice of freedom for enslaved persons in Florida's capital area. The date preceded the more widely recognized Juneteenth commemoration — which marks the June 19, 1865 announcement in Galveston, Texas — by nearly a month.

WFSU News reporting on the 2024 commemoration notes that the May 20 date is specifically Florida's Emancipation Day, distinct from the national Juneteenth observance in that it reflects the particular moment freedom was announced in this state. General McCook's use of the Knott House as his command post thus places the building at the pivot point of one of the most consequential legal and social transitions in Florida history. A Florida Department of State press release identifies McCook's rank as Brigadier General and confirms his role in issuing the proclamation from this location.

Emancipation Declared
May 20, 1865
Museum of Florida History, 2026
Declaring Officer
Brigadier General Edward M. McCook
Florida Department of State, 2026
Florida Emancipation Day
May 20 (annually observed)
WFSU News, 2024

The Knott Family Era and 'The House That Rhymes'

The Knott family acquired the house in 1928, as documented by the Museum of Florida History. William V. Knott had a career in Florida government that Florida Memory records as spanning 38 years in the Florida Cabinet, from 1903 to 1941, during which he served as tax auditor, comptroller, and state treasurer. The Florida Department of State describes his combined service as lasting more than forty years in total.

His wife, Luella May Knott, brought a creative and reformist character to the household. A musician, poet, and advocate for social causes, Luella developed the practice for which the house earned its secondary name: she wrote original poems and affixed them — with satin ribbons — to pieces of Victorian-era furniture throughout the interior. The Florida Department of State describes this practice in its official documentation of the property, and the name The House That Rhymes derives directly from it. The furnishings and ribboned poems remained largely intact through the family's tenure, providing an unusually coherent material record of domestic life in early-twentieth-century Tallahassee.

Museum Administration and Annual Commemoration

The Florida Department of State documents that the Knott House opened as a museum in 1992 and that administration was transferred to the Museum of Florida History in 1997. It operates as part of the Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources and is one of two museums in Tallahassee administered under that structure, alongside the Museum of Florida History itself.

Each year on May 20, the museum hosts the 20th of May — Emancipation in Florida commemoration. A 2025 Florida Department of State press release describes the annual program as including reenactments, a dramatic reading of the Emancipation Proclamation, and a free community picnic. A 2016 Florida Department of State press release reported attendance of more than 400 visitors at that year's commemoration, with attendees including schoolchildren. A 2022 Florida Department of State media advisory further documents that the event recognizes May 20, 1865 as occurring two years after Lincoln's original proclamation — situating Florida's emancipation within the broader national chronology while preserving the specificity of the local date.

The house's National Register of Historic Places listing, its documented provenance as a structure built by a free Black craftsman in 1843, its Civil War significance as the site of Florida's emancipation announcement, and the preservation of Luella Knott's ribboned poems collectively make the Knott House Museum a convergence point for several distinct chapters of Florida history within a single address.

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs Used for: Population (199,696), median age (28), median household income ($55,931), median home value ($276,000), median gross rent ($1,238), poverty rate (23.2%), unemployment rate (6.4%), owner/renter occupancy rates, bachelor's degree attainment (28.3%)
  2. The Knott House - Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State https://dos.fl.gov/historical/museums/the-knott-house/ Used for: Knott House construction date (1843), William Knott's government service, Luella Knott as poet/musician, 'House That Rhymes' name, museum opening (1992), administration transferred to Museum of Florida History (1997)
  3. About the Knott House - Museum of Florida History https://www.museumoffloridahistory.com/visit/knott-house-museum/about-the-knott-house/ Used for: Union General McCook using house as headquarters, May 20 1865 Emancipation Proclamation declaration, Dr. George Betton purchasing house in 1883, Knott family acquiring house in 1928
  4. Florida Memory - Knott House Museum at 301 East Park Avenue https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/14333 Used for: George Proctor as free Black builder of the Knott House, original occupants Thomas Hagner and Catherine Gamble, William Knott's 38 years in Florida Cabinet (1903-1941)
  5. Tallahassee celebrates Florida Emancipation Day at the Knott House Museum - WFSU News https://news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-news/2024-05-20/tallahassee-celebrates-florida-emancipation-day-at-knott-house-museum Used for: Annual May 20 Emancipation Day commemoration, distinction from Juneteenth (which commemorates Texas), community attendance including schoolchildren
  6. Emancipation Day Celebration at the Knott House Museum - Florida Department of State https://dos.fl.gov/communications/press-releases/2016/media-advisory-emancipation-day-celebration-at-the-knott-house-museum/ Used for: Annual commemoration attendance figures (400+ visitors), Union Brigadier General Edward McCook's declaration
  7. Mission San Luis - Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State https://dos.fl.gov/historical/museums/mission-san-luis/ Used for: Mission San Luis as capital of western missions 1656-1704, population of 1,500+ residents, National Historic Landmark designation (1960)
  8. Mission San Luis Visit - missionsanluis.org https://missionsanluis.org/visit/ Used for: Mission San Luis as Tallahassee's only National Historic Landmark, 64-acre active archaeological site, address (2021 Mission Road)
  9. Mission San Luis: Tallahassee, Florida - Advisory Council on Historic Preservation https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/presidential-award/2006-preserve-america-presidential-awards/mission-san-luis-tallahassee-florida Used for: Apalachee council house as largest historic-period Indian structure in the Southeast, State of Florida acquiring property in 1983, Spanish-Indian cultural intermarriage
  10. Tallahassee officially became the capital of the territory of Florida - Florida Historical Society https://myfloridahistory.org/date-in-history/march-04-1824/tallahassee-officially-became-capital-territory-florida Used for: Tallahassee becoming Florida Territory capital in 1824, city's role as county seat and largest city in Leon County
  11. Leon County Government Official Website https://cms.leoncountyfl.gov/ Used for: Tallahassee established as Florida capital in 1824, Tallahassee as only incorporated municipality in Leon County
  12. A Brief History of Tallahassee and Leon County - Tallahassee 200 / Visit Tallahassee https://tallahasseeleoncounty200.com/history-of-tallahassee-fl/ Used for: Leon County created December 29, 1824 from Gadsden County; first City Charter issued December 9, 1825; Lake Jackson Mounds Fort Walton period history
  13. Apalachicola National Forest - Visit Natural North Florida https://www.naturalnorthflorida.com/things-to-do/apalachicola-national-forest/ Used for: Apalachicola National Forest proclaimed 1936, 573,521 acres (largest forest in Florida), longleaf pine and wiregrass communities, pitcher plant prairies
  14. FSU and City of Tallahassee complete hospital asset transfer - FSU News https://news.fsu.edu/news/health-medicine/2026/04/10/florida-state-university-city-of-tallahassee-complete-hospital-asset-transfer-advancing-fsu-health/ Used for: April 2026 completion of hospital asset transfer, TMH as clinical anchor of FSU Health, 40-year lease structure
  15. FSU agrees to proposed terms for transfer of city-owned hospital assets - FSU News https://news.fsu.edu/news/university-news/2025/12/16/florida-state-university-agrees-to-proposed-terms-for-transfer-of-city-owned-hospital-assets/ Used for: Mayor John Dailey quote, $1.7 billion investment commitment, $3.64 billion projected economic impact, 900+ jobs over 30 years
  16. Year in Review: FSU's Momentum Defined 2025 - FSU News https://news.fsu.edu/news/university-news/2025/12/18/year-in-review-florida-state-universitys-momentum-defined-2025/ Used for: IGNITE Tallahassee 40,000-sq-ft business incubator, Legacy Hall 218,000-sq-ft College of Business building completed 2025
  17. Tallahassee, Florida - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Tallahassee,_Florida Used for: Mayor John Dailey (nonpartisan), assumed office 2018, city manager as chief executive officer, mayor lacks veto power
  18. City of Tallahassee Official Website https://www.talgov.com/Main/Home Used for: City of Tallahassee government structure and official presence
  19. City Government of Tallahassee - Here Tallahassee https://www.heretallahassee.com/government/ Used for: City Commission: five members including Mayor, four-year terms, elections in even-numbered years; Mayor's ceremonial role
  20. 20th of May — Emancipation in Florida Celebrated at Knott House Museum - Florida Department of State https://dos.fl.gov/communications/press-releases/2022/media-advisory-20th-of-may-emancipation-in-florida-celebrated-at-knott-house-museum/ Used for: Annual Emancipation in Florida event recognition, May 20 1865 Emancipation announcement in Tallahassee, two years after Lincoln's original proclamation
  21. 20th of May Emancipation in Florida - Florida Department of State Press Release 2025 https://dos.fl.gov/historical/meetings-and-events/news-and-press-releases/view-release/?id=70188 Used for: 2025 annual event at Knott House Museum on May 20, 2025; reenactments, dramatic reading of Emancipation Proclamation, free picnic lunch
  22. Exploring the History of Leon County - WTXL https://www.wtxl.com/news/exploring-the-history-of-leon-county/article_150af2cc-4779-11e6-aff6-eb41f10e8513.html Used for: Springtime Tallahassee festival launched in 1967 to support keeping capital in Tallahassee, Leon County cotton production history
  23. Tallahassee - Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State (El Camino Real) https://dos.fl.gov/historical/explore/el-camino-real/places-to-go/tallahassee/ Used for: Mission San Luis de Talimali established around 1633, 1647 Apalachee Rebellion, burning of San Luis in 1704 before English Carolinian invasion
Last updated: May 4, 2026