RANEY HOUSE MUSEUM

By  Mike Miller November 3, 2025

Raney House Museum occupies a Greek Revival mansion in Apalachicola, Florida.  Former mayor David G. Raney built it as his family home in 1838.

The site overlooks the Apalachicola River and is a blend of Federal and Greek Revival styles.

The Apalachicola Area Historical Society manages it, and exhibits fill the rooms with 19th-century furniture. Documents and artifacts line the shelves.

The museum joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Raney House Museum

Apalachicola rose as a cotton port in the 1830s. It ranked third in port size on the Gulf Coast after New Orleans and Mobile.

Steamboats hauled bales down the Apalachicola River, and traders shipped over 50,000 bales in 1838.

David Raney moved from Virginia in 1834. He traded cotton and turpentine. He served two terms as mayor. His wife Harriet bore children in the house.

Three sons enlisted in the Confederacy during the Civil War. David Jr. led marines on the ironclad C.S.S. Tennessee. He fought at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864.

The ship engaged seven Union vessels alone. Union forces captured him in New Orleans. He escaped and rejoined his unit.

Another son, George Pettus Raney, later became Florida's Attorney General. He rose to Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court.

The family occupied the house until 1914. The city purchased it in 1973. It opened as a museum to preserve local history.

The museum is at 128 Market Street, Apalachicola FL 32320 on the southwest corner of Market Street and Avenue F.

It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission remains free though donations are accepted at the door.

You must climb stairs to get to the upper floors. Wear shoes appropriate for wood floors. Note there are no restrooms inside.

Tours take 30 to 45 minutes, and guides share stories on request. Make sure to book group visits ahead of time.

Park on nearby streets, then walk to the river bluff for views or explore the downtown shops after. 

• Steamboats transported live gopher tortoises for sale alongside cotton. 

• The city's population tripled from 1835 to 1838. 

• David Jr. commanded his post until the Tennessee's steering chains broke. 

• George Raney argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. 

• The house once overlooked active wharves and warehouses. 

• "Raney Days" book chronicles family letters and photos. 

• Paddlewheel boats linked river trade to ocean schooners. 

APALACHICOLA AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY WEBSITE

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