TENNEY HOUSE AND GROVELAND HOTEL

By  Mike Miller October 20, 2025

The Tenney House and Groveland Hotel are in Federal Point about 10 miles from Palatka, Florida. The structures form a historic complex on the St. Johns River.

They stood side by side, and both served travelers as well as locals. The Tenney House dates to 1894. The Groveland Hotel opened in 1900.

The site joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. It reflects early tourism and settlement in the area.

Tenney House

Federal Point developed in the 1880s as a steamboat stop. The Tenney House, built by John Tenney, was a residence and boarding house.

Tenney arrived from New York in 1885. He farmed and hosted visitors. In 1900, the Groveland Hotel opened next door. It drew tourists to the riverfront.

The hotel had 20 rooms and a dining hall. Steamboats from Jacksonville brought guests. The complex supported the local economy through lodging and meals.

During the 1920s, automobiles reduced river travel. The hotel closed in the 1930s. The Tenney family maintained the house until the 1970s.

Preservation efforts began in the 1980s. The site shows Florida's shift from river transport to roads. 

The Tenney House and Groveland Hotel are located at 100 and 102 Commercial Avenue, in Federal Point, FL 32160.

You can reach it via County Road 214 from U.S. 17, about 10 miles east of Palatka. The site has no fixed hours. It is private property.

View the exterior from the road anytime. For interior access, contact the Putnam County Historical Society at (386) 329-0349. They arrange tours by appointment.

Street parking is available nearby. You can also walk the nearby Federal Point Historic District Trail for views.

It starts at the Federal Point Cemetery (about 0.2 miles west of the Tenney House) and runs east along the riverbank toward the historic site.

• The Groveland Hotel's dining hall served fresh river fish to steamboat passengers.  

• John Tenney grew citrus and vegetables to supply the hotel's kitchen.  

• Steamboats docked at the site's wharf until the 1920s.  

• The complex survived hurricanes, including the 1896 storm that hit Palatka.  

• Restoration in the 1990s used original cypress wood from the structures. 

TENNEY HOUSE AND GROVELAND HOTEL
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