Dorothy B. Oven Park

Hours:

7 AM to 11 PM

6ish to 10 PM (holiday hours)

Address:

3205 Thomasville Road

Tallahassee, Florida

USA

32308

Free Entry

Parking is free

The park is six + acres of passive walking trails and scenic gardens

The manor house may be rented (for a fee) for special events

Holiday Events occur at the end of the year, information below

Social Media:

website

facebook

Contact:

phone: (850) 891-3915

History

Lafayette Land Grant

Marquis de LafayetteSource — Marquis de Lafayette
Source

The land that the park is situated on is part of the original Lafayette Land Grant. This land grant was given to the General Marquis de Lafayette by the United States Congress in 1824.

The land was chosen because of its proximity to the land owned by Richard Keith Call, the eventual two-time Governor of Florida. Lafayette never visited his land and it was eventually sold by 1855.

The Gamble Family

Robert GambleSource — Robert Gamble
Source

The land the house is on presently was bought by the Gamble family. The Gamble family includes several notable members:

Captain Robert Gamble (1754-1810) fought in the U.S. Revolutionary War. He is most known as the leader of part of the “Forlorn Hope” charge, which stormed Stony Point on the Hudson in order to capture a garrison from the British.

Letitia Breckenridge, who married Captain Robert Gamble, was the daughter of the Revolutionary War General James Breckenridge. She notably turned down the persistent marriage offers of Captain Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Colonel Robert Gamble, who is credited with bringing the first camellia flowers to Tallahassee from either a conservatory in Boston or from a Japanese trading vessel. Colonel Gamble moved to Florida in the early 1800s to join other family members and to establish Welaunee Plantation.

Major Robert Howard Gamble (1815-1887) was the comptroller of Tallahassee from 1868-1873.

The Park Manor and Garden

Breckenridge Gamble (1874-1955) created the first camellia nursery on the park site in the 1930s. The manor house (which is still standing) was built in 1936 and designed by Dr. Alfred B. Maclay. It has soft poplar wood floors and magnolia paneling. Gamble left the property to his adopted son, Bill Rosa and Rosa’s wife, Dorothy Buchanan (1916-1985). After Rosa’s death, Dorothy married William J. Oven, Jr. (1911-1995).

In 1985, Oven, Jr. left the park and manor to the city of Tallahassee as per Dorothy’s wishes. The Tallahassee Friends of Our Parks Foundation, Inc. handled the transition, which stipulated that the donation required the land to be developed into a city park all whilst maintaining the beauty of the gardens.

Present Day

The present-day park and manor house is part of Tallahassee’s Parks and Recreation Department, which won the Gold Medal Award from the National Parks Association in 2004.

The Camellia Gardens was created by the Camellia and Garden Club of Tallahassee.

The manor house has antique furnishings and paintings.

At night, the park turns on thousands of decorative lights.

Holiday Lights

The holiday season at Dorothy B. Oven Park begins in November and runs through December. The park department places over 225,000 lights throughout the front of the park. Cars are allowed on the road that runs in front of the park, but are asked to turn their headlights off (to let everyone enjoy the holiday lights), drive very slowly and watch carefully for pedestrians. Parking at the park will be difficult, but parking near the park is recommended. Also, several companies offer bus/private car tours that allow for drop-off/pick-ups from the park.

The third Thursday in December is usually “Elf Night.” This is a busy night for the park. The road that winds through the front of the park is closed and the park turns into a completely pedestrian-friendly zone. Santa Claus visits, cookies and hot chocolate are available, and music is played. This is a fun night for children of all ages.

Holiday Hours sometimes differ, but posted times seem to favor 5:30-6:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

The virtual ‘walk-able’ map below begins at the entrance of the park and shows the lights how they were photographed in 2012 by photographer Steve Saccio.

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