Proctor boycotts Goodwood retreat over slavery past
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor won’t be attending the commission’s annual retreat at Goodwood Museum & Gardens because of the property’s antebellum ties to slavery.
The commission is set to meet Monday at the museum’s Carriage House conference center, just as it has in the past, to discuss its priorities for the coming year and beyond. Proctor wrote his fellow commissioners Tuesday to let them know he won’t be there.
“A planning meeting on an Indian reservation, German concentration camp or an American slave plantation about the future dials up too many uncomfortable speculations and recollections about the past to be a qualitative experience for all,” he wrote. “I would not feel good at Goodwood. I appreciate your empathy.”
Nancy Morgan, co-executive director of Goodwood, called Proctor’s decision “really unfortunate.” She planned to reach out to him to discuss the matter.
“Historical places and the ability to understand and talk about our past are so incredibly important,” she said. “When you look at our track record, we are doing everything we can to tell a holistic story. We share a difficult past in this region and if we are afraid to get together and talk about it, our future is going to be that much worse.”
Proctor’s no stranger to events at Goodwood — he's participated in commission retreats at the museum as recently as 2014. But he said in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat he didn’t know about its history until Monday and won’t return because of it.
He attached an article in his memo to commissioners noting Goodwood had 58 slaves during its years as a cotton plantation.
“Respectfully, with regards for my constituents, myself, my ancestors and those who brought this information to my attention, I will decline attending the retreat on Monday at Goodwood,” he wrote.
Proctor took part in a unanimous commission vote Sept. 20 to give $15,000 to Goodwood Jams, the museum's annual fundraising concert. In July 2008, he voted against giving the museum's Carriage House $300,000 for renovations. But later that year, he signed off on the appropriation as part of his support for the county budget for the 2009 fiscal year.
County Commission Chairman John Dailey noted the retreat will go on without Protcor.
“Commissioner Proctor is going to do what he thinks is right," Dailey said. "The rest of the County Commission will be meeting and setting the agenda for our county government for the rest of the year.”
Goodwood was established in 1834 by a wealthy North Carolina planter, whose family owned large tracts of land in North Florida. After changing hands several times, it became a winter retreat for northern owners in the late 1800s. It was bought in 1925 by state Sen. William Hodges, and it remained a private residence until 1990, when it was willed to a foundation.
The property, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, was renovated and opened to the public in 2000. It’s now a popular and picturesque spot for weddings, baby and bridal showers, small conferences, outdoor concerts, nonprofit fundraisers and other events.
For more than 15 years, Goodwood has partnered with the John G. Riley Center/Museum for African American History & Culture to host “Blended Lives," a week-long educational and historical program designed to promote racial understanding and harmony. Earlier this year, it hosted "To Kill a Mockingbird" and other productions that explore race and culture, Morgan said. This spring, Goodwood is planning an exhibit of works by Clementine Hunter, a well-known African-American folk artist.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.