The 10-acre parcel on which The Grove is situated was once part of a much larger tract purchased by Richard Keith Call in 1825. Call came to Tallahassee after his single term as territorial delegate to the United States House of Representatives. He was a member of future president Andrew Jackson's inner circle and used his connections to secure a position with the federal land office in Tallahassee. The first residence on the property, described as "a plain building of several rooms on one floor, with outside chimneys and porches," was built around the time Call acquired the property in 1825. According to oral tradition, Mary Kirkman Call, Richard Keith Call's wife, was responsible for the naming of The Grove. In an early letter written by Mrs. Call to Jackson's wife, Rachel, the letter is datelined from "Hickory Grove."