Raney House

Built 1838

Open Saturdays 1 to 4 PM

Sponsored by the Apalachicola Area Historical Society

The story of the Raney house is interwoven with the lives of the Raney family and the booming cotton port of Apalachicola in the early 1800's. When David Greenway Raney and his bride, Harriet Jordan, who were both Virginians, arrived in the little city of 2,000 in 1834, the large plantations of Georgia and Alabama were sending their cotton down the river to be loaded onto the great sailing vessels anchored off St. George Island.

The up-river cities and plantations in turn received manufactured goods from this port city. David Raney purchased waterfront property and established a prosperous commission company. His columned home on Market Street was completed in 1838. Raney was always involved in community affairs, both political and social He served two terms as mayor and during his time in office the city's first ordinances were enacted. He was also a promoter of the city's short-lived race track, and he encouraged traveling theatrical companies by providing a theater.

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