Barnacle Historic State Park

This little jewel on Biscayne Bay is a great example of old Florida. Ralph Middleton Munroe was the builder and occupant of this beautiful slice of property now sandwiched between two condo's. The last of his family willed it to the state to preserve its historic beauty and to show us what life was like before this became such a sought after piece of real estate. The boathouse was were Monroe designed and built many of the shallow draft yachts used as the primary form of transportation in this shallow bay. The house, originally a one story is named for the shape that resembles the barnacles found on ships in the area and has stood the many hurricanes that hit this area over the last 100 years. He raised the house to create additional living space in 1908. The homes design with a octagonal cupola like structure in its center, helped to move air and cool the house during the hot summers on the bay. Much of the structure was build from salvaged ship wrecks in the bay, another one of Monroe's businesses.