Dr. Beal's Shell Museum
N 30° 24.646 W 086° 46.568
16R E 521502 N 3364324
Dr. Beal's Shell Museum is a Florida Heritage Site. The 1920s era house was moved to this position in 2004 to save it from demolition. A planned restaurant was nixed by the county so the historic building sits for sale, basically abandoned.
Waymark Code: WMGTPF
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/09/2013
Views: 31
Marker Text:
Dr. James Hartley Beal (1861-1945) was an influential pharmacist, chemist, lawyer, educator, and scientist. Despite his busy life, he began collecting land and marine shells, purchased his first specimen, in 1888. The Fort Walton Beach resident bought this house in early 1928. The building was used by Dr. Beal as his office and housed his extensive shell collection. By 1940, his collection had grown to be one of the largest shell collections in the world. The nearly two million shells were donated to Rollins College, where they remained on display until 1988. They were then transferred to the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida, Gainesville. The house was extensively remodeled and converted into the Summerhouse Restaurant, which operated there from the 1980s until 2004. It was originally located at 2 Miracle Strip Parkway in Fort Walton Beach. The building was slated for demolition in the fall of 2004. In order to save the building, Dr. Beal’s Shell Museum was purchased and moved by barge to its present location.
Marker Number: F-616
Date: 2007
County: Santa Rosa
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: Hubert Alan Laird and the Florida Department of State
Website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.