Florida, Santa Rosa County, Navarre
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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.
(Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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.(Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
