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Tour of Barnacle House in Dade County
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Tour of Barnacle House in Dade County
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" This came -- metropolis of Miami is very developed place but there's one corner of the bay. Known as the -- the homestead of the Monroe family. Which remains pretty much the way it was a hundred years ago and joining us now bill Monroe the grandson of the commodore and this is the first thing ago. Yes to build the boat house here and lived upstairs and it stick closer look. Bob my first recollections here. We're about age five when we had a -- gentleman that looked after us and work the shop yeah. The previous to that might my grandfather. Use this for repairs didn't and of the boats that -- here and and everything as we said on the bay it was by boat. We expose this thing it this is about stripped off of the fifty foot catch the -- well that my grandfather sailed south from New York. In 1890. And -- Fact -- year following year when he was destroyed her and Andrew in 1992. That's too -- you get about spread as a souvenir crafts and the boat which of course is part of our wonderful little house museum here but. Can you take us up to the Barnicle of the house itself yes let's look the lawn and sealed. Bill why is now called the Barnicle. Well if you look at the shape of the roof the shape."
" It was a Barnicle have a hole at the top which is for ventilation. There's in the mouth of a particle. And they about forty years after it was built my grandfather jacked it up. And built the second story under so what is now the second floor was originally the ground floor that's correct it it always have that beautiful roof. The roof was that it probably in the late 1920s. The rooftop the roof tile Lukavica tile from Georgia. Spectacular and in building on the right that is a library which grandfather used as an office. It. -- added to help I think."
" the original forty acres seem to be somewhat -- reduced threat. Yes it's down the five acres now but the vegetation along the edges this large enough that you can barely see the -- the apartment right next door just thirty feet away. It's true we still have -- little over after the properties and still in that it native hammock. We have -- limos and pines and he's like that and this is what's referred to as the hammock and unlike the jungle Hamlet yes. There we go inside yes let's. One look at this fit it could be a New England parlor. I mean that furnishings and the detailing of the room. Except maybe for this the fireplace surround. Yes this is keystone oracle Kenya. And it's cut with a -- when -- that cuts very easily and into the coral isn't brain coral that was caught in their right to remove the material. But the lumber in here now. This is the wilderness in the 1880s was this the prefab house or -- able to to refine place lumber was very political leadership breakfast program I was expecting agent. And he acquired one ship load of yellow pine principle applied. Reporters of a million board feet they've made of our core. Left the lumber around so there's lots of lumber in this house -- that's a great story. And here we've got a formal dining room interesting. Point right here little family history indeed. Through generations here and at the very top is placed on William junior. On the in pencil. It -- pretty well while they were growing years there. Recorded -- often can we peek in the kitchen the look. Yes Bob is where we got our fresh water. That was Rainwater from the group and it was the order of the house then 5000 gallon tank and a sister sister if -- yes. And of the kitchen is really two rooms -- look at that yes this is an old General Electric. Refrigerator they. -- early twentieth yeah and they replaced a unit I think in 1945 -- ran forever. These little windows up higher than usual is that the kind of paneling yes there with a heat in the kitchen in August it was. Lots that he could this person at all rose that would replace -- let it out and being shaped like a barnacle does it does -- rise in throughout the building. Yes let me take upstairs and show you how the ventilation system works. Well we also that -- rises and it gets real hot in Miami right now yes it does especially in August. If you noticed up above here. The hot air rises. Up there at the top is a cupola which has the ventilation minute wouldn't. And hot air rises and goes out to that -- you had your cross ventilation. Sure pretty simple actually it's it's the logical alternative to having air condition your place there was no air conditioning it was a -- to make the best. And you were saying earlier that this was actually the original house the first floor of the house -- original first floor before it was jacked up. It was jacked up and about 198. -- before that there was no staircase and what was this from this almost octagonal room is it is a main dining living area right here. That would explain the presence of a side board you know it. And we have four bedrooms on each corner out here the house was this the master yes it was it's where my parents and grandparents lived. My father was born and died in this room 65 years apart. And of course your grandparents often. Yes they lived in this room also the one thing I want to say there was that. Although these -- pioneering days that the furnishings and apply a -- level of civilization it. Yes there was commerce by ships and sailing vessels clear and of course after 1896. The railroad came in all hell broke loose and everybody fell -- that beautiful Biscayne bay."
