Magnolia Grill History

     In 1910, Dr. G.G. French ordered a house, probably from a catalog.  It was shipped from New York to Pensacola by train and then to Camp Walton by barge.  It came in pieces:  boards, planks, nails, wood shakes for the roof, cupboards and cabinets, plumbing fixtures, hardware, windows; everything needed to assemble a house by someone with “minimal  carpentry skills.”  During renovations, the mailing address “Dr. G.G. French, Camp Walton, Fla.” was discovered hand-written on the backs of boards which are on display in the Magnolia Grill.

     The site intended for the house was on Santa Rosa Sound, somewhat east of Buck’s Store.  It sat on a low bluff overlooking Santa Rosa Island.  The house Dr. French built was two-story; it had two bedrooms upstairs and two more bedrooms downstairs.  It had a kitchen, dining room, butler’s pantry, bathroom and living room.  Later, porches would be added.  The house had a basement; stairs to the basement were off the kitchen. The original staircase was in the center of the house, off the living room.   The staircase was made by routing out one-inch planks to fit the treads and risers.   It rose fifteen steps at a 45 degree angle, much like climbing a ladder.  The original bathroom was between the two downstairs bedrooms.

      To support the claim that minimal carpentry skills were all that were required to build a “catalog house,” a tour of the house will reveal that there are no mitered corners in any of the woodwork--all the corners are butted square.    The house featured two red-brick chimneys, one in the living room, which provided the only source of heat for the house; the other in the butler’s pantry/kitchen, which provided exhaust for the coal or wood burning stove in the kitchen. 

     Construction of the roof features four-foot overhangs with exposed soffits, which still provide shade and protection from driving rain.  

     The butler’s pantry contained two large cupboards that have been salvaged and relocated to the lobby and dining room areas of the house.  They feature the wavy glass that was typical of that period. 

     The quality of the original house is demonstrated by the fact that 90 years later the window frames and sashes showed no signs of rot or insect damage.  The wood in the majority of the windows appears to be cypress and redwood.  All the windows were operated with ropes and weights, concealed in the sides of the frames.  The diamond-pane windows are another unique and charming feature.  The floors are hardwood oak and pine.  The original dining room, living room and sun porch floors are oak, the bedroom and bathroom floors are pine. 

The original floors are still in place in all rooms except the entrance.  That floor, which is oak, was salvaged from Beggs School in Pensacola .  Mr. Beggs was a Pensacola lawyer who was known to  many of the first families of Camp Walton.  It is fitting that flooring from a school named after him is being reused in a house built by someone who was undoubtedly a contemporary. 

     During renovations, the original wiring system was uncovered. It was a primitive system, consisting of two wires strung several inches apart  and running  on ceramic posts from switches to lighting fixtures in the ceiling.  The switches consisted of two-button push plates, examples of which are still on the fireplace mantel; they originally lit two wall sconces. The wiring system that was removed at renovation lasted for ninety years. 

     The bookcases to the left and right of the fireplace are typical of the Craftsman house of that period.  These houses featured many built-in cabinets and bookcases.  The glass-paned doors are replacements for the originals, which have been lost.

Incorporated in this renovation are several other pieces of Ft. Walton memorabilia: a pair of Art Deco chandeliers from the home of Dr. J.H. Beal, two Mission-style chairs, also from Dr. Beal; decorative millwork which once graced the dining room of Perri’s Italian Restaurant; an early Ft. Walton street light of green and white baked enamel, a “Fort Walton” city limits sign (before “Beach’ was added), the original “This light Never Turns Green” sign which hung at Perry Avenue and U.S. Highway 98,  and the stoplight--still lit in red. In cupboards you will also see bowling pins from the Ft. Walton Bowling Alley, numerous antique typewriters including one belonging originally to Maj. Gen. John Carley and on which numerous columns for the Daily News were written.  Other typewriters in the collection belonged to Emma Goggin, a local columnist, and Buck Gassman, former editor of the Playground News, and one belonging to Dr. J.H. Beal, Peg’s great-grandfather.  

To the original house of 2700 square feet an additional 1100 square feet has been added for kitchen and restrooms and 1000 square feet for the patio. 

Landscaping is patterned after that found in Ft. Walton in the 1940’s and 50’s--azaleas, Spirea, Lantana, camellias, hollies and lagustrums.  These compliment the existing palm trees, live oaks and magnolias that already graced the property.

Long-time residents will recognize the location of The Magnolia Grill as where the former 98 Court Motel was built.