Ralph Munroe
Encyclopedia
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. His home, now The Barnacle Historic State Park
The Barnacle Historic State Park
The Barnacle Historic State Park is a Florida State Park in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida at 3485 Main Highway.Built in 1891, it is the oldest house in its original location in Miami-Dade County. The Barnacle was the home of Ralph Middleton Munroe, one of Coconut Grove’s...
, is the oldest house in Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
still standing in its original location.
Early life
Munroe was born to Thomas and Ellen Middleton Munroe at their family home on 22nd Street near 4th Avenue in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on April 3, 1851. In 1854, the Munroe family moved to Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
where Munroe spent his childhood. Growing up near the sea, he became fascinated with the boats that were essential to island life. While a student at Eagleswood Military Academy
Eagleswood Military Academy
The Eagleswood Military Academy was a private military academy in Perth Amboy, New Jersey which served antebellum educational needs.The Eagleswood Military Academy was started by Rebecca Spring and Marcus Spring in 1861 in the vicinity of the Route 35/Smith Street intersection...
, near Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
from 1861 to 1864, he purchased the "Hornet," for a mere $2.00, the first of many boats he was to own.
After briefly attending Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City, Munroe participated in a number of lucrative business ventures as well as yachting adventures. In 1874, he encountered William Brickell
William Brickell
William Brickell joined Julia Tuttle as a co-founder of Miami, Florida.Brickell and his wife Mary moved to southern Florida from Cleveland, Ohio in 1871...
off of the coast of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
; a meeting which would change his life. It was from him that Munroe learned more of Biscayne Bay, which he visited for the first time in 1877.
At 28 years of age, Munroe married Eva Amelia Hewitt in 1879 and established his permanent home at Great Kills, Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter, Edith Munroe. The joy of his daughter's birth was met with tragedy, however. Within the next few months, Eva contracted tuberculosis and in the hopes of recovery, Munroe brought Eva; her sister, Adeline, also tubercular; and their brother to Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
. His daughter Edith died in her grandmother's care shortly after their departure. Eva died in April 1882. A devastated Munroe soon returned to Staten Island .
Move to Florida
Between the years of 1882 and 1886, Munroe returned several times to Biscayne Bay, spending winters with Charles and Isabella Peacock, who were then building the Bay View House, Dade CountyMiami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
's first hotel, later renamed the Peacock Inn. He returned to summer in Staten Island each year. Finally, in 1886, Munroe decided to make Coconut Grove his permanent home and purchased the future site of The Barnacle Historic State Park
The Barnacle Historic State Park
The Barnacle Historic State Park is a Florida State Park in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida at 3485 Main Highway.Built in 1891, it is the oldest house in its original location in Miami-Dade County. The Barnacle was the home of Ralph Middleton Munroe, one of Coconut Grove’s...
, which was at the time 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of bayfront property. He paid $400 in cash in addition to one of his yachts, the Kingfish, which he valued at an additional $400. Two years later, in 1888, he sold his home in Staten Island to remain year round in Coconut Grove.5
With his new home began a new life. Munroe built his boathouse directly on the bay in 1887 with living quarters on upper floor and a workshop on lower floor. He continued designing yachts, fifty-six of which he completed over the course of his lifetime. In addition, he obtained a wrecking license from the State of Florida to salvage ships on Biscayne Bay, which were numerous due to the surrounding reef and shallow waters. After he had settled into his various careers, the always social Munroe founded the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club in 1887. He was the club's first Commodore, a position he held for twenty-two years.
Fully established in every regard but one, Munroe decided to start the construction of his house "The Barnacle" in 1891. He met his second wife, Jessie Wirth, on a sailing trip in 1894, and was married a year later in 1895. Jessie gave birth to a daughter, Patty, (1900), and a son, Wirth, (1902) who also became a yacht designer. The family took frequent cruises on the bay and the children learned to sail at a very early age.
In 1903, he and friend Tom Hine established a resort on the property called Camp Biscayne, guests included Ruth Rowland Nichols
Ruth Rowland Nichols
Ruth Rowland Nichols was an aviation pioneer. She was the only woman yet to hold simultaneous world records for speed, altitude, and distance for a female pilot.-Early life:...
, William Grigsby McCormick
William Grigsby McCormick
William Grigsby McCormick was an American businessman of the influential McCormick family in Chicago.He was a co-founder of a college fraternity.-Life:William Grigsby McCormick was born June 3, 1851 in Chicago....
, and Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
. Many who wintered at Camp Biscayne would later settle the area permanently, as Munroe did. Munroe's autobiography,
The Commodore's Story was published in 1930. Written with the assistance of Vincent Gilpin, it is one of the few first hand accounts existing of pioneer days in Miami-Dade County.
Munroe was a very good friend of Captain Nat Herreshoff
Nathanael Herreshoff
Nathanael Greene Herreshoff I , was an American naval architect-mechanical engineer. "Captain Nat," as he was known, revolutionized yacht design, and produced a succession of undefeated America's Cup defenders between 1893–1920....
, America's preeminent yacht designer. Herreshoff spent the last winters of his life residing at a cottage at the Barnacle.
Photography was another important aspect of Munroe's life. He was an accomplished amateur photographer. During his lifetime many of his photographs were used in magazines, newspapers, and books as illustrations. For example, three of the illustrations in Willoughby's Across the Everglades are credited to Munroe. His photographs are the only record we have of what pioneer days looked like in early Miami. Fortunately many of these photographs were published in the book The Forgotten Frontier and are therefore available to us today.
----
Munroe died on 20 August 1933 at the age of 82. He was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery is a cemetery located on Bedford Street near the center of Concord, Massachusetts. The cemetery is the burial site of a number of famous Concordians, including some of the United States' greatest authors and thinkers, especially on a hill known as "Author's...
, Massachusetts. Munroe was survived by his wife and two children who, along with his other descendants, would continue to occupy The Barnacle until 1973, when the family sold it to the State of Florida.
Proas' Designed by Ralph Middleton Munroe
| Proa | First Owner | Builder | Where Built | Launch Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proa (1) | Biscayne Bay Yacht Club | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Coconut Grove | 1898 |
| Proa (2) | Biscayne Bay Yacht Club | 1903 | ||
| Proa (3) | Ransom Everglades High School | 1903 | ||
| Proa (4) | Anderson | 1908 |
Yachts Designed by Ralph Middleton Munroe
| Yacht | First Owner | Builder | Where Built | Launch Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALICE | Henry Howard | A.C. Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1924 |
| ALLAPATTA | Kirk Munroe Kirk Munroe Kirk Munroe was an American writer and conservationist.-Biography:Born Charles Kirk Munroe in a log cab near Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, Munroe was the son of Charles and Susan Munroe. His youth was spent on the frontier, after which his family moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where he... |
A.C. Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1888 |
| Anemone (aka Domino) | Gilbert Haight | A.C. Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1882 |
| Arlega | Archie B. Gardner | S.B. Gedney | Miami, FL | 1914 |
| Biscayne | ||||
| Buckeye | W.B.Shattuc | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Miami, NY | 1905 |
| CARIB | Arthur S. Haigh | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Coconut Grove, NY | 1901 |
| CARIB II (aka Billy II) | M. (Max) Mauran | A.C.Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1924 |
| CERO | Henry Hovey | A.C.Brown & Sons | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1899 |
| CRESCENT | Pres. Crescent Bicycle Co. of Syracuse, NY | A.C. Brown & Son | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1899 |
| Cyclone | E.B. Underhill | Ralph Middleton Munroe | New York, NY | 1876 |
| Dragon | H.L. Park | A.C. Brown & Sons | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1907 |
| E.B. Underhill | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Ralph Middleton Munroe | New York, NY | 1872–1873 |
| Egret | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1886 |
| EVANGELINE | Bancroft C. Davis | Geo. Lawley & Son Corp. | Neponset, MA | 1915 |
| Florence W | Richard (Dick) Carney | Brown, W | -- | 1887 |
| Fornella | Waters S. Davis | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Miami, FL | 1903 |
| Fornella II | Waters S. Davis | Peck & Bailey | 1903 | |
| GRANATZA (aka Rita) | N.M. George | A.C.Brown & Sons | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1902 |
| HOLGAZANA | Walter H. Browne | Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1887 |
| Kingfish | Raplh Middleton Munroe | Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1883 |
| KONA | F. Gray Griswold | Nilson Yacht Building Co. | Baltimore, MD | 1909 |
| Loon | W.J. Matheson | Huntington | New Rochelle | 1904-06 |
| MELODY | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Munroe & C. Brown | Miami & Coconut Grove, FL | 1905 |
| MICCO | Ralph Middleton Munroe | A.C. Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1891 |
| NETHLA | Edward A. & Thomas A. Hine | A.C. Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1888 |
| Nicketti | Jean d'Hedouville (Count) | A.C. Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1889 |
| NORMONA | S.M. Taylor | A.C. Brown & Son | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1903 |
| NOVIA | George Van Vleck, Toledo | A.C. Brown & Son | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1904 |
| ORIOLE | Commodore T.B. Austen | Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1888 |
| Pelican | Edward A. & Thomas Hine | Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1885 |
| Petrel | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Ralph Middleton Munroe | nr. Townsend's Dock, Staten Island | 1879 |
| PRESTO | Ralph Middleton Munroe | A.C Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1885 |
| SAMAR | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Donald McKay | East Boston, MA | 1881 |
| SAVALO | F. Gray Griswold | A.C.Brown & Sons | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1901 |
| Savanilla | John Price Wetherill | Greenwich Piers Marine Railway Co. | Greenwich Piers, NJ | 1904 |
| Scallop | Louis Quint Jones | Gas Engine & Power, & Charles L. Seabury & Co. | Morris Heights, NYC, NY | 1906 |
| Skipperee | 1881 | |||
| Star | Clemson | Peck & Bailey | Miami, FL | 1903 |
| Sunset | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Coconut Grove, FL | 1923 |
| The J.P. Musere | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1878? |
| Tommy Traddles USS Tommy Traddles (1906) USS Tommy Traddles was a motorboat the United States Navy acquired for use as a patrol vessel in 1917 but never commissioned.Tommy Traddles, designed by Ralph Munroe , was built as a private wooden-hulled cabin motor launch of the same name in 1906 by the Charles L... |
Vincent Hubbell | Gas Engine & Power & Seabury | Morris Heights, NY | 1906 |
| Totem | Thomas A. Hine | A.C. Brown & Son | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1907 |
| TRAMP | Bancroft C. Davis | F.F. Pendleton | Wiscasset, ME | 1914 |
| UTILIS | Ralph Middleton Munroe | A.C. Brown | Tottenville, NY | 1894 |
| UTILIS II | Montgomery | 1901 | ||
| UTILIS III | Winslow | Not Built | Designed 1902 | |
| WABUN | Ralph Middleton Munroe | Chris Brown | Tottenville, S.I., NY | 1892 |
| YUMA | Ralph Worthington | Miami Boats Works | Miami, FL | 1904 |
| ?#1 | Higgs | Not Built | 1894 | |
| ?#2 | Thornton, W. | Not Built | 1899 | |
| ?#3 | Not Built | 1903 | ||
| ?#4 | Camden | Not Built | 1905 | |
| ?#5 | Griswold | Not Built | 1906 | |
| ?#6 | Park | Not Built | 1906 | |
| ?#7 | Matheson | Not Built | 1907 |
Note Those in CAPITALS are PRESTO style boats.