The Barnacle

When Commodore Munroe moved here in 1887, the first structure he built was a boathouse on this spot. He lived upstairs while he built The Barnacle; his workshop was on the lower level. 1926 brought a devastating hurricane to Miami and the boathouse was destroyed. The Commodore examined how the forces of the storm had led to its collapse. When he rebuilt the structure in 1927 he incorporated what he learned into its design. The new boathouse had break-away walls front and rear. These would give way quickly, allowing the storm surge to flow through the building instead of battering it. The side walls were guyed with heavy cables to keep them upright. The Commodore died in 1933 never knowing if his design would work. It would be nearly 60 years, but in the early morning hours of August 24, 1992 the test finally came. Hurricane Andrew made landfall very near here. One of the worse storms ever to hit the US and stronger than the 1926 hurricane, Andrew would judge the Commodore's design. It worked exactly as he planned, as this photo shows. The front and rear walls were mostly gone but the upstairs and structure of the building were virtually untouched. Today break-away walls are often required for structures in areas prone to storm surge.

At the start of the twentieth century working on a boat in South Florida was difficult. There were no boat ramps, boat trailers or cars to pull them. There were no boatyards with hoists to lift boats out of the water. To work on his boats, Commodore Munroe built a number of marine railways here at The Barnacle. The tracks extended outward into the water past the end of the dock, allowing even large boats to be floated onto the carriage and hauled out using a hand winch. The track seen here is a reproduction; the original rails rusted away long ago. The original winch has been restored and is in storage. Plans are underway to restore the track and return the railway to working condition.

In 1882, four years before he bought this land, Ralph Munroe visited this hole in the ground. Even then it was shrouded in mystery. A popular tale of the time claimed it was dug by Ponce de Leon in his search for the Fountain of Youth. We know Ponce de Leon never entered Biscayne Bay, and he certainly did not dig this hole. Who did, and why, remains a mystery to this day. In the 1840s it is believed this land was occupied by Edmund D. Beasley. The next person known to live here was Dr. Horace P. Porter, who tried to start a coconut plantation in 1872. He abandoned the plantation after two years; by 1882 only two coconut trees remained. As the only two people known to have lived in this area, it is thought either Beasley or Porter dug this hole. Though we call this "the well," its function is no more clear than its creator. Why dig a well when there were many nearby springs? Why was it already dry in 1882? Why put in steps? Speculation by park visitors has included a ceremonial bath, a root cellar, and even a dungeon. What's your guess?