Fort Walton Beach in Okaloosa County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
G. G. French Cottage
| | Susan Sloat Pryor Myers Historic Walking Trail | |
1. G. G. French Cottage Marker
In 1910 Pharmacist Dr. G.G French and his wife Jessie ordered a house from a popular catalog company in New York City. The house was shipped from cutting mills in Michigan in two railroad box cars to the Port of Pensacola. Designed to support the claims that minimal carpentry skills were all that were required to build a "catalog house," a tour of the house reveals the exceptional craftsmanship of the time. The cottage had a $1.00 per square foot building price tag.
It served as the home of the Camp Walton Women's Club which held its first regular meeting on the first Tuesday in March of 1922 with Mrs. GG. French and Mrs. J. H. Beal hosting. The home was restored, repurposed, and moved slightly west of its original location in 1999 to become the museum setting of the Magnolia Grill Restaurant. The descendants of Dr. and Mrs. Beal are owners and curators of the property today. The presiding officer for the early Women's Club occasions was Mrs. W. C. Pryor, great grandmother of Susan Myers whose love of history vision and community service that we honor her memory with the Susan Myers Walking Trail. Owners Tom and Peggy Rice have filled the restaurant with memorabilia from early Camp Walton and Fort Walton. In fact, they call themselves "the museum that serves food."
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1922.
Location. 30° 24.167′ N, 86° 36.301′ W. Marker is in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in Okaloosa County. It is on Brooks Street Southeast. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 157 Brooks St SE, Fort Walton Beach FL 32548, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Buckhorn Inn (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Landing (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named The Landing (about 800 feet away); Story of the Fort Walton Temple Mound (about 800 feet away); Preserving and Protecting the Mound (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Story of the Fort Walton Temple Mound (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Preserving and Protecting the Mound (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Walton (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Walton Beach.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 1, 2025. This page has been viewed 216 times since then and 34 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on February 1, 2025. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide view photo of the marker and the surrounding area together in context. • Can you help?
