Melbourne Beach in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Myrtle Cottage

Photographed by Jamie Cox, February 11, 2012

1. Myrtle Cottage Marker

Inscription. Constructed on this site in 1888, Myrtle Cottage was built by Mrs. Hannah Cummings and her daughter Grace, and was the first house in the area known as Melbourne Beach. The house's construction was made difficult by the lack of roads or docks, and while it was being built the Cummings family camped on the beach at the nearby House of Refuge, a shipwreck lifesaving station. After its completion, the family lived in the large house and took in boarders, including Major Cyrus Graves, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Whiting, Mr. Alfred Wilcox, and others who helped found Melbourne Beach. Myrtle Cottage was always an important part of the community. Church services and Sunday school classes were held there until 1892 when the Community Chapel was built. However if repairs were needed to the chapel or bad weather threatened, church services and classes were temporarily held in Myrtle Cottage. In later years the house served as a rooming house for students from the Florida Institute of Technology. In 1982, the house caught fire and burned to the ground as a large number of people watched in dismay. There are still residents of Melbourne Beach

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who fondly remember the "Grand Old Building."

A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2010 by The Brevard County Historical Commission The Brevard County Tourist Development Council and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-688.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1888.

Location. 28° 4.112′ N, 80° 33.774′ W. Marker is in Melbourne Beach, Florida, in Brevard County. It is on Ocean Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Melbourne Beach FL 32951, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s Space Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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

Myrtle Cottage Marker along Ocean Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jamie Cox, September 23, 2020

2. Myrtle Cottage Marker along Ocean Avenue

markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach Florida (within shouting distance of this marker); The Ryckman House (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Villa Marine (approx. 0.2 miles away); Melbourne & Atlantic Railroad (approx. 0.2 miles away); Melbourne Beach Pier (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Melbourne Beach Town Hall (approx. 1.4 miles away); Indialantic Casino (approx. 1.7 miles away); Billy Wallace House (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Melbourne Beach.

Regarding Myrtle Cottage. The site itself is now a parking lot for the Community Chapel next door.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 12, 2012, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,564 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 12, 2012, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 2. submitted on September 23, 2020, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.