Grant in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Bensen House
Circa 1916
Photographed By Jamie Cox, May 5, 2012
1. Bensen House Marker
Inscription.
Bensen House. Circa 1916. Atley Bensen paid $1,200 for the precut yellow pine lumber which arrived by riverboat from Jacksonville in 1916, to build this house for his wife Clara Christensen. The Bensen brothers married the Christensen sisters, both pioneer families of Grant. Atley and Clara lived in the house with sons, Atley Jr. and Russell until they were school age, and then moved to Melbourne, where son Edward Hartman was born in 1928. The Bensen House was rented for about five years until the family returned. Atley and his brother Adolph were involved in commercial fishing, grew pineapples, and operated the Jorgensen General Store, which opened in 1894. Atley died in 1961. Clara continued to live in the house, and then later moved to Tampa where she died in 1981. Russell donated the "cracker" house to the Grant Historical Society in 1984. In 1985, the house was moved from its original site, which was about 300 feet south of 1st Street on the banks of the Indian River Lagoon to this location, which was the original site of Grant's first house built in 1894 by Louis Kossuth "Honey" Smith. The Smith house burned down in the 1970's. The Bensen House became a museum in 1987. A Florida Heritage Site.
Atley Bensen paid $1,200 for the precut yellow pine lumber which arrived by riverboat from Jacksonville in 1916, to build this house for his wife Clara Christensen. The Bensen brothers married the Christensen sisters, both pioneer families of Grant. Atley and Clara lived in the house with sons, Atley Jr. and Russell until they were school age, and then moved to Melbourne, where son Edward Hartman was born in 1928. The Bensen House was rented for about five years until the family returned. Atley and his brother Adolph were involved in commercial fishing, grew pineapples, and operated the Jorgensen General Store, which opened in 1894. Atley died in 1961. Clara continued to live in the house, and then later moved to Tampa where she died in 1981. Russell donated the "cracker" house to the Grant Historical Society in 1984. In 1985, the house was moved from its original site, which was about 300 feet south of 1st Street on the banks of the Indian River Lagoon to this location, which was the original site of Grant's first house built in 1894 by Louis Kossuth "Honey" Smith. The Smith house burned down in the 1970's. The Bensen House became a museum in 1987. A Florida Heritage Site.
Erected 2008 by The Brevard County Historical Commission The Brevard County Tourist Development Council and the Florida
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Department of State. (Marker Number F-629.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 27° 55.367′ N, 80° 31.276′ W. Marker is in Grant, Florida, in Brevard County. Marker is on West City Avenue (U.S. 1), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5795, Grant FL 32949, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The marker is behind the house, although you can see it briefly from the road.
Photographed By Jamie Cox, May 5, 2012
2. Bensen House
The Grant Historical Society, with the marker to the far right.
Photographed By Jamie Cox, May 5, 2012
3. Bensen House from the Dock
Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2017. It was originally submitted on May 6, 2012, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 913 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 6, 2012, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
