Ralph Middleton Munroe
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Ralph Middleton Munroe (April 3, 1851 – August 20, 1933) was an American yacht designer and early resident of
Coconut Grove Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhoods of Miami, neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Driv ...
in South Florida. His home, now The Barnacle Historic State Park, is the oldest house in
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County () is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most-populous coun ...
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 City on April 3, 1851. Munroe's grandfather was William Munroe who made the first American lead pencils in 1812. In 1854, the Munroe family moved to Clifton, Staten Island, where Munroe spent his childhood. He lived in a large home at 104 Townsend Avenue. Growing up near the sea, he became fascinated with the boats that were essential to island life. The New York Yacht Club America's Cup Race was held near his childhood home in Clifton. While a student at
Eagleswood Military Academy The Eagleswood Military Academy was a private military academy in Perth Amboy, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, which served antebellum educational needs. The Eagleswood Military Academy was started by Rebecca Spring (1812–1911) ...
, near Perth Amboy, New Jersey, from 1861 to 1864, he purchased the ''Hornet'' for $2.00, the first of many boats he owned. After briefly attending Columbia University 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 (May 22, 1817(?) – January 14, 1908) joined Julia Tuttle as a co-founder of Miami, Florida. During the Civil War, Brickell and his wife Mary, whom he met and married in Australia, lived in the White House while he worked as an ...
off of the coast of Staten Island, a meeting that changed his life. It was from him that Munroe learned more of Biscayne Bay, which he visited for the first time in 1877. At age 28, Munroe married Eva Amelia Hewitt in 1879 and established his permanent home at
Great Kills, Staten Island Great Kills is a neighborhood within the borough of Staten Island in New York City. It is located on the island's South Shore, and according to many local geographers, it is the South Shore's northernmost community. It is bordered by Richmond ...
Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter, Edith Munroe. The joy of his daughter's birth was met with tragedy. 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 is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is large ...
. His daughter Edith died in her grandmother's care shortly after their departure. Eva died in April 1882. She is buried on the grounds of the Coconut Grove Library. This is the oldest marked grave in Miami. A devastated Munroe soon returned to Staten Island.


Move to Florida

Between 1882 and 1886, Munroe returned to Biscayne Bay several times, spending winters with Charles and Isabella Peacock, who were then building the Bay View House, Dade County's first hotel, later renamed the Peacock Inn. He returned to summer in Staten Island each year. In 1886, Munroe decided to make Coconut Grove his permanent home, and purchased the future site of The Barnacle Historic State Park, which was at the time 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. With his new home began a new life. Munroe built his boathouse directly on the bay in 1887 with living quarters on the upper floor and a workshop on the lower floor. He continued designing yachts, fifty-six of which he completed over the course of his lifetime. His most famous design was ''Egret'', a 28 ft, double-ended sharpie lifeboat which he designed for himself. 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 they 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 young age. In 1903, he and his friend Tom Hine established a resort on the property called
Camp Biscayne Camp Biscayne was a winter resort founded in 1903 by Ralph Middleton Munroe to provide "a stopping place in Coconut Grove, Florida", as the Peacock Inn had closed in 1902.Parks 2010 p. 3. Situated a few lots south of the Barnacle (now the Barnac ...
. Guests included Ruth Rowland Nichols, William Grigsby McCormick, and
Alexander Graham Bell Alexander Graham Bell (; born Alexander Bell; March 3, 1847 – August 2, 1922) was a Scottish-born Canadian Americans, Canadian-American inventor, scientist, and engineer who is credited with patenting the first practical telephone. He als ...
. Many who wintered at Camp Biscayne later settled in the area permanently as Munroe had. 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, 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. Three illustrations in Willoughby's ''Across the Everglades'' are credited to Munroe. His photographs are the only record of what pioneer days looked like in early Miami. Many of these photographs were published in the book ''The Forgotten Frontier''. Munroe died on 20 August 1933 at age 82. He was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts. He was survived by his wife and two children who, with his other descendants, continued to occupy The Barnacle until 1973 when the family sold it to the state of Florida.


Vessels designed


Proas


Yachts

Munroe 1930 Note Those in CAPITALS are PRESTO style boats.


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Munroe, Ralph People from Miami American yacht designers 1851 births 1933 deaths People from Great Kills, Staten Island Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (Concord, Massachusetts)