Merrill House Museum facts for kids
The Merrill House Museum is a beautiful old home in Jacksonville, Florida. It was built a long time ago, in 1879, during the Victorian era. Today, it's a museum run by the Jacksonville Historical Society. You can visit it to see what homes looked like in the late 1800s and early 1900s!
This house shows off a special building style called Queen Anne. It has a cool square tower on one corner and fancy wooden decorations called "vergeboard" on the roof. The porch also has unique posts and designs that are part of the Eastlake architecture style. In 2000, the Merrill House was named an important historic place in Jacksonville.
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The Story of Merrill House
Who Built the House?
The Merrill House was built for a man named James E. Merrill. He started a company in Jacksonville in 1875 that worked with iron. His company grew to be very big, becoming one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the Southern United States by the late 1880s.
James Merrill built this house in 1879 at 229 Lafayette Street. It was super close to his iron works on East Bay Street, so he had a short walk to work! The house was made even bigger in 1886.
From Family Home to Museum
The Merrill family lived in this house for many years, from 1879 until 1920. After that, it was sold to another family, the Leaches. By the 1990s, the house was empty and needed a lot of care.
In 1999, the city of Jacksonville bought the house. They were planning to build the VyStar Veterans Arena nearby. Instead of tearing down the old house, the city decided to give it to the Jacksonville Historical Society.
Moving the Merrill House
The Merrill House was moved in 2000 to a new spot at 317 A Philip Randolph Blvd. But it had to move again in 2002 to make room for the 121 Financial Ballpark.
Finally, in 2006, the Historical Society finished fixing up the house. They worked hard to make it look just like it did in the early 1900s. Now, it's a museum where everyone can learn about Jacksonville's past.
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