On a clear day this past summer, docents on the wraparound porch at 301 SE MacArthur Blvd. could see the shadows of the Georges Valentine shipwreck just offshore. Turtles, dolphins, spotted eagle rays and manatees passed through the same view. Catherine Larsen, Keeper of the House, wrote those notes in a Keeper's Report on the Historical Society of Martin County's House of Refuge page. The report also has a line aimed at anyone on Hutchinson Island who drove past the construction fencing for a year: "Our history does not change, but how we share it does."
The 1876 building reopened on May 23 after a restoration of about a year. Since then it has kept adding to what visitors find inside. A storm installation got new lighting this fall. Lectures are capped at 35 seats, evening programs at 20 guests, and work on the Boathouse is still going. A visit in June showed the House on reopening day. A visit in November shows the version that has kept changing since.
What a year of construction actually bought
The restoration had a clear scope. Martin County owns the House, and the Historical Society of Martin County has managed it since 1955. In an April 22 vote, county commissioners approved a $1,792,011 contract with The Tradesmen Group, the only firm that responded to the county's request for proposals, according to Hometown News. REG Architects lists a project cost of about $2 million. Its scope covered repairs to the foundation, columns, rafters and beams, a historically accurate wood-shake roof, and minor repairs to the building envelope. The county also went to the state for roof money. The Florida Division of Historical Resources' FY 2024–25 grant list shows a $108,018 Special Category request from Martin County to reroof the north and south buildings.
TCPalm photographed The Tradesmen Group on site in September 2025. That coverage also mentions a new roof and a restored main deck. All five Martin County commissioners came to the ribbon-cutting, along with REG Architects and The Tradesmen Group. The reopening fell in the House's 150th anniversary year.
All of that work was structural. The things that make a second visit worth it came after, and most of them sit on the lower level.
The lower level is where the House changed most
The Tempest fills the lower level. Visitors walk a corridor filled with the sound of crashing waves, rolling thunder, snapping sails, creaking timbers and wind in the rigging, meant to put them aboard a wooden ship in a storm. At the center is Of Storm and Splendor, a mural by artist Ralph Papa that measures 50 feet by 6 feet and was donated to the House. The installation explains in one walk why the House was built: it was a station for shipwrecked sailors on a coast with no roads, bridges or rescue services.
The Tempest kept changing after opening day. This fall the House added new lighting for the mural, which the Keeper's Report says adds "depth, dimension, and atmosphere" and shows details visitors would otherwise miss. Anyone who saw the installation in early summer saw it without that lighting.
Several other additions date from after the reopening:
- Ross Witham, Martin County's "Turtle Man." A new exhibit tells the story of the World War II veteran and his connection to the sea turtles that nest on Hutchinson Island.
- A new House video about Gilbert's Bar and the people who lived, worked and survived on that stretch of coast.
- A turtle mural donated by Caroline Nolan, painted during her internship with the Historical Society.
- A resident pirate, in the Keeper's words, who "has recently taken up permanent residence at the House."
- More docents. Kenda Bedford came back this fall as Assistant Keeper, working alongside Lindsay Famiglietti, and new docents have joined. Tour topics now run from the coquina rock under the House to shipwrecks, the U.S. Life-Saving Service, and German U-boats that operated off Florida during World War II.
Most of the fall calendar fits a few dozen people
The program schedule follows the same small-scale approach. The Oceanside Lecture Series meets inside the House, with the Atlantic on one side and the lagoon on the other, and seats 35. The season's first lecture, "Welcome Back," was Larsen's talk on the restoration, and it sold out on Eventbrite before Nov. 4. The Keeper's Report lists topics for the coming fall and winter: Prohibition in the 1920s, the pirate Don Pedro Gilbert, the Anastasia limestone formation, and the history of Soroptimist International.
The evening programs are smaller still. Beyond the Veil: One Last Night of Mystery takes 20 guests. HSMC calls it a "special final event" and added it after the October Beyond the Veil sold out. Paranormal investigators Patrick and Patricia Mesmer lead the evening.
Here is what's on the calendar at the House and at the Elliott Museum, two miles up the road at 825 NE Ocean Blvd., from publish day through the first week of January. The Historical Society runs both, and both are listed on its special events page.
| Date | Venue | Program | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tues., Nov. 17 | Elliott Museum | Only in Florida: Uncovering Weird Florida, with author Eliot Kleinberg | 2 to 3:30 p.m.; $5 members, $18 nonmembers |
| Thurs., Nov. 19 | Elliott Museum | The Art of the Pop-Up: Holiday Edition, with artist Debbie Roberts | 1 to 4 p.m.; $50; make a pop-up card and a beach-themed ornament; advance registration required |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Elliott Museum | Bourbon, Burgers & Boomerang | See HSMC listing |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | House of Refuge | Beyond the Veil: One Last Night of Mystery | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; 20 guests; no shuttle; limited parking |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Elliott Museum | The Legacy of A Land Remembered | See HSMC listing |
| Mon., Dec. 7 | House of Refuge | Oceanside Lecture Series: Saved by the Soroptimists | 35 seats |
| Tues., Dec. 8 | Elliott Museum | Martin County's Coastal Program | See HSMC listing |
| Thurs., Dec. 17 | Elliott Museum | Wild About Art: The Story of the Society of Animal Artists | See HSMC listing |
| Thurs., Jan. 7 | Elliott Museum | Following The Cow Creek Trail | See HSMC listing |
The Dec. 17 talk goes with an exhibit already up at the Elliott, the Society of Animal Artists 66th Annual Exhibition, which is listed alongside Wheels Of Change. For the House programs, 35 seats and 20 guests mean the reservation, not the drive over, decides whether you get in.
The ocean is still working on the campus
The House's location makes the restoration an ongoing job. The October Keeper's Report says recent King Tides and heavy weather pushed large amounts of sand onto the campus and sent waves into parts of the grounds. Work is underway at the Boathouse, including a larger entrance awning to stop water from getting in. Further restoration of the Boathouse and the Quarters is still being planned with Martin County.
"Historic preservation is never a one-time undertaking. It requires continued attention, collaboration, and a commitment to protecting these irreplaceable resources for future generations."
That passage comes from Larsen's October report on the HSMC House of Refuge page. The same report covers the gardens, where salt and wind keep killing plants and the House keeps replanting. The Garden Club of Stuart has given the grounds a Gold Status Award for Florida natives, and the plantings include the Freed Foundation Rock Garden and a Memorial Garden honoring Betty Libera.
A few miles down MacArthur Boulevard, the shoreline work along Bob Graham Beach finished on April 27, 2026, after about 360,000 cubic yards of sand were placed, WQCS reported. Both projects had the same spring. The beach got its sand, the House got its new roof, and the ocean has kept working on both since.
A late-fall visit, in order
- Pick the right hours. The House is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday's three-hour window is the shortest of the week.
- Know the admission. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and over, and $8 for ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and under, veterans and active-duty U.S. military with ID get in free, per the HSMC ticketing page.
- Start on the lower level. See The Tempest with the new mural lighting first, then go upstairs to the Witham exhibit and the new video.
- Sit on the porch. Many of the rocking chairs are named for local families and friends. On a clear day, look offshore for the outline of the Georges Valentine.
- Finish at the Boathouse Gift Shop. It stocks books on the House and the coast, handmade decoupage pieces, notecards and maritime gifts.
- Save one December evening for the water. The Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast lists the Martin County Christmas Boat Parade for Dec. 5 and St. Lucie County's for Dec. 12. Check the MIATC parade page for start times and the route. The Stuart Christmas Parade on the mainland is the night before, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., with the theme "Santa's Stuart Vacation."
After its restoration, the House runs on a tight schedule. The Boathouse awning is still going up. The Tempest has its new lighting, and the next 35-seat lecture is Dec. 7.
Restoring a building that sits between the Atlantic and the lagoon means new roofs, foundation repairs, and keeping water out of a boathouse that floods. Gus Renny has managed those same problems on coastal renovations across the Treasure Coast. If you own an older Hutchinson Island property and want a realistic list of what salt air has already damaged, Renny Realty can walk the property with you. Schedule a Consultation.
