O.B. to unveil historical marker at Original Romar House B&B on Oct. 3

O.B. to unveil historical marker at Original Romar House B&B on Oct. 3
Orange Beach will continue to honor its historical heritage by unveiling a marker at the Original Romar House Bed & Breakfast on Perdido Beach Blvd. at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3. The community is invited to attend and participate. The City of Orange Beach commissioned the creation of the marker as part of its participation in Alabama’s upcoming bicentennial celebration, ALABAMA 200.
The copy on the both sides of the bronze marker was written by the city’s official historian, local author Margaret Childress-Long.
A historial marker at Perdido Pass honoring the city’s fishing heritage and the Callaway and Walker families was unveiled in April at the newly refurbished Seawall Park at Alabama Point.
Childress-Long, a member of the Baldwin County Historic Development Commission, said the marker at Romar Beach will be the city’s fourth historical marker. There are also markers at Bear Point Cemetery (paid for by the OBFD) and the Coastal Art Center, site of the original Orange Beach Hotel (paid for by the State of Alabama).
The City of Orange Beach will pay for four more historical markers, with the final two slated to be installed in 2019.
“Next will be Orange Beach Municipal Complex, and then Bay Circle,’’ Childress-Long said. “The Romar Beach marker is going right in front of the Original Romar House Bed & Breakfast. People will be able to read the marker and look across the road at Power Line Road. I wish there were some of the Roche and Martin families still alive, but I know of none.’’
The two sided markers commissioned by the city weigh 182 pounds are made by Corey Swindle, owner of the Fairhope Foundry in Fairhope.
It is the hope of Alabama 200 and the local historic commission that there will be a total of 84 historical markers throughout Baldwin County by 2019, said Childress-Long. According to the official website, ALABAMA 200 is “the state’s official bicentennial commemoration and will consider a rich and complex history made every day by people like us. Whether they lived here for centuries or came from far away, Alabamians made this land of natural beauty and diversity, innovation and change, challenge and resilience, their home. Their stories embrace some of the most significant moments in national and world history. Between January 2017 and December 2019, Alabamians all over the state and beyond will create and take part in educational and enriching opportunities to discover, explore, preserve, and share those stories.”

Romar Beach Marker (Side 1)

The 1924 Spurgeon Roche House has survived many storms. It was originally built on pilings, a second story was added later, and it has been strengthened through many renovations over the years. Jerry Gilbreath of Mississippi purchased the Roche house around 1980. In 1991, he turned it into the Original Romar House Bed & Breakfast. It is still operating as Alabama’s first Gulfside B&B. The original Carl Martin house stood until 1979 when Hurricane Frederic destroyed it.
Mack Shelby was the caretaker of the Romar Homestead which was adjacent to Gulf State Park. Lake Shelby, located within the park, is named for the Shelby family.
Most of the original Roche/Martin homestead was sold to developers over the years and many buildings in the area carry the Romar name, including the Romar Beach Baptist Church, Romar Tower, Romar Place, Romar Beach Condos, Romar Lake Development, and the Romar Beach Public Access.

Romar Beach Marker (Side 2)

Romar Beach began as a large homestead property with three miles of beachfront spanning from Gulf State Park to Hwy. 161 in Orange Beach. The original property now covers only 480 feet. It was a true homestead and the owners were required to “till the soil.’’ Of all attempts over the years, only the oleander trees survived. The owners were business friends from Mobile, Alabama – Spurgeon Roche and Carl “Zeke” Martin. The first two letters of Roche and the first three of Martin formed the name “Romar.’’
Their two houses, built around 1924, were the first houses built on the beach. It was difficult to access their property so the two men built their own road south from Canal Road straight to the beach. This included a wooden bridge built over the freshwater lakes. For stability, the roadway was “corduroyed” with logs and lumber across the swamp and sandy land. That road is now “Power Line Ro