Apalachicola, Florida
11 Mile
A restored 1907 estate on St. Vincent Sound, near Apalachicola.
Press
On the cover of Southern Living
The May 2026 issue put the front room of this house on its cover, under the line “The Heart of a Home.” The feature begins on page 50 and follows the restoration from the point at which the house was found, empty, on a website that catalogs abandoned buildings in Florida.
The Estate
One group at a time
11 MILE sits on 4.4 acres overlooking St. Vincent Sound, about eleven miles west of Apalachicola. The restored 1907 house stands among live oaks near the top of the lawn, with the water at the bottom of it.
Guests reserve the property as a private estate rather than by the room, and only one group is in residence at a time. That might mean a wedding weekend, a family gathering, a fishing trip, or simply several days with friends and nothing much scheduled.
The house has eight fireplaces and a screened porch running the width of the front. Below the lawn there is a dock into the shallows and a curve of shell beach. Dinner tends to happen wherever the weather suits — the dining room, the porch, or a long table set out on the grass.
The Setting
On St. Vincent Sound
The grounds run from the house down through live oaks and cabbage palms to marsh grass, a shell beach and the dock. St. Vincent Island lies across the water, and the sound is usually calm in the morning. Late afternoon is when the light is best.
The House
Fourteen rooms of heart pine and cypress
The house was built in Apalachicola in 1907 and moved to this site in 1974. The restoration finished in 2024 and left every wall and room layout where it was. The millwork was cut by local shipbuilders and refinished by craftspeople from the area.
The stair hall
The front room, seen through its original carved arch
The dining room
History
Where the house came from
The house was built in Apalachicola in 1907 and moved to this site in 1974. In the years between it was a private home, a convent and a school, and for a while after Hurricane Michael it stood empty.
1907
Apalachicola
Charles Dobson, a lumberman, built a fourteen-room house of heart pine and cypress at Avenue K and Seventh Street, with the millwork cut by local shipbuilders. He built it for Minnie Barefield.
1917
Minnie Barefield
Minnie Barefield ran a brothel in the town and lived in this house, built to her specification, until her death. It has carried her name ever since.
1920s
The Sisters of the Holy Family
The house passed to the Sisters of the Holy Family, the New Orleans religious order founded by Henriette Delille in 1842. For about fifty years it was a convent and a school.
1974
The move west
The Schoelles family, oystermen, bought the house rather than see it demolished and moved it eleven miles west of town to a wooded tract above St. Vincent Sound. Accounts of the move put the structure at roughly 165 tons and the journey at three days.
2018
Hurricane Michael
The house survived the storm but took on water, and it stood empty for several years afterwards — long enough to be photographed and cataloged by people who document abandoned buildings in Florida.
2024
The restoration
Every wall and room layout stayed where it was. The floors, cypress wainscot, carved mantels and handmade fireplace tile were refinished by local craftspeople, the kitchen and bathrooms were rebuilt, and the house was raised to meet Florida building code.
It has been a home, a convent, a school and an empty building. The restoration finished in 2024.
The full history
Gatherings
Eating outside
Most groups eat at least one meal outside. A long table can be set on the lawn, on the porch, or down by the shell beach, and a chef can be brought in for the week if you would rather not cook. Oysters usually come off a local boat.
Weddings here run as a weekend rather than an afternoon, since the whole property is yours for the duration. The same is true of milestone birthdays, reunions, fishing weekends and family holidays.
Everything is arranged in advance and confirmed with you before it is booked. There are no fixed packages.
Planning a stay
Send us the dates you have in mind and a little about the group, and we will come back to you with what the house can do and what it would cost. If it is not the right fit, we will say so.
Request a Private Stay