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Ralph M. Munroe family papers
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Series V: Works

Series 5 includes typescripts of Ralph Munroe's memoir, The Commodore's Story, which he co-authored with his friend Vincent Gilpin. The book was published in 1930.

Series IV: Camp Biscayne

The Bay View House, later known as the Peacock Inn, was the earliest hotel in the Bay area as of 1882. The inn was owned by English settlers, Charles and Isabella Peacock who maitained it until 1902. Ralph Munroe was a frequent winter visitor and friend of the family. The Peacock Inn became a gathering place for a faithfull group of Nothern visitors. The Commodore opened Camp Biscayne after the inn closed (due to Mr. & Mrs. Peacocks ill health) to provide new accomodations for those who still wished to vacation to South Florida. The series includes photographs of the various cottages as well as the native plants and trees of hammocks. The promotional materials include flyers and brochures describing the Biscayne Bay area, the favorable climate and the its suitability for boating and fishing.

Series III: Diaries, calendars, and logs

The diaries, calendars and logs record the individual perspectives of members of the Munroe family during their travels and as they settle in the local Staten Island and Coconut Grove communities. For instance, Ellen Middleton and Thomas Munroe (Ralph M. Munroe's parents) were married on July 4, 1839 in London. According to Ralph M. Munroe, his mother's diaries describe the travels and adventures of the couple between America and London during his father's various business activities. The series also includes the diaries of Jessie Wirth Munroe, the Commodores' second wife as well as the notebooks of Mary Poore Munroe (married to Wirth Munroe, Jessie and Ralph Munroe's son).

Series II: Munroe and Wirth family correspondence

In 1894, Ralph Munroe met his second wife Miss Jessie Wirth during a sailing trip with his friends Mr. and Mrs. Benton (Jessie Wirth was Mrs. Benton's younger sister). Ralph Munroe and Jessie Wirth were married in July 1895. The couple had two children, Patty born in 1900 and Wirth in 1902. Series II documents the correspondence of the Munroe and Wirth Families (Arranged Chronologically).

Series I: Photographs and albums

Series I depicts 19th century "views" of Southern Florida and Staten Island. The photographs are visual documents of South Florida flora and fauna, native Seminole Indians, Bahamian settlers as well as the early European residents of Coconut Grove. Images of the first pioneering families such as the Peacocks, Frows, Carneys and Sanders are featured in these early traces of Florida history. The Munroe family homestead, the Barnacle, now an historic state park, is extensively featured in boxes 1 and 2. Finally, the photographs also depict the many yachts designed by Ralph Munroe, the founder of the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club. (Arranged according to Mr. Munroe's groupings and titles).

Ralph M. Munroe family papers

Ralph M. Munroe family papers

  • ASM0015
  • Collection
  • 1882-1995

Ralph Middleton Munroe (1851-1933) settled in Florida in 1891, drawn by its lush tropical landscapes and beautiful seashores. An avid yachtsman and photographer, the Commodore traveled the South Florida coast capturing images of its pristine wilderness and the early inhabitants. Munroe’s photographs provide a unique visual record of South Florida history before its rapid urbanization. The Ralph M. Munroe Family Papers contain a rich assortment of photographs, albums, postcards, correspondence, clippings and manuscripts that document the frontier life in Coconut Grove.

The contents of the most recent donation in spring of 2025 (Boxes 73-76) can be found in the attached pdf document.

Ralph Middleton Munroe and family

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