homes & gardens -- 2025
featured home -- 2025
The Dr. Alvan W. Chapman House
Alvan Wentworth Chapman, a physician and famed botanist, lived in this Classical Revival-style house that dates to 1857. His love for the science of botany became a principal work of his life especially after the Civil War. Flora of the Southern United States, written by Dr. Chapman and published in 1860, was the first comprehensive description of U.S. plants outside the northeast. Dr. Chapman died in Apalachicola in 1899.
Today we are honored to have this historically significant and elegant structure as our featured home. Painstakingly restored years ago with plans for it to be revitalized as a museum, the current owners have brought the Chapman House back to life as their home.
Along with the Chapman House, tour-goers have the wonderful opportunity to see the adjacent cottage, carriage house, and gardens.
John W. Wakefield House
After a fire in 1903 destroyed the original house, builder George Marshall constructed a new home for the Wakefield family on the same site in 1905. Fire struck again in 1944. Today, this art-filled space features custom shutters, lush greenery, Spanish moss, and iconic sculptures that punctuate the landscape.
Plum Tree Cottage
Though the bungalow’s origins may be unclear, its charm is unmistakable. Named for the garden’s abundance of native Chickasaw plum trees, the home underwent a renovation last year. Its open, bright interior, welcoming front and back porches, and a separate guest studio framed by shady trees and staghorn ferns highlight the best of small house living.
Granberry-Henry-Gordon House
Built by Joseph Granberry between 1903 and 1907, this house was divided into apartments around 1937 and housed many locals, including schoolteachers. In 2012, an industrious couple began a ten-year, hands-on renovation, reconfiguring the cobbled-together floor plan to make it their home. Come hear their restoration story!
Hoskiti
Named after the Apalachee Indian word for “blessed house,” this home serves as a peaceful haven and launchpad for a couple who love exploring the Panhandle and beyond. Completed in 2024, the house features an interior courtyard with a fireplace that honors the town’s legacy as the “Oyster Capital of the World.” It’s a slice of paradise!
Glad Hat Pottery
A working pottery studio—with demonstrations throughout the day—is the first of three buildings being renovated on this corner property, once part of a vibrant business district on The Hill. Tourgoers will have a chance to peek inside the other two buildings, which are well on their way to becoming a guest studio and a woodworking shop.
Phillips-Doherty House
One of the most intriguing residences in Apalachicola, this unique compound sits behind an entryway crafted from shrimp boat outriggers. Built on its current site in 2000, the property includes a Florida Cracker-style house and two shotgun houses, all relocated from a nearby lot. Architectural elements from various sources are woven throughout.
Apalachicola City Square Community Garden
Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just getting your hands dirty for the first time, this community garden is a crowd pleaser. The shared plots reflect the work of about 50 gardeners who maintain 30 raised beds, along with an orchard, pollinator garden, and herb garden. On tour day, growers will be on hand to share insights and answer questions.