2.Daniel Gillis House

Built around 1893, the Daniel Gillis House is a well‑preserved example of the five‑bay Classical Revival cottage that came to define residential architecture in Apalachicola during the late nineteenth century. Distinguished by its balanced façade and decorative bargeboard trim, the house reflects both the craftsmanship and the prosperity of the town during its lumber‑driven heyday. 

The home was originally owned by Daniel Gillis, a riverboat captain who hauled logs for the Cypress Lumber Company, one of the enterprises central to Apalachicola’s economic life at the time. As such, the house stands as a tangible link to the working waterfront and to the people whose livelihoods shaped the town’s character. 

Today, the house is the home of Lu Anne Judson, who purchased the property with her husband, Ron, in September 2022. After years spent maintaining a home on St. George Island, the couple was drawn to the sense of community found in Apalachicola. As Lu Anne notes, the house feels “solid” and reassuring, even in wind and rain—a testament to its enduring construction. 

Thoughtful updates have been made while respecting the home’s historic character. The kitchen and baths were renovated using materials from Lowe’s, with custom tile work completed by Ken Marr of St. George Island. Replacement windows were crafted from cypress by a builder in Eastpoint, maintaining material continuity with the original structure. 

Inside, the house is filled with personal history. Upstairs bedrooms include a space affectionately known as “Marianne’s room,” named for Lu Anne’s sister and offering springtime views framed by magnolia blossoms. A Jack‑and‑Jill bath upstairs and generous primary dressing room add to the home’s livability. 

One room serves as a memorial to Ron, an industrial arts teacher and skilled woodworker. He crafted the bunk beds, porch furniture, and several interior pieces, including benches and clocks still in use today. An elephant sculpture carved from a single piece of wood brought back from Africa, along with coins collected from travels around the world and a 1942 photograph of Lu Anne’s father during World War II, reflect a life rich in experience and connection. 

Together, history, craftsmanship, and personal story make the Daniel Gillis House a vivid and welcoming reflection of Apalachicola’s past and present.

3.Marks-Wade House

This circa‑1900, three‑bay Classic Revival cottage is a center‑hall design with 12‑foot ceilings and original heart‑pine walls that immediately reflect its age and craftsmanship. The house originally sat on Bay Avenue and was home to Myrtle Theobold and Dewitt Marks in the early 1900s. When the Marks moved next door to a larger home at 115 Bay, their first house began a remarkable journey of its own.

In the 1940s, Ikie Wade purchased the cottage and had it moved to its current location. Longtime residents recall that Herbert and Newman Marshall, sons of noted builder George Marshall, were involved in the move. Others remember that workers from Wade’s Menhaden fish processing plant helped roll the house along oyster‑shell streets on logs—a process that reportedly took several days. During that relocation, a kitchen and a small front porch were added.

A significant yet sensitive renovation occurred in 2004, when a wraparound front porch and roof dormers were added and the attic was built out. Several hundred square feet were gained without altering the original footprint, preserving the home’s historic proportions.

Kathy Chesser and Conrad Walser purchased the home in 2017 after relocating from Key West. The couple met in 2000 and spent years traveling the back roads between Key West and New Orleans, stopping for oysters along the way. Apalachicola always felt like home. Kathy famously insisted they move no farther from her children than the distance from Key West to Bradenton—and Apalachicola came in two miles closer.

The house reflects both history and personal taste, from a flip‑top tigerwood desk found in an antique shop in Bradenton to artwork by local artist Larry Bocher. In the center hall is a model ship Conrad inherited from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a connection that traces back to his father’s godmother, who served as FDR’s personal secretary. Conrad’s father also worked for Rockefeller.

In the living room is a Joseph Stella print; Stella was an Italian‑born American Futurist painter, a friend of Picasso, and part of the early twentieth‑century Bohemian art world. He was also the husband of Conrad’s paternal grandmother! Stella was featured in Time magazine, and one of his paintings appeared on the cover of Town & Country in 1932

Conrad, a former exporter of farm implements who traveled the world and speaks fluent Spanish, now tends the home’s spring and winter gardens—proof that this well‑traveled house has truly found its place.

4. The Gathering Oaks

Originally a 1950s ranch-style home, The Gathering Oaks has been thoughtfully reimagined into a warm, modern retreat for Kim Harker and Tom Bradberry. Drawing from Tom’s Auburn roots and Kim’s Asheville heritage, the couple found common ground in Apalachicola’s easygoing coastal rhythm, shaping a home that feels both personal and deeply connected to its place. 

The one-level residence is anchored by French oak floors and floor-to-ceiling doors that open onto a generous veranda, blurring the line between indoors and out. Encircled by eight live oaks, the property unfolds into a lush jungle garden, a Mediterranean kitchen garden, and wildflowers that reflect Kim’s love of gardening—often shared with Henry, their King Charles Cavalier. As Kim puts it, “We made the inside out and the outside in.” 

A two-story structure tucked behind the main house adds both function and flexibility. Built by Tom and Kim, it houses Tom’s woodworking shop below and a studio guest space above. The couple lived here during the renovation, and the upstairs studio now features a desk and credenza crafted by Tom himself. 

Inside the main home, art collected from around the world brings layered meaning, complemented by works from Santa Rosa Beach artist and longtime friend Doug Foltz. Thoughtful details appear throughout, from a petrified wood vanity in the powder room to a cypress dining table using wood dredged from the water and end tables finished by Tom. 

This is not the couple’s first renovation, but one of many, including a historic Asheville cottage. Rooted in community and creativity, The Gathering Oaks is a home designed for gathering, making, and living with intention—an invitation to reimagine what a ranch house can become. 

5. Resurrection House

Like the resurrection fern that springs back to life after a rainfall in the oak tree out front, Chris Presnell brought new vitality to this once‑dilapidated dwelling through a thoughtful and deeply personal transformation. Originally built around 1930 on a lot that previously held a similar one‑story frame vernacular house, the home has been carefully expanded and renewed while honoring its modest origins. 

Working from the original shotgun plan, Chris added a wing that introduced two bedrooms and two baths, seamlessly extending the home’s footprint. In the main living area, original beams were preserved, now rising overhead to form a cathedral ceiling that gives the space both height and warmth. Poplar floors, milled by an Amish company in Tennessee, ground the interiors with natural texture and craftsmanship. 

Rather than conceal the home’s age, Chris embraced it. The original wallboard—with all its waves and crookedness—remains intact, offering subtle reminders of the house’s past. One particularly charming detail is the wide‑to‑narrow baseboard beneath the sink, left just as it was found. Reclaimed pine wood, complete with square nails, was gifted by a friend and transformed into hand‑milled paneling beneath the L‑shaped kitchen island, which features an induction cooktop and granite countertops. 

Family history is woven throughout the home. A photograph of Chris’s grandfather, a machinist at the Jim Woodruff Dam, hangs above a small wooden chest he made for Chris’s first birthday. Nearby are images of a great‑grandfather who served as a lighthouse keeper on Lake Pontchartrain and reminders of family roots on Horn Island, Mississippi. 

A newly constructed porch now links the main house to a once‑forgotten one‑room structure, reimagined as an office and guest space. Built‑from‑scratch cabinetry, an original door, and an outdoor “scuba board” shower complete the space. With modern updates such as foam insulation and hurricane straps, Chris has achieved his goal: a home that is thoroughly livable today without losing its enduring charm.