Restoration work begins on historic Captain Sewall House in Jensen Beach

JENSEN BEACH Restoration of the historic Captain Sewall House began last week and by this fall, the project will finally make the home into the focal point it deserves to be at Indian RiverSide Park.

The house, built in the late 1800s, was the home of Capt. Henry Sewall, a Dade County legislative representative. The home also served as a post office in its early days and a bootlegging site in the 1920s.

The Martin County Historic Preservation Board issued a Certificate of Appropriateness for the Captain Sewall House last week. The board's purpose is to protect and preserve historically relevant buildings and properties.

The Certificate of Appropriateness acknowledges the house's 2009 listing on the Martin County Historic Register because of its age and its occupants and grants permission to the county to begin restoring the building to its original glory.

"It definitely needs some work," said Bonnie Landry, Martin County Community Development specialist.

Restoration began with prepping the site for the work that is to come. One bedroom will be removed that was added later in the home's life. It will be re-roofed with wooden shingles. The front porch will be restored, and windows, doors and shutters will be replaced, all with historical accuracy in mind.

The house, originally located on Old St. Lucie Boulevard, was relocated in 2006 to Indian RiverSide Park by barge down the St. Lucie River because the area in which it sat was going to be redeveloped. When the county and Fred Ayers, a private citizen, learned the new property owners had no interest in the home's preservation, they moved fast to save the building. Ayers donated $50,000 to help with the relocation.

When restoration is completed in September, the Captain Sewall House will join the Mansion at Tuckahoe as the second historic home in the park.

Already completed around the blue house is a boardwalk, similar to the one attached to the original home, which will lead visitors into the mangroves behind the building.

"We're going to have this rich history in the county and keep it for years to come," said Randall Saumier, manager of capital projects for Martin County.

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Restoration work begins on historic Captain Sewall House in Jensen Beach