Lawndale Historic Museum

Event Description

Lawndale is a historic Rockledge, Florida home built by Hiram Smith Williams. The house is registered on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing structure to the Rockledge Drive Historic District. The house was built in three stanzas - the first beginning in 1874 upon his arrival to the area, the second stanza completed in early 1888, and a final remodeling in late 1891 when the house reached its final form. Williams lived here with his wife Cornelia, his son - Sydney, and his daughter, Myra.

Williams, a carriage builder by trade, relocated to Florida from Alabama to find new prospects during the economic turmoil of the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. He found success not in the building of conveyances, but in agriculture. His 'Lawndale' label citrus, which he grew on groves that eventually amassed hundreds of acres around his home, helped establish central Brevard County as a center of fruit packing. Williams also spent much of his time promoting and leading the community, becoming the first postmaster for Rockledge, serving as County Treasurer, and in the mid-1880s, serving as a State Senator. He established the Brevard Telephone Company in his later life - the first telephone service within Brevard County.

Williams was also a proponent of education, building as part of his home a schoolroom - one of the county's earliest purpose-built spaces devoted to education. This schoolroom was not only used for the education of the Williams children but also of multiple children in the first days of the Rockledge community. Williams and his children spoke multiple languages - and his daughter Myra was a graduate of Rollins College in 1898.

The Williams family lived in the house continuously until Brevard County purchased the house as part of the Beach and Riverfront Purchase initiative in 1989. The house has been restored over the course of twenty years and is now open to the public. 

Regular Hours
The 1st & 3rd Saturday of Every Month from 10 am – 3 pm.

Other Hours
Requests for Tours Outside of the Regular Hours can be submitted via an email to: FriendsofLawndale@gmail.com

Admission – $10 Donation