Miss Colleen's House

    Miss Colleen's House, a grand, old late Victorian home, was built in 1897 by her father, Edward Brodbeck, in what is now Point Clear's historic district. Colleen Brodbeck, was the daughter of Edward and Rosina Brodbeck and lived in the home until 1974.

 Family portraits and pictures line the bead board walls, while a few original pieces of furniture are on display. Miss Colleen's House is on the National Register of Historic Places as one of six buildings in the Point Clear historic district.

   This sprawling Victorian home was built in 1897, and took three years to complete. (Remember, there was no electricity so all the lumber had to be sawed by hand.) The logs had been selected by Edward Brodbeck at Moss Point, Mississippi, and were floated to Point Clear where the logs were made into lumber at the family saw mill.

   The upstairs, or attic, of the home is floored, but not finished. The primary object of the attic was for forced air-cooling for the long hot summers. The upstairs' dormer windows, long hall downstairs with doors opening opposite one another (both with transoms) made for cool air flow down the hall and through the rooms. The trunks brought over from Germany by the family (circa 1896) are still in the attic. Today, we use most of the attic as storage space.

   The area of the candy kitchen represents the old kitchen, which originally was apart from the house, connected by the porch and breezeway. The old wood stove stood where our present stove is placed, and the sink in the same location.

   Twelve children lived in this home - 3 of the Brodbeck family and 9 of the Zundel family, nieces and nephews, who were taken in after their parents had died. The house was originally lighted with gas lights and heated with fireplaces and wood burning stoves. Electricity was installed in 1926.

  The end two rooms (West) had been bedrooms. Today, they are the storage and packing area for Punta Clara Kitchen. Some of the furniture from these rooms has been placed in other rooms, while family is using various other pieces.

  Dorothy Brodbeck Pacey, the original founder and owner of Punta Clara Kitchen, is the granddaughter of Edward Brodbeck. She inherited the house in 1974 from her Aunt Colleen. Today part of the home houses Punta Clara Kitchen, which is owned and operated by Miss Colleen's great-niece and great-nephew and their familes.

  Come see us in Point Clear and enjoy a step back into a simpler time. We hope to see you soon.