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Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 4pm

Rossetter House Museum

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Melbourne, FL
Rossetter House Museum

Rossetter House Museum Brevard County Historical Home Museum, Gardens and event venue.

1320 Highland Ave. Melbourne, FL 32935

04/24/2025

Ella Rossetter, the youngest daughter of James Rossetter who the house is named after, was an avid boater. She was an active members of the Eau Gallie Yacht Club and was often out on the water herself. Here she can be seen sometime in the 1960s, likely near the boathouse she and her sister Carrie Rossetter purchased. We just love how happy she looks! She had many nautical touches in her bedroom, which can be seen on a tour of the Rossetter House. Please call 321 254 9855 to book a tour. Please remember that tours are at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2PM.

04/22/2025

We are so excited to be apart of this years Civil War Day! Come see us this Saturday at the Liberty Bell Museum from 11 Am to 3 PM!

04/20/2025

Happy Easter from the Historic Rossetter House Museum and Gardens

04/18/2025

Tucked away among the plants, we have these butterfly chairs, just waiting for a photo opportunity! A perfect little spot to relax and enjoy a wonderful Florida Spring day. Come see for yourself in our gardens, near the Gazebo on the North Lawn!
Interested in a tour? We are open Wednesday through Saturday with tours at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM. Please call 321 254 9855 for more information.

04/16/2025

Ella Rossetter was a big fan of cooking and baking, and even received an honorary culinary degree from the Florida Institute of Technology. She also collected recipes such as this one for stuffed flounder from 1958. Try it for yourself and let us know what you think!

04/14/2025

Interested in Florida literature? We have room in our book club, Ella's Literary Circle! Our next meeting is on May 10th at 10:30 virtually through Zoom. We will be discussing Totch, A Life in the Everglades by Loren G. "Totch" Brown. Please contact us with your name and email address as space is limited by calling 321 254 9855 or emailing [email protected] for more information!

04/12/2025

Have you ever noticed the spinning wheel in the dining room? This was left to Carrie and Ella Rossetter posthumously by their maternal grandmother. It was built in the mid to late 1800s and often used as a household item to make yarn for clothing and other goods. Carrie and Ella likely never made anything using this spinning wheel, but they cherished it and even had its likeness placed on a rug. We love to display it in the back section of the Rossetter House in the modern-day dining room.

04/10/2025

Our cherry trees are fruiting! We have multiple Surinam cherry trees on the property, but currently the two near the Houston Pioneer Cemetery are creating fruit. Surinam cherries are actually not cherries at all, but rather are more related guavas. These little red fruits have large pits and can be described as smoky in flavor, being much more savory than sweet. While these were popular ornamental plants in Central and South Florida during the 1970s, our trees were planted in honor of James Rossetter. His daughters Carrie and Ella used to keep cherry trees after his death as it was one of his favorite treats while living here. These unique trees can grow in most tropical climates and create these small pumpkin-like fruits that turn deep red when ripe. We just love going out in the garden and picking cherries! If you have any recipes using Surinam cherries, send them to us so we can feature them here and taste snacks using our local fruit!

Interested in seeing them for yourself? Call us at 321 254 9855 or email [email protected] to book a tour Wednesday through Saturday at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM.

04/08/2025

Ella loved her 1931 Model A Ford, seen here! According to family legend, she saw a gentleman driving the Ford past the house one day and stopped him to inquire about purchasing the car. He responded that he would sell it, but could she afford it? In return, she simply smiled and said she would go get her checkbook. She loved to dress the Ford up for holidays, even putting a stuffed Easter Bunny and Santa in the rumble seat! It currently stays in the garage here at the Rossetter House Museum and Gardens, where we keep it in running order.

04/06/2025

The Rossetter House as you see it today was completed in 1908, which makes it over 110 years old. The front part that you see here is actually the newer of the two original structures, built in the late 1890s. It was barged over Elbow Creek from modern Ballard Park after Mr. James Rossetter purchased only the building, excluding land, from Mr. Aspinwall who was a northern industrialist that liked to winter here in Brevard. This is why it became known as the Aspinwall wing. Rossetter had it taken apart by his ship builders and put back together on the property he purchased from Mr. William Roesch and where we can see it today. Over a hundred years of history sure leaves a lot of room for great pictures like this one! Interested in seeing it yourself? We offer tours at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM Wednesday through Saturday. Call 321 254 9855 for more information

04/02/2025

If you’ve ever walked in our garden, you likely noticed the large unique tree on the south lawn. It is a Monkey Puzzle tree, or Chilean Pine, named because the native monkeys of Chile could not climb it due to the spikey branches. Being an evergreen, this tree has limbs that feel like an elongated pinecone. No one is certain how or when this tree was planted, but based on its size likely happened under John Houston. We just love using this tree in our decorating like we did here with our Easter table! Interested in seeing it for yourself? Our gardens are open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM.

03/31/2025

We will be closed for maintenance April 2nd through April 5th. Normal hours to resume April 9th. Please call 321 254 9855 or email [email protected] for more information.

03/29/2025

Small elegant tea party at Rossetter House parlor. Interested in hosting one yourself? Call 321 254 9855 for information.

03/27/2025

On this day in Rossetter History, both Ella Maud Rogero Rossetter and Carrie Rossetter were born! Ella Rogero, the matriarch of the Rossetter family, was born in 1873 while her daughter Carrie was born in 1898. Ella Rogero had four other children, Ella, James Jr, Appleton, and Charles, respectively. The family moved to Eau Gallie in 1908, when Ella Rogero inquired about a traveling Catholic priest so that mass could be said in her home. This later grew into Ascension Catholic Church today. Carrie later went on to become the only woman in Standard Oil or Chevron USA history to have a distributorship, based here in Eau Gallie. To learn more about these inspiring women, book a tour with us Wednesday through Saturday at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM. Call 321 254 9855 for more information.

03/24/2025

Do you just love a bright green Spring day? Here we have the North Lawn, ready and waiting for you to bring a picnic or just stroll the grounds. Interested in learning about the local history? Call 321 254 9855 or email [email protected] to book a tour. Tours are Wednesday through Saturday at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM. Come visit us today!

03/22/2025

We will be closed for tours this morning as we have our Book Club. We will be discussing Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food by Fred Opie. Tours resume at 2 PM. Please call 321 254 9855 for more information

03/19/2025

Our Suriname Cherries are growing nicely! In just a few weeks we'll be able to pick some ripe fruit off of the trees on the property! These were planted in honor of James Rossetter, as his daughters Carrie and Ella planted and maintained the cherry trees because they were a particular favorite of James. Come by and see them for yourself!

Call 321 254 9855 or email [email protected] for more information

Address

1320 Highland Avenue
Melbourne, FL
32935

Opening Hours

Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Website

http://www.rossetterhousemuseum.org/

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