Rossetter House Museum

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

1320 Highland Ave. Melbourne, FL 32935

One of the earliest residents in the Brevard area, John Houston, originally wanted to start a plantation on the property...
07/10/2025

One of the earliest residents in the Brevard area, John Houston, originally wanted to start a plantation on the property we know as the Rossetter House today. One of the crops he intended to plant was pineapple. This plantation never came to fruition with the intervention of the Civil War, but we still have pineapple plants around the patio to demonstrate the tropical nature of Florida. This one is still small, or what Houston would have called a pine, and is about a year away from maturity!

On this day in Rossetter history, William Roesch was born. While not a Rossetter himself, he did rent a cabin from John...
07/08/2025

On this day in Rossetter history, William Roesch was born. While not a Rossetter himself, he did rent a cabin from John Houston that he eventually purchased and added to, which creates the east wing of the house we know today. Roesch came from Wisconsin in the 1870's as a young ambitious man. He married Ada Houston, John Houston’s daughter, and eventually went on to have six children with her. Sadly only one survived to adulthood. He was the first postmaster of Eau Gallie and started the first newspaper in the area. Roesch helped to build up Eau Gallie after its founding, and eventually sold his property and home to James Rossetter helping to build the house we know and love today!

On this day in Rossetter history, John Carroll Houston was born in 1813. While obviously not a Rossetter, he did start t...
07/06/2025

On this day in Rossetter history, John Carroll Houston was born in 1813. While obviously not a Rossetter, he did start the homestead that the Rossetter house is on today. He came to Brevard in the 1850s with his ten slaves, ten children, and wife. He wanted to start a plantation but was unable to grow things and eventually settled on cattle. During the Civil Ware he was a blockade runner for the Confederacy and afterwards rented his cabins and services as a hunting and fishing guide. Being the first white pioneer and settler in the area, he helped create the community and build up what we know today as Eau Gallie. He is buried in the Houston family cemetery, which can be found by the Rossetter House and is a part of our tours. Tours are Wednesday through Saturday at 10 AM, 12 PM, and 2 PM, please call 321 254 9855 for reservations See less

Happy Fourth of July from the Historic Rossetter House Museum and Gardens!
07/04/2025

Happy Fourth of July from the Historic Rossetter House Museum and Gardens!

We will be closed July 4th and 5th in observation of Independence Day. Normal hours resume July 9th. Please call 321 2...
07/02/2025

We will be closed July 4th and 5th in observation of Independence Day. Normal hours resume July 9th. Please call 321 254 9855 or email [email protected] for more information

We are ready for the 4th of July here! How do you plan on celebrating?
07/02/2025

We are ready for the 4th of July here! How do you plan on celebrating?

On this day in Rossetter history, Appleton Rossetter died at the age of 82 in 1990. Born in 1907 he was the second of t...
06/30/2025

On this day in Rossetter history, Appleton Rossetter died at the age of 82 in 1990. Born in 1907 he was the second of the three boys and fourth child of Ella and James Rossetter. He went to Eau Gallie High School and later joined the Navy during WWII. He married Mona and had five children together. A lifelong Eau Gallie resident, he went to college and obtained a law degree then came back to Brevard to practice law. He later became a prominent judge and was an active member of the community. Well loved and respected, he loved this area and his descendants can still found here today.

Interested in Florida literature? We have room in our book club, Ella's Literary Circle! Our next meeting is on July 19t...
06/26/2025

Interested in Florida literature? We have room in our book club, Ella's Literary Circle! Our next meeting is on July 19th at 10:30 virtually through Zoom. We will be discussing Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen. 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!

On this day in Rossetter History, Archie Phillips was born in 1927. He was the beloved gardener of the Rossetter sisters...
06/24/2025

On this day in Rossetter History, Archie Phillips was born in 1927. He was the beloved gardener of the Rossetter sisters, Carrie and Ella, and was the only hired help they employed. He would often be seen in the garden with Ella, and also drove them to and from social events in the area. Having started working for the sisters in the 1960s, he became close to the family and would even take their nephew fishing. Archie also worked for the City of Melbourne. He took great care of the garden and particularly loved the staghorn fern. We still use his fertilizer recipe today!

In the house, we have many little details that can often be overlooked. One that might be easy to walk by is this beaut...
06/22/2025

In the house, we have many little details that can often be overlooked. One that might be easy to walk by is this beautiful mahjong set! Mahjong is a tile based game that originated in China and is usually played with four people. Currently placed in the Gentlemen’s Parlor, this set actually belonged to the matriarch of the family Ella Rogero Rossetter. She loved anything oriental and would play this in her Ladies Parlor while entertaining. The box itself is made of bamboo and the tiles are a hand painted ivory. This set is from the early 1900s, and Ella had to have it imported in order to play the game in her home. You can find many versions of the game online if you want to play, but this set can only be found at the Rossetter House Museum and Gardens!

It seems like a good day to go to the beach, or at least Ella Rossetter certainly thought so! You can see her here in t...
06/20/2025

It seems like a good day to go to the beach, or at least Ella Rossetter certainly thought so! You can see her here in the center wearing a white blouse.

We will be closed this week June 18th- June 21st as our staff attends the Triennial conference for the Southern Associat...
06/17/2025

We will be closed this week June 18th- June 21st as our staff attends the Triennial conference for the Southern Association of Women Historians. Please call 321 254 9855 or email [email protected] for more information

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Melbourne, FL

Opening Hours

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

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