Due to the horrendous hurricanes, many explorers were scared off from settling.

The founder of Navarre was Guy Wyman, a colonel in the United States Army. During World War I, he met a French nurse named Noelle. At the time, immigration policies would not allow him to bring her to the United States as a fiancée or even as a wife, but he could bring her back as his legal child.

Col. Wyman therefore adopted her, and brought her back to the Florida panhandle, where he purchased a large amount of land. Noelle named their holdings Navarre, after the province in Spain, near France. Wyman platted the town in 1925, but made no steps towards development. However, during the Great Depression, the Wymans could not pay the taxes on it, and were forced to begin selling it off. Part of that property is where the Navarre Park is today.

In 1930 and 1931, Col. Wyman served as an engineer in the construction of the original Pensacola Bay Bridge. After later moving to Valparaiso, Florida, he served as an engineer at Eglin Air Force Base.

Emerald Coast

Navarre Beach is part of the Santa Rosa Barrier Islands and part of the Emerald Coast.  The Emerald Coast is sometimes referred to as the “Redneck Riviera”.

Picture of Navarre Beach in the 1970s

Jaws 2

From Wikipedia:  Much of the 1978 film Jaws 2 was filmed at Navarre Beach. Hotel scenes in the movie were filmed at the Navarre Beach Holiday Inn Holidome, a complex subsequently destroyed by Hurricane Ivan. A 160-room Springhill Suites hotel is expected to begin construction on the former Holiday Inn site in 2015 to replace the former complex.

The beginning of Jaws 2 when the band is playing is at the Holiday Inn Holidome.

Jaws 2 — The majority of filming was at Navarre Beach in Florida, because of the warm weather and the water’s depth being appropriate for the shark platform. The company was at this location from August 1 until December 22, 1977. The production “was a boost to the local economy because local boaters, extras and stand-ins or doubles were hired. Universal brought in actors, directors, producers and their wives, camera and crew people who needed housing, food and clothing for the movie.

Services were needed for laundry, dry-cleaning and recreation.” Navarre’s Holiday Inn “Holidome” was used as the film’s headquarters, with the ground floor converted into production offices, and some of the Gulf-front suites remodelled for David Brown and Roy Scheider. Universal rented 100 of the hotel’s 200 rooms, spending $1 million. Boats and parts for their maintenance were purchased from local businesses. One proprietor said that he sold “Universal approximately $400,000 worth of boats and equipment”. The Holidome was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

From Von Babasin:  “The Special Effects of Jaws 2 took over the west parking lot and built our compound where we worked on the shark and all the other SPFX gags we did for the film. . . this is a shot of the shark hanging in dry dock, before he ever touched water. . . his paint job is perfect and this is obviously before he gets burned at the beginning of the movie. . .”

From Von Babasin:  “It was a barge with fiberglass rocks all over it . . . I was on dive duty to keep tying the rocks down . . . they were attached with number nine wire and rib bar but the waves would literally bounce the rocks and the bars would saw the fiberglass . . . so, we kept having to tie them down tighter so they wouldn’t bob up and down during the shot . . .”

From Von Babasin:  “I think it’s the best BTS pic from the film . . . I’m on a boat that the cable the shark bites into is attached to and on my other side is the crane lowering the cameraman into the water in his wetsuit to get the shot . . .”

Picture of Navarre Beach in 1990

Picture of Navarre Beach in 1997

Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola in September 2004.  I did not own property here yet, but visited right after the devastation!  When I was flying over Escambia Bay, I was amazed at all of the homes that had pools.  Nope! Those were blue tarps that I was seeing as my plane flew in.  The boats at the docks were completely catawampus.  It was surreal!

Ann, my dear friend, was living in Pensacola when the storm hit.  There were reports of a 32 ft. storm surge.  The sewage plant was only built for a 30 ft. surge.  Consequently, the sewage plant flooded and all water nearby was contaminated.  

Ann’s Sailboat

Ann owned a beautiful sailboat that was tossed about during Hurricane Ivan.  Later she found it all by its lonesome on a sand bar.  It was in knee deep water.  I wanted to board it and take what we could salvage.  The water was still considered contaminated even though it looked crystal clear. We had to walk away.

Prohibition

It wasn’t until 2007 that the county repealed its prohibition on alcohol. And today there are great waterfront watering holes and even Ye Olde Brothers Brewery.

Tornado

Talk about the tornado that came through, took out part of the Escambia Bay Bridge, a car fell through (driver and passenger(s) survived).  Then proceeded to take out one of the townhomes that I was about to purchase on Scenic Highway.

Army UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter Crash

On March 10, 2015, a UH-60 from Eglin Air Force Base crashed in the Santa Rosa Sound off the coast of the community of Navarre. All eleven on board were believed killed. On November 18, 2016 Leadership Santa Rosa Class 29 unveiled the Navarre Black Hawk Memorial in Navarre Park. The memorial was built to honor the men who died in the Black Hawk crash and anyone who has paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to the United States.

News article here.

The memorial is now a permanent installation at Navarre Park, 8543 Navarre Parkway.

Hurricane Sally

Hurricane Sally hit October 2020.  We did not flood as my condo is on the 6th floor.  However, we did have water seepage from the East windows and balcony.  It turned out that six of the nine floors had water seepage via the East windows. For me, the wall had 99% saturation.  There also was water damage in the ceiling in both bathrooms.

All in all, my condo had minimal damage.  The homes across Gulf Blvd, not so much.

Across Gulf Blvd.

The Gulf is looking mighty angry at this point.

The water came all the way up to the Navarre Beach Regency walkover.

 The Santa Rosa Sound flooded the ground floors of these homes.

The Turner House

By Michelle Mobley reposted by All Things Emerald Coast via Facebook:

In an empty lot at the end of paradise next to a sign declaring “Florida’s Most Relaxing Place” on a prime plot sits “The Turner House” once purchased for $2.2 million and subject to disgruntled beach homeowners and the county alike, it now sits like a monument, ravaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Dennis in 2005, and home to nothing more than spiders, odd nesting shorebirds and occasional vagrants with the best Gulf views you can get.

The beauty of its silence and its weathered brick have become part of the landscape to locals, many a dream dreamt of renovation by passerby’s, and the possibilities that could be breathed into its tired neglected bones.

It beckons with a sad song, and an overpowering dominance that tells the story of the weather and its consequences along the beautiful coastline that is the entrance to the “National Seashore”.

Like so many, it has captured my imagination. I was interested in its story, history and abandonment.  It left me with nothing but questions and a desire to resolve them.

And maybe that’s the real story here, the mystery . . .

It sits at 7315 Gulf Blvd, Navarre Beach, FL 32566.  More pictures can be found on Zillow.  Some have referred to it as the “Court House”.  Others have referred to it as the “Mafia House”.

On Zillow, it shows this home being built in 1997.  However, some say it was built in 1977.  Could they possibly be referring to this home that stood before it?

 

Navarre Beach residents want ‘Turner houses’ demolished 

News article here along with video.

PLEASE NOTE:  If there is anything that I have missed, omitted, or is significantly wrong, please drop an email to:  TheGreatBeachEscape@gmail.com. While I aim for accuracy, I am a flawed human.

 

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