Romar Beach began as a large homestead property with
three miles of beachfront spanning from Gulf State Park
to Hwy 161 in Orange Beach. The original property now
covers only 480 feet. It was a true homestead and the
owners were required to 'till the soil'. Of all attempts over
the years, only the Oleander trees survived. The owners
were business friends from Mobile, Alabama-Spurgeon
Roche and Carl 'Zeke' Martin. The first two letters of
Roche and the first three of Martin formed the name
'Romar'.
Their two houses, built around 1924, were the first
houses built on the beach. It was difficult to access their
property so the two men built their own road south from
Canal Road straight to the beach. This included a wooden
bridge built over the freshwater lakes. Far stability, the
roadway was 'corduroyed' with logs and lumber across
the swamp and sandy land. That road is now 'Power Line
Road'.
Reverse
The 1924 Spurgeon Roche House has survived many
storms. It was originally built on pilings, a second story
was added later and it has been strengthened through
many renovations over the years, Jerry Gilbreath of
Mississippi purchased the Roche house around 1980. In
1991, he turned it into the Original Romar House Bed and
Breakfast. It is still operating
as Alabama's first Gulfside
B & B. The original Carl Martin house stood until 1979
when Hurricane Frederic destroyed it.
Mack Shelby was the caretaker of the Romar Homestead
which was adjacent to Gulf State Park. Lake Shelby,
located within the park, is named for the Shelby family.
Most of the original Roche/ Martin homestead was sold to
developers over the years and many buildings in the area
carry the Romar name including the Romar Beach Baptist
Church, Romar Tower, Romar Place, Romar Beach Condos,
Romar Lake Development, and the Romar Beach Public
Access.
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