Re: Seagrove Villas and Motel
Yes, every year my family loves driving down hwy 395 past the Seagrove Market to take the left on 30-A to pass by the Wheelhouse and the Seagrove Villas and Inn on our way to our vacation spot. For the history buffs, we bought a book several years ago when down in SoWal "The Way We Were" Recollection of South Walton Pioneers. The book details the beginnings of SoWal and is a great read if you love the area. I find myself rereading it over and over again. There is a section on The Seagrove Villas and Inn that is great. According to the book, it states that Paul and Margaret Benedict bought a gulf front lot from C.H. McGee in Seagrove in 1949 and built a house on it. In 1952, they bought 300 feet of gulf front again from C. H. McGee and built 2 duplexes one year and 2 more the next. They named their 8 kitchenette motel Seagrove Manor (Seagrove Villas at the time of the book writing). They added a coffee shop (now The Wheelhouse Restaurant). Years later in 1967 tourists found Seagrove Beach. Paul became a real estate professional and opened the SoWal Branch of Rivard Realty. In 1974, they bought out the original realtor company owner and renamed the company Rivard Realty of SoWal. And the rest is Seagrove history....great pictures in this book as well.
I can only imagine how those homeowners feel...that is my favorite part of sowal 
