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March is Women’s History Month, and to kick it off, I want to share a historic home I recently discovered in Melbourne, Florida.
If you’ve ever toured historic homes, you’ve probably noticed that much of the story centers around the accomplishments of the men who built or owned them. The Rossetter House is one of those rare and refreshing exceptions.
The Rossetter sisters stepped into business and leadership roles in 1921 after their father died suddenly — something highly unusual for women of that era. Their story is one worth telling and I trust you will find it remarkable, like I have.
MELBOURNE, FL
Rossetter House Museum
Admission: $15 per person
Call 321-254-9855 to reserve your tour time.
In 1859, John Carroll Houston IV traveled from Mayport, Florida, to Eau Gallie with his brother Giles. They selected a 160-acre tract of land to develop under settlement practices of the time. Slave laborers built several cabins on what is now the Rossetter property, and one of those cabins became the foundation of the east wing of the home. (See photo below.)
The cabin was later purchased by John McAlister after he fell in love with one of the Houston daughters. The surrounding land was gifted to the couple as a wedding present. Over time, the small cabin was expanded — first into a two-room home, then with an additional first-floor room, and eventually a sleeping loft.
The Cabin was the lower right portion of the home where the green garden hose is.
This room was the original cabin that became the Kitchen for the Rossetter Family
Public records show the property changed hands several times between 1887 and 1904, when James and Ella Wadsworth Rossetter purchased it. They had two daughters, Caroline and Ella, and later three sons. As the family grew, so did the house. James purchased another home in nearby Ballard Park, had it dismantled, moved, and rebuilt next to the original structure, connecting the two with a breezeway. (Taking apart homes and rebuilding them elsewhere was surprisingly common then.)
James was an entrepreneur through and through. One of his ventures included partnership in the Indian River and Lake Worth Fishing Company. Because the fishing company was a major consumer of Standard Oil, he became it’s oil agent in South Brevard County — shipping gasoline by boat to supply the growing area.
His daughter Caroline, known as Carrie, worked alongside him and learned the distributorship business firsthand. That experience would soon prove essential.
Living room and desk
When James died unexpectedly in 1921 at the age of 58, Carrie was just 23 and her sister Ella was 20. Overnight, they became the primary providers for their mother and younger brothers.
Carrie received approval from Standard Oil’s board to run the distributorship for one year. The board members reportedly expected she wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure on her own.
They were very wrong.
She worked long, grueling hours — and not only kept the distributorship, but ran it for another 61 years. Carrie became the first woman oil agent in the region, built gasoline stations throughout Brevard County, and held the only oil contract with the Banana River Naval Air Station’s Civil Air Patrol during World War II (now Patrick Space Force Base).
All of this happened before women were allowed to take out loans, secure mortgages, or open credit cards without a male co-signer. It’s hard to even imagine navigating business under those limitations.
Carrie’s Bedroom. She loved hats and was known for her sense of style.
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And then there was Ella.
She founded the Rossetter Insurance Agency, which remained a Melbourne mainstay until the 1980s. An avid reader, she also kept a small lending library inside her insurance office — an effort that is credited with becoming the first library in Eau Gallie.
Ella’s bedroom. She loved pink and was known for her purse collection. (See below)
Carrie and Ella never married and both lived on the Rossetter property for the rest of their lives (Ella passing in 1993 and Carrie in 1999). In the 1990s, they established the Rossetter Foundation to preserve their family’s homestead and ensure its history would endure. They were deeply involved in philanthropic efforts throughout Brevard County, leaving a legacy that continues to be celebrated today.
What an extraordinary story.
As a businesswoman myself, I can’t help but admire what they accomplished. Even in the mid-1990s through today, being a woman in business comes with challenges — but nothing like what they faced. They were shattering glass ceilings before anyone was even calling them that.
It was such a pleasure to learn their story on the house tour. I left feeling inspired — and grateful.
In the next couple of weeks, I’ll share two nature-focused places to visit before we turn our attention to London for a bit. After that, we’ll travel up the East Coast together.
‘til next week, happy exploring!
Kathleen
