Every inch of this house on Demere Key (just off Pine Island) is encrusted with seashells. It is mind boggling to think about adhering each and every one of those whelk and conch shells to the outside walls….. much less, collecting all of them together!
The house was originally built by Phil Degraff to be a winter resort and named it Sea Grape Lodge.
The lodge closed a number of years ago and now is a private residence so we tried to be as respectful as possible while driving by in our boat…. but it’s like stopping in front of a house with every inch covered in christmas lights… it’s mesmerizing!
Oh my, I couldn’t get enough this gorgeous place… I was on overload with seashell eye candy!
After first posting this, I received some rich historic information from quite a few people who commented on this post. Please click on the title or comments to read many wonderful stories of folks who either stayed on Demere Key or have fond memories of the property.
wow i would love to live in that house. it would be fun to just walk around the house looking at every shell!!!
This is an awesome house. I had the opportunity of walking around the grounds and meeting the women who lives there. She does a wonderful job of the landscaping. To see it from the other side is also just as amazing. I was in awe the whole time and would like to read of more of the history.
I had the pleasure of attending a wedding there in 2002. The house was fascinating! It was lavishly updated however the historical charm was tastfully retained. A once in a lifetime opportunity considering it is now a private residence.
Amazing!
Awesome!!!!
Would love to be able to see it in person.
I went to Pam’s Small Serendipities website; the history of this structure is fascinating! I wondered how Mr. Demere came up with all those shells and was amazed by the answer. Thanks, Pam, for yet another virtual “shelling” trip!
that is incredible! I wanna live there when I grow up!
omg! what a labor of love. must have been sad to leave behind. off pine island where?? i’ll be looking for it!
It is called Demere Key. It is @ the end of Maria Dr. On Pine Island.
Look at all those huge whelks.
Now that’s a dream home :)
WOW!! Absolutely gorgeous :)
Oh my gosh! How crazy amazing!!! I have to feature this!!!
Now that’s what I call the ULTIMATE sheller’s dream! Fabulous!
That’s amazing! I can’t believe that’s here in FL! I am dragging my husband to see this one on our way to beautiful Sanibel in a few weeks!
Hi there, just realised I’d left the “s” off my blog there… What a dope I am…
This house is insane and it’s my dream home. Seriously. Isn’t it just the most divine thing you’ve ever seen. No wonder you couldn’t get enough. I so have to visit your part of the world. Pruxxx
Wow, what a seashell house!!
Wow what a place..Just think about finding those shell mounds and deciding to do such a fantastic project with them.Wonder how long it took.
On my way to Sanibel in the morning. i cannot beleive my eyes, that someone could attach all those shells and I just want to find a few good ones.
Pam, can this only be seen by boat?
Yes, I believe that by boat is the only way you can see it.
That is the most beautiful house in the world! I think i can speak for everyone who reads this website when i say that i would love to live there!
WE visited the Sea grape in the late 60.s and had dinner ther, it’s a amazing place.The the name of the man was Phil Degraff
rocky and diane, ahhhh, so cool. Did you take pictures? I’d love to know if the inside had been encrusted with whelks in any way….. or if they used shells in any other decor or mosaics.
I am very familiar with that house and it’s history, you have a few things wrong, first of all the Island was named Demere Key, The island is named for its early owner, Lewis Deméré (1813 – About 1880), who was born at St. Simons Island, Georgia. He and his wife, Virginia Clancy Barnard Deméré (1821–1900) and son, Raymond Barnard Deméré (1843–1905) lived on the island until about 1880. The mna who built Seagrape lodge is named Phil DeGraff. Also, he did not collect the shells himself, it’s actually a sad story because local word of mouth has it that he offered cash to commercial fisherman for each boatload of Whelks they could deliver to him, unfortunately that meant they destroyed centuries old Indian Mounds to get those giant Whelks, it’s been extremely rare for many years to find Whelks of that size. you can find lots more info if you visit the sanibel library, the captiva library and the pine island library, it’s sad that so much of our rich history is accurately known by so few and they disappearing rapidly.
nice story though and a very cool house, there is also some evidence to support that the original fence around the Island was built by the Calusa out of Whelks
Thank you so much Arthur for such great info and for the corrections. I had a hard time finding any info on this house but I figured it has some great stories.
Thank you Arthur for the info. We did go to the library on Captiva but we didn’t know the exact name at the time. I’am fascinated by this island and house. I am so glad we got the chance to see it.
I actually vacationed there as a teenager with my parents and sister when the lodge was in its first few years in operation. Phil DeGraph owned a lodge dating back to the late 1930s in Trout Lake Michigan in “da UP” which is now a private residence. It was a seasonal operation and Phil built Sea Grape Lodge to have a winter operation. We visited Phil DeGraph’s lodge several summers.
Phil was a colorful guy. He always wore swim trunks and a matching cabana shirt. The Michigan operation was on Wegwas Lake which he owned completely and only non powered boats were allowed. The plans were all inclusive with great foot prepared at both locations. He did not serve alcohol… believed the food would stand on its merit. Phil published a cook book approptiately titled “Birches, Beaches, & Belches”.
Simply amazing!!!!! Thank you for sharing
My wife & our 5year old son spent a glorious 2 weeks in the Lodge in 1962. Phi was a great cook and host. A marvelous place we never forgot.
My first wife and I were invited to join the Seagrape Lodge back in the early 60’s by Judge and Mrs. John B. Fassett. As I understand it Phil Degraff was short on money and the Judge and a swimming pool contractor owned the lodge but Phil ran the lodge. Phil, I heard was a Methodist Minister at one time and had not only a degree in biology, but one in Theology as well. He prided nimself in growing things that the local garden club said could not be grown that far south. Phil was a fantastic chef, story teller and tour guide. Many happy evenings with friends were spent there until he got ill. He tried to turn the place over to the adubon society and many other organizations but wound up selling to the Judge and pool contractor. That is all I know about it. Correct me if I am wrong on the facts. OK?
John W. Vaughn, Jr.
The pool contractor was Gully Pools in Fort Myers and I believe it was Mrs. Gully’s father who lived on the Island in a house to the side of the Sea Grape Lodge in the early 80’s.
I stayed there for a weekend several years back. it was vacant at the time. I have a cookbook written by Phil DeGraff that gives all the details of it’s history along with with many of his recipes. He was quite a character as evidenced by reading his book. The book is called Birches, Beaches, & Belches.
Thank you for even more info, Karen! It’s so much fun to grab bits and pieces from everybody’s fond memories of this marvelous place.
I grew up on Pine Island. In the mid 60’s ,not quite sure what year, my aunt and uncle were caretakers at Seagrape Lodge. I was about 13 or 14, and went out there to spend the weekend. It was the most awesome place. There weren’t any guests at that time, so my cousin and I wandered around and just enjoyed it. It seemed like a dream. I always wondered about it, and so it was so nice to see this website.
I ride past this house 6 days a week going to work on Useppa Island. I had remembered seeing a show about it before I started working there. It is just one of the awesome sights I get to enjoy daily.
I really want to add to this story that Phil built the house with the aid and hard work of my grandfather Joe Berry. He met my grandfather in flandrau South Dakota Indians School and picked him out of some young men to help him build the Trout Lake Lodge and my grandfather helped him with the lodge and to build that house of seashells. Story Goes Phil walked into the Flandreau school and said who can handle a hammer and saw and my grandfather raised his hand. My grandfather was student body president and also held records for running track. I have one of the original copies Birches beaches & belches and my grandfather is pictured and spoken about in that book. Thank you for reading this I’m very proud of my beautiful Native American grandfather.
Sorry for the typos but I hope you enjoy the story
Hello Tammy. My name is Carroll Stuart, My mothers name was Elizabeth Redthunder Stuart, having married a white man. I went to Flandreau Indian Vocational High School myself although later than your grandfather Joe Berry. 1947 to 1950. The school was an excellent vocational school teaching many vocations and helped many graduating students find good jobs. The school still exists but is only a regular high with no vocational training curriculum. In the spring of 1949 after finishing 11th grade a couple of guys showed up and wanted to find some guys to work at a summer resort in Upper Michigan for the summer. I was one of the volunteers and worked there that summer of 49. We met Phil Degraff who was a tall kind of imposing figure to us. He was white haired. His wife was also tall and a nice person to us. They divided us up into cabin boys and the main lodge boys. We switched jobs in the middle of the summer. There was a Indian cook who shared the cooking with Phil. He told me he knew my sister Phyllis. She went to Flandreau from 1938 to 1942. I could never remember this guys name until I researched Phil Degraff and found this site and found your message on here.
So my question is Did Joe Berry also cook for Phil? And maybe he knew my sister. I hope you get this message and if Joe cooked then for Phil then I will know that he is the guy who told me then that he knew my sister. Thank you Tammy if I get a response. And I am going to see if I can find the book too. My time there was a good memory for me.
I am so sorry to have not seen this reply before but yes he did cook he was a fabulous cook.. Anyways nice to meet you I’ve been to Flandreaue many times! I have a personally signed copy of Birches beaches and belches by Phil yes but I filled a graph but yes my grandpa did cook with Him!
From what I can remember Joe Barry never worked in the kitchen only if a repair was needed. High to have great memories I’ll fill the graph as I spent a dozen or so summers as my parents rented a cottage for two months during the season. Phil was the character who could intimidate anyone and everyone he pleased as long as you let them once sort of put in His Pl., Phil never bothered you again and treated you with the highest degree of respect one thing that no one can ever complain about is the food I do remember the female cook I don’t remember her name other than perhaps Maddie Phil would produce lunches and dinners daily Seth would knock you off your feet I believe on the Fourth of July maybe it was Memorial Day he’d cook a whole pig and lay it out there with an apple in its mouth for the enjoyment of all of his guests the other thing he used to do was take side trips all we took one to the lower Tahquamenon Falls which no one‘s probably heard of an end that was a day trip that was terrific we also took a trip to Lake superior where the water was so cold you had to get out just to survive but not Phil Phil go away out in the lake come back with buckets of water to be used for cooking and coffee the other thing I remember was the fact that he always had a young deer around the day as children we could feed with a bottle with a nipple on the end and he would always call for the dinner meal by some kind of a Yotto that almost reminded me of that where is used by the comedian Carol Burnett at the end of her show once past Labor Day he close Michigan and travel down to Florida I never got down there to see it but from what I understand it was terrific I’m approaching 80 now so you can tell that my memory may not be as good as it used to be but it is just wonderful to hook up through somebody who knew about the wonderful photograph and his vacationHighlights
I live on Maria Drive and have met the woman who currently lives there about 7 years ago. She was in her late 70’s or early 80’s when I met her. I have fished the area around her house many times and always marveled at all the shells on the property.
It’s a place that I would love to own but last I heard she was leaving the property to the state wildlife department. There’s a large section of property on Maria called Demere preserve which I believe they donated to prevent any development.
Hello,
I am a retired charter boat Captain from this location. I live 4mins down the street and made a nice place as well. I would launch my boat from here along with other guides and drove by several times a day. It is amazing each time. My wife and I always say ” that’s where I’m going to live one day”, and smile at each other. In the mornings you can hear the peacocks crying out loudly. I always told my clients that it was monkeys. I told them the truth and we all got a kick out of it. There was a couple who lived there but the man passed and now it’s the lady. She’s old and incredible. She use to have a enormous bird cage on top of the house but hurricane Charley or another storm bent it up and it was removed. After Charley hit I remember her placing huge rocks on her causeway that leads out to the home. I thought to myself how strong she must be. She did the whole thing Charley had ripped many mangroves from the drive. It was also crazy to see UPS trucks rolling down the stretch. Because there’s water on every side. The country owed her some money and was late paying. So she took a gigantic boulder and placed it in such a way that it was a terrible nuisance. I had to drive around it all the time and I loved it. Good for her. How clever. She was paid and removed the boulder. I wonder what will happen to this place when she passes. I would love to take care of it. Although I would probably put a few cannons in the yard to give it more history. After all we live on an island and pirates did as well. I have them in my yard.
Regards,
Captain Greg Hood
Does anyone know how this house fared with Hurricane Ian?
I think it interesting that it’s on the National Register of Historic Places as an archaeological dig but is not accessible. Also, the Lee County Property Appraiser’s office does not show who owns it. I don’t know why it gets an exemption from this, but it’s not usual. I mean, I don’t think everyone would go harassing the owner. Maybe someone will write them and get that information so we can know.