A letter from the owner, Martha Perry.
In the Spring of 1968, George and I decided we wanted a place in Panama City Beach.
We were 35 years old with six children. George and I came to Panama City Beach with much anticipation. We visited numerous houses hoping we would find one for sale. The owner of one of the houses we stopped by happened to be a Congressman. He told us that he would “sell anything he owned before selling his beach house.” Fortunately for us, we landed in front of a two-story house with a “for rent” sign. We called the number which was answered by Mr. Green, a real estate agent. He passed along information for the owners, Mr. Chuck and his wife, who were interested in selling to us. The next day, we drove to Alabama and soon after, signed the papers on June 1, 1968. Our dream beach home was ours.
In the early days, the beach house was the perfect coastal escape for our family of eight. We traveled to the house as often as possible, often joined by other families and friends. Together, we created countless memories. Our family would soon begin to expand rapidly, while the beach house continues to be the anchor of our time together.
Two hurricanes have visited the beach house. The first was on September 23, 1975, the same day our first granddaughter, Katherine, was born. We had never experienced such devastation. With the help of our daughter, Patricia, we hired a team from Dallas, Texas to help us restore the beach house. The insurance had totaled the home, but we spend every dollar - and then some - to save and even improve it, both inside and out.
20 years later in 1995, another direct hit demolished the properties on both sides, a home to the right and the Young’s Motel to the left. Mr. Young had always been so sweet and let our large family full of little ones borrow their pool. Seeing a foot of ocean water fill the entire downstairs was heartbreaking. Sand and debris overtook the ruined carpets, appliances, and furniture. The porch had washed away, yet the house was there just like it was in 1975. Again, insurance deemed the house as totaled, but we weren’t discouraged. We doubled the size of both kitchens, protected the house with a commercial seawall, and built a patio with a large pool. Once again, we poured more than just the insurance money into our home on the beach. The Perry House has survived these hurricanes because of good judgment giving us good luck. The house has always been treated with the upmost care and attention to detail, even before our time as the owners.
During one of our countless stays at The Perry House, a man in his late 30s stopped by and told me that his parents-in-law were the original owners. He was thrilled by the updates we had made. He shared that he had an original photo of the house and he wanted me to have it. The photo is framed and on display in my home, where I treasure it. I wish I could remember the names of that man and his parents-in-law. In the early 1940s, they were getting a divorce when she asked her then soon-to-be-former husband to build her a beach house where she could live with her daughters on one side and rent the other. Wisely, he built the house out of concrete block, wood ceilings, and concrete floors. The foundation was extraordinarily strong. In fact, the man had met his wife at the beach house. He was part of a group of World War II soldiers renting the extra side and met one of the owner’s daughters during his stay. Eventually, the original owner sold to Mr. Chuck, who eventually sold to us.
The Perry House is home to so many wonderful memories, for our family and many others, from family reunions and weddings to crab hunting and sunset walks on the beach. Our family continues to gather at least twice a year to enjoy time together in the most beautiful setting. Now, my great grandchildren enjoy the beach and pool just like my grandchildren did and my children did. While new generations continue to join the fun, our beach house remains the perfect gathering spot. We hope you enjoy it was much as we do!
