House-hunting for historic relic of decades past

Sallie O’Hara, Administrator of the Friends of A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, asked Historic City News to publish our first “home wanted” classified ad, but, the garage needs to be big enough to hold a 42 ft. by 10 ft. structure.

It seems that a recent ownership change has accelerated the need to find a new home for a historic relic of decades past. Can you guess what it is?

What do Ilia Tolstoy, Ernest Hemingway, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Norton Baskin, Sally Rand, Ross Allen, Gypsy Rose Lee, Thornton Wilder, Eleanor Roosevelt, Fulgencio Batista, Own D Young, Charles Evans Hughes, Gloria Swanson, Benji – and maybe even your own parents – have in common?

They all dined aboard the historic Rocking Ship Bar from the Moby Dick Lounge in the Dolphin Restaurant at Marineland of Florida. The massive structure actually swayed, like a ship, as lounge guests enjoyed dinner and cocktails overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The structure is 42 ft. by 10 ft. and needs additional circulation area for use.

If you have an interest in finding a home for this A1A treasure, O’Hara asks you to call her at 904-540-0402. “This is a treasure to save,” she told Historic City News.

Designated in 2002, the A1A Coastal Byway consists of 72 miles along St. Johns and Flagler counties and the Atlantic Ocean. The byway is rich in history, nature, archeology, culture, scenery and recreation. The Friends of A1A benefit residents and travelers by protecting, preserving, enhancing and maintaining the intrinsic resources of the byway while allowing economic development.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News contributed photograph by marine-land.com