Dr. Willis S. Blatchley House

Dr. Willis Stanley Blatchley, one of the nation's most renowned naturalists, built this Dunedin home in 1915 after purchasing two waterfront lots in 1913. He made significant contributions to entomology, ornithology, geology, and botany, authored 13 books, and served as Indiana's state geologist from 1894-1911. Blatchley and his family spent winters in Dunedin between 1913-1940, called their estate "Little Bay," and developed the land each season. He lived in the two-story house until his death in 1940. Built with exceptional sturdiness, the house survived the hurricanes of 1918 and 1921, considered the worst storms on Florida's west coast. Near the home, Blatchley built a viewing platform in an oak tree that he called his "nature nook," where he wrote about animals, plant life, insects, and Caladesi Island, later publishing that work in My Nature Nook. His books My Nature Nook and In Days Agone recorded the natural history of the Dunedin area, and the house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on September 23, 2009.

Dunedin, Florida · United States