Welcome to Haven House
"You can find inspiration, even when you're not looking for it."
- Judy Woodruff
Explore the places and stories that helped shape the world of Haven House.
Built in the 1800s, the original Wesley House sits on the shores of Tucker Bayou and was once home to a sawmill business. Around 1963, the home was purchased by Miss Lois Maxon, a former reporter for the New York World-Telegram and heir to the industrial manufacturing fortune of Maxon Corp. of Muncie, Indiana. She invested over a million dollars in renovations, calling the home her Eden. When Ms. Maxon's health began to decline, she donated Eden to the state of Florida, allowing the property to become a state park. Eden's location and history served as a large influence for the books.
Originally named Routhland, this historic home in Natchez, LA, was built in 1790. The main house has a Greek revival design and includes 26 Tuscan columns built of brick and stucco that completely encircle it. There are porches with distinctive wrought-iron railings around the entire building on the first and second floors. The first floor includes windows similar to those in Monticello. Dunleith House served as an influence on the design of Haven House.
In 1907, lumber baron Charles Dobson constructed Barefield House in the center of town for his mixed race mistress, Minnie Barefield. After her death ten years later, the home was utilized as a convent school for the Sisters of the Holy Family, a Catholic religious order of African-American nuns based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Since that time, the Schoelles family purchased the home, relocating Barefield House to sit directly off of St. Vincent Sound. On October 10, 2018, the home suffered significant damage from a category 5 hurricane and is currently for sale.
Alys Beach, an unincorporated planned community in Walton County, Florida, is a family dream that came to fruition in 2004. In the late 1970s, Jim Stephens, his wife, Julie and his father, Elton purchased 158 acres of land on the very secluded Highway 30A in the Florida Panhandle.
They named the land Alys Beach for Elton’s wife. While at the time it was just pure scrub oak, sand and blue water, the family had a vision to develop it into a community that was dedicated to architectural excellence and a deep respect for the natural environment.
Known as the "Emerald Coast," the area of 30A is a collection of small, unique, beautiful beach towns that holds the communities of Rosemary Beach, Seaside, Aly's Beach, and Santa Rosa Beach. The name 30A comes from an actual road (County Road 30A) that spans roughly 20 miles along the coastline.