Drivers hurrying along Perdido Beach Boulevard through Orange Beach could easily miss it: a modest yellow house in the Romar Beach neighborhood, tucked among condominium towers and newer beach homes. But the Original Romar House holds a distinction no high-rise can claim. Built in 1924, it is the oldest remaining structure in Orange Beach, and today it operates as a bed and breakfast filled with a century of coastal history and the personal touches of its longtime owner, Jerry Gilbreath.
A retired lawyer, former Mississippi legislator and developer from Laurel, Mississippi, Gilbreath has left his mark in many places over the years. This one, he says, is different from the rest.
“I have a lot of properties in different places, but this one’s a lot more than an investment—it’s personal,” Gilbreath said.
A Century on Romar Beach
The house began its life as a simple getaway for two business associates from Mobile and their families. At the time, the shoreline was a far cry from the crowded landscape that stretches along the beach today. It was a mostly undeveloped strip of sand that ran for about three miles, from what is now Gulf State Park on one end to present-day Highway 161 on the other.
The two men, Spurgeon Roche and Carl “Zeke” Martin, built side-by-side houses on the property just steps from the Gulf of Mexico. Their surnames also gave the neighborhood its name: “Romar” comes from the first letters of Roche and Martin. Anyone who has ever wondered why a stretch of Orange Beach carries such an unusual name now has the answer.
One detail surprises many first-time visitors. What guests see when they drive up to the house today was originally the rear of the building. The front faced the sand and the open waters of the Gulf, a reminder that in the 1920s, the beach itself was the main attraction and the road was little more than an afterthought.
Surviving the Storms
Any structure that has stood on the Alabama coast for 100 years has a storm story or two, and the Original Romar House has plenty. The Martin house next door was lost to Hurricane Frederic in 1979, one of the most destructive storms ever to strike the Mobile Bay region. The Roche house survived, and Gilbreath bought it not long afterward.
The sturdy structure has weathered countless storms before and since. One of the fiercest tests came in September 2004, when Hurricane Ivan battered the Alabama coast and made landfall near Gulf Shores. Ivan left several feet of sand inside the house and in the pool, but the old home endured once again.
That kind of resilience is part of what makes the house so meaningful in a city that has been largely rebuilt over the past few decades. Orange Beach, which was incorporated in 1984, grew rapidly into one of the Gulf Coast’s busiest resort destinations, and repeated hurricanes have claimed many of the older cottages that once lined the shore. The Original Romar House is a rare survivor from the era before the high-rises arrived.
A Bed and Breakfast That Feels Like Grandma’s House
Gilbreath opened the home as a bed and breakfast in 1991. There are seven guest rooms in all, including rooms in an adjoining cottage, and it seems that nearly every feature and furnishing comes with its own story.
Despite its humble beginnings, the inn has matured with an elegance that reflects its owner’s more worldly tastes. Some of its decorative pieces, including brass light fixtures, stately wooden doors and richly colored stained glass windows, came from mansions in New Orleans, another of Gilbreath’s favorite places.
“Jerry is very eclectic, and the house is Louisiana-inspired because he loves Louisiana,” said Lilia Bard, who manages the B&B. “It’s charming and it has a lot of history because it’s 100 years old, but another thing that sets it apart is it doesn’t have that same beach vibe as the other places around here. When you walk in, you almost feel like you’re walking into Grandma’s house or like you’re coming home.”
For many guests, that is exactly the appeal. The warm, comfortable home offers a relaxing alternative to bustling hotels and high-rise condominiums. Gilbreath visits every few months and enjoys mingling with the people who stay there.
Almost Like a Museum
In 2024, the house marked a century since its construction with an open house and weekend celebration, and Gilbreath’s visit coincided with the festivities.
“We had 150 people come by for the open house, and many of them said they had been passing by this place for years and wanted to stop in and see what it’s all about,” Gilbreath said. “What makes it unusual—or special, maybe—is that it’s almost like a museum inside.”
Old photographs fill a scrapbook on display inside the inn, and framed copies of articles about the house hang prominently on the walls. Guests will also find Gilbreath’s personal mementos and memorabilia throughout, the collection of a man who has seen a great deal and clearly enjoys sharing his memories.
A more tropical note comes courtesy of an exotic bird with purple plumage, a recurring motif in Gilbreath’s ventures. It dates to 1984, when he opened a bar called The Purple Parrot at Ramon’s Village Resort in San Pedro, Belize. He later developed the Purple Parrot Village Resort in Perdido Key and uses the same name for both the gift shop and the bar area at the Original Romar House.
“I like the name because it implies that it’s jungle-y,” Gilbreath said.
Lawyer, Legislator and Lifelong Entrepreneur
When Gilbreath opened the bed and breakfast in 1991, he was still busy practicing law. By then, he had already served two terms in the Mississippi House of Representatives and was active in the Republican Party. His legal specialties, he said, were personal liability and workers’ compensation cases, and for 30 years he also represented the owner of Headrick Outdoor Media, the large billboard company.
His entrepreneurial streak showed up early. Some 55 years before the house’s centennial, as a student at the University of Mississippi, Gilbreath found a clever way to capitalize on the popularity of Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning, a friend and fellow student. Manning, who would go on to a long career in the NFL and become the father of NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, was a campus sensation at the time.
Gilbreath contacted a company in nearby Hernando, Mississippi, and ordered 1,000 red buttons printed with “ARCHIE” in blue letters. He figured he could easily recoup his $92 investment. Demand far exceeded his expectations. The first batch sold out in a day, and he soon offered variations reading “ARCHIE’S ARMY,” “ARCHIE FOR HEISMAN,” “ARCHIE WHO?” and “GO TO HELL LSU.”
“I sold thousands and thousands of them,” Gilbreath said. “I made enough money to put myself through the last year of college and through law school.”
Looking back on his many roles, he is clear about which one suits him best.
“I was a politician, lawyer, entrepreneur, and businessman, but being an entrepreneur was my favorite of all because that’s the kind of person I am,” he said. “I’m a developer, and I love seeing things built and seeing my ideas become reality.”
Why Historic Inns Matter on a Changing Coast
Much of the Alabama Gulf Coast’s built history has been lost over the past half-century, to hurricanes, to rising property values and to the steady march of development. Along the beach in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, older wood-frame cottages have largely given way to condominiums, resorts and larger vacation homes. That makes surviving structures like the Original Romar House all the more valuable as tangible links to the coast’s earlier days.
Historic bed and breakfasts also offer a different kind of travel experience. Rather than an anonymous room in a tower, guests get a sense of place, personal service and the stories behind the building. For travelers who want to understand where Orange Beach came from, not just what it has become, a stay in a 100-year-old beach house offers a history lesson with a view.
Planning a Visit
The Original Romar House sits in the Romar Beach area of Orange Beach, just steps from the Gulf of Mexico and a short drive from Gulf State Park, the Wharf and the area’s many restaurants and marinas. Travelers interested in staying should contact the inn directly for current rates, availability and policies.
- Built in 1924, it is the oldest remaining structure in Orange Beach.
- It has operated as a bed and breakfast since 1991.
- It offers seven guest rooms, including rooms in an adjoining cottage.
- Its gift shop and bar area carry the Purple Parrot name.
- The Romar Beach neighborhood takes its name from original builders Spurgeon Roche and Carl “Zeke” Martin.
Seated on a sofa in the inn’s lobby, with traffic on the beach highway buzzing softly in the background, Gilbreath reflected on the life that brought him here. The little yellow house, it seems, has become one of the ideas he is proudest to have seen become reality.