History

 

Welcome to the Blackwater Bistro! It is our pleasure to welcome you to the most historic dining experience in Downtown Milton. Over 100 years ago this house was constructed as a private home where Dr. James McBride Sharit and his wife would raise their daughter, Marie. Dr. Sharit and Marie (Shown in the photo of the horse-drawn carriage) often made house calls providing medicine and health care to residents of the surrounding area. In fact, in a diary found of Dr. Sharit’s writings, he often referred to Marie as “Little Doc.”


Throughout the years, various families owned the house. Due the lack of building records, we approximate of the building back to 1909. We determine this by the increase in selling value and land ownership. The last family to reside in the home was Janice Mason and her children. Ms. Mason operated her Court Reporting Company from the private dining room while living in the remaining rooms of the home. The main dining room served as her living room while the current bar area served as bedrooms. Our kitchen was the bedroom of her sons.

On 2008, Paul and Pam Kilmartin purchased the property and began working to preserve the original beauty and charm of the old house. Most of the wood you see today is original. The flooring, walls, and windows are still holding strong. As you stroll through the house you will see some of the original doors standing in the hall near the entrance to the kitchen. Some of the doors were used to trim the bar. The bar was built from the original walls that were removed to make one large room. The hearths and fireplaces take us back to a simple time where warmth was passed through the burning of wood and the telling of family stories. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the tales of days gone by.

The large mirror in the main dining room came to us from an English pub in Great Britain. It is dated over 100 years old as well. The chandelier is a replica of years gone by. Doug Lassiter has loaned us the Dugout Canoe, or Pirogue, hanging in the bar room. Milton is known as the Canoe Capitol of Florida for leisure yet this is an example of the various uses around the globe. In Equator, where this Dugout canoe was made and acquired, it would be used as the family car or for work purposes.

In January 2, 2009, the Blackwater Bistro opened its doors for business. Thank you for dining with us. We hope you enjoyed your experience.

“…the little place that’s big on taste….”
Historic Downtown Milton
www.Blackwaterbistro.com
Dine-In, Take Out, Catering
5147 Elmira Street
Milton, FL 850-623-1105.