Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Side One: The property for the Forcade House was purchased in 1918 for $85 from the Oakland Lodge No. 18 of Bagdad. Completed in 1919, it is an outstanding example of Shingle style architecture, rarely seen in the South. Elzear “Exie” Fournier, a French Canadian, built this house from locally cut and milled heart pine for his sister Emma Fournier Forcade, with the help of his brother-in-law, Edward V. Forcade. The two men worked for the Bagdad Land and Lumber Company. The home features excellent craftsmanship, including a curved upper front porch, along with multiple roof styles, including hip, gable, and shed. One of the most striking elements of the exterior are the butt shingles on the upper section of the home, which were all made of locally-cut heart pine. The home also boasts a Dutch front door in which the top half can be opened for ventilation while keeping bottom half closed for safety. Another feature is a narrow window in the dining room that could be opened all the way up and used as a door. Side Two: While employed at the Bagdad lumber mill, Edward Forcade brought home small pieces of scrap end cuts of heart pine to create designs in the floors, walls, and ceilings. The floors’ styles vary from room to room, ranging from herringbone and parquet with intricate borders to various squares of different sizes. The end cuts have the grain turned in opposing directions to create an appealing effect. The walls were also designed in different styles, using the heart pine cut from the mill. Some interior walls included exterior wood versions turned in different directions to create a unique visual impact. The dining room ceiling features a striking curved design on all four sides, all made with heart pine. The house stayed in the Forcade family until 1952, when Donald and Nina Youngblood purchased it. In 1987, the Forcade House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building in the Bagdad Village Historic District. When it was purchased in 2004, Nina Youngblood issued a stern warning never to paint the original woodwork.