Pasco stilt houses stand tall after more than a century

PORT RICHEY, Fla — Stilt House Number Six. It's the one with American Flags painted on the sides.

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It’s been in Brian Lake’s family for about twenty years.

“We’ve been around here a long time. We are old Pasco people. We are tied into the community," said Lake.

The first stilt houses were built off the coast of Port Richey between 1916 and 1918. They were originally erected as shelters for fishermen.

“So they built a shed on stilts to protect them from the weather to tie up when the storm came," said Bob Hubbard, who runs Island Paradise Charters.

An unintended benefit was the bird droppings that collected on roofs, which were then sold as fertilizer.

“It’s great for the garden. Bingo! So they started bagging the stuff. Other people started building the stilt homes out here just for the bird scrapings," said Hubbard.

The homes have come a long way since then. Now they are used as weekend getaways and a great place to host a dinner party. Number Six has a full kitchen and two beds for overnight stays.

“The sun goes down. Everything is so calm and peaceful," said Lake.

It’s not always peaceful. In 2018, lighting struck number six, starting a fire that burned the stilt house down.

“So we had to rebuild it. It’s a little bit unnerving," said Lake.

There were more than 20 of these stilt houses in the 1940s.

“And a hurricane came and blew half of them down. And then the No-Name Storm in 1993 blew more down. Some were rebuilt. At the moment we have nine," said Hubbard.

Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter spent time at a stilt house along with the Reverend Billy Graham.

The Lakes say they don’t rent out Number Six to visitors, but they do offer it up to help local charities and are proud to continue the tradition.

“A part of history that really doesn’t exist throughout the country much less here. It’s a big part of Pasco County," said Lake.