This article will tell you everything you want to know about Blanchard House Museum, including the history of the place.
The Blanchard House Museum in North Port, Florida was built in the early 1900’s as a small home for Nicholas Godejohn and his wife Dee DeBlanchard. They had no children and were childless until Dee gave birth to Nicholas’s adopted daughter Rosewood in 1912. It was not until after Rosewood died in 1919 at the age of three that Dee became suspicious about her husband’s behavior. She later found out that he had been keeping another woman in their home and had been sexually molesting her. This was a real life case of Munchausen Syndrome By Proxy (MSBP) where a parent with a mental illness creates or exaggerates symptoms in their child. Nicholas had already been in trouble before this and was previously convicted of larceny and served time in prison. He was convicted again for this incident and sent to prison. Dee filed for divorce but she was convinced that Nicholas would never be jailed again and could come home to take care of their child. However, in 1927, Nicholas murdered Dee and their only child Rosewood in their home by beating her to death. He then proceeded to set the house on fire.
The Blanchard House Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, is the largest collection of dollhouse furniture in the world. Since its opening in 1987, thousands of visitors have come to see the dolls that were crafted by Nicholas Godejohn. The Blanchard House Museum was inspired by his mother’s childhood home, where she played with her dolls. The dollhouse furniture was donated to the museum by dee dee blanchard, the widow of Nicholas Godejohn. The collection includes dolls from around the world and from many different periods in history. The dolls are displayed alongside furniture and other items made from wood, leather, stone, and ivory. The museum features several rooms, including a doll’s bedroom, a doll’s kitchen, a doll’s dining room, a doll’s living room, and a doll’s bathroom. All the dolls are posed and dressed in their original outfits. They are not interactive with visitors, and they cannot be moved.
On October 14, 1888, nine-year old Nicholas Blanchard died from injuries sustained in a fire in his home. His body was found in the attic. The fire had started in the children’s bedroom and spread to other rooms of the house. Nicholas’ mother, Rosemary, blamed herself for his death. She committed suicide by hanging a few days later. The house was left abandoned until 1912 when it became a private residence. It remained there until 2007 when it was purchased by a developer who planned to turn it into a retirement home. However, the plans were changed when the developer learned that the home was built on an Indian burial ground. Local Native American activists objected and the state of Florida stepped in to acquire the land and prevent the mansion’s demolition. The mansion was restored and now it is used as a historic museum.
Solar Installation Near the Blanchard House Museum — Punta Gorda, FL
The Blanchard House Museum sits in northeast Punta Gorda, surrounded by older Charlotte County neighborhoods on Charlotte Harbor — Trabue Woods, Harbor Heights, and parts of Cleveland are all within a short drive. Most homes in this part of Punta Gorda are 1970s–90s single-family on shaded lots, served by FPL, and right in the heart of Florida's highest summer cooling load corridor. That combination makes solar payback in this area meaningfully faster than in cooler parts of the state. For an overview of how a complete solar installation works (panels, inverter, battery, permits, interconnection), see our installation guide. For a full breakdown of what FPL actually charges per kWh in 2026, see our rate explainer. Combined with the 30% federal solar tax credit (currently extended through 2032) and Florida's sales and property tax exemptions on solar equipment, the math has rarely been better.
Hurricane-Rated Solar for Northeast Punta Gorda
Hurricane Ian made landfall just south of Punta Gorda in 2022, with sustained 150 mph winds that did serious damage across this part of the city. Every solar system Higher Power Solar installs in Charlotte County is mounted to meet the Florida Building Code's wind zone for the area — typically 150–170 mph design wind speeds depending on exact location. We use stainless-steel hardware throughout because salt air and humidity will eat through standard fasteners within a few years. Modules are bolted directly to the roof rafters or trusses where structurally required, not just to the deck.
Battery Backup: Critical in Post-Storm Punta Gorda
A standard grid-tied solar system shuts down automatically when the grid goes out — that's a safety requirement so your panels don't back-feed power into lines that utility crews may be working on. The fix is a battery system (Enphase IQ Battery, Tesla Powerwall, or similar) that disconnects from the grid during an outage and powers critical loads from your solar and stored battery capacity. For most homes near the Blanchard House Museum, a single 10–13 kWh battery covers the essentials (refrigerator, internet, a few lights, a window AC unit) for 12–24 hours. Given Charlotte County's outage history after Ian and Charley, batteries have become the most-requested add-on we install.
Service Area We Cover Near the Blanchard House Museum
Higher Power Solar serves the neighborhoods around the museum and across Punta Gorda — including the historic district, Trabue Woods, Harbor Heights, and the canal-front blocks east of US-41. If you're unsure whether your address is in our service area, call us at (941) 830-4937 — we'll confirm coverage in 30 seconds.
For the full Punta Gorda service overview, see our Punta Gorda solar page. We also serve neighboring cities: Port Charlotte, Rotonda West, Fort Myers.
Get a Free Solar Quote in Punta Gorda
Call (941) 830-4937 or request a free in-home consultation. We'll pull your last 12 months of FPL bills, walk your roof, and design a system sized to your actual usage. No high-pressure sales — just honest numbers.