The Joachim DeBrum House, known simply as the DeBrum House and also spelled Debrum House or De Brum House, located on Likiep Island, of Likiep Atoll, in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

, is a plantation house that was built in 1888 by Joachim deBrum. It was listed on the United States

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1976, making it the first NRHP site in Micronesia. Because the climate of Palau quickly deteriorates wooden structures, the Debrum House is significant as the only tropical plantation home surviving in the Marshall Islands or in all of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. It is associated with the "history of German and Japanese occupations, colonization,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the early Post War Periods."

History

Joachim DeBrum was a Marshallese merchant, engineer, and scientist. He was the son of Portuguese merchant José Anton DeBrum. Together with Adolph Capelle, DeBrum purchased Likiep Atoll from his Marshallese wife's chief, Iroij Elap Jortaka during the 1870s. Joachim finished the house by 1888. During the German colonization period, it was one of the largest houses on Likiep Atoll. He furnished the house with imports from the United States, Germany, and across Asia. It was lived in by the deBrum family until 1947, at which point it became vacant and cared for by local caretakers. The DeBrum House was destroyed a few years ago, and all that is left is a few remnants of the foundation.

Architecture

The Debrum House was finished in 1888 as a small, single-story frame building on concrete piers, with a high-pitched thatch roof. DeBrum designed the building in a mixture of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and traditional Marshallese architectural styles. It originally contained only one 19-by-19-foot central parlor and two 13-foot-by-19-foot bedrooms off this main chamber. Although it originally sat about 18 inches off the ground, at some point it was raised to a heigh of six feet. The original floors, external walls, and only the interior walls of the parlor were made of

California redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

. The entire structure was surrounded by a covered

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

. In 1929, the original thatch roof was replaced with metal sheeting. By the 1970s, the house was quickly deteriorating and underwent major renovations in 1977 and 1984. A new metal roof and supports were installed, and the redwood floors and walls were replaced. Nearby are a storage building, a detached dining room-kitchen, several

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by t ...

s, the family graveyard, and the remains of several structures that have since collapsed. Most of the furniture in the house was well-preserved. Most furnishings were made of

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

that had been imported from China. These pieces were intricately decorated and carved, sometimes including marble or ivory inlays. The house also contained over 1,000 books from DeBrum's personal library and research, and sound recordings believed to be some of the earliest taken in Micronesia.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in the Marshall Islands Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in the Marshall Islands Houses completed in 1888 Likiep Atoll