Grayton Beach State Park, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe – the richly ornamented robe he was wearing – and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. ~ Genesis 37:23-24 What do you think about Joseph wearing this robe when he knew how much it antagonized his brothers? Was it the only one he owned? I wonder about his motive in wearing it. Was he flaunting the fact that Jacob favored him? Or was it just because his father made it for him and he was proud (in a good way) to wear it? So many questions! I can’t think that Joseph went willingly or remained quiet in that cistern. Are his brother’s hearts so hard that his pleas couldn’t penetrate their conscience? Do we ever have hearts that hard? I know I feel like I do at times. Hearing so much bad news from the media all my life, plus the emphasis on ‘Me, Me, Me’, has made me more accepting of the hardships of others and not nearly as compassionate as God would have me be.
We discovered another State Park nearby, that’s inland from the beach, so we hopped in the Jeep and headed over via the scenic/Jeep road.
Eden Gardens State Park contains 163 acres, and a mile of hiking trails. But its main focus is the house. According to the Park’s brochure:
William Henry Wesley established a lumber company on the property before building his family’s home in 1897. When Lois Maxon purchased the home in 1963, she stated that she had “found her Eden.” She turned the home into a showplace for family antiques and heirlooms, and developed the grounds as ornamental gardens. In 1968, she donated Eden Gardens to the State of Florida.
It’s not ours.
I ran across it online and had to use it. : )
Oh, but there is soooo much more historical information than just that little blurb! And even though we took the house tour, which was very nice, the ranger didn’t talk much about the history. Mostly, it was just to show off the rooms Miss Maxon furnished and donated. And we weren’t allowed to take any pictures because of people ignoring the “no flash” rule. Thank you very much rule breakers. Especially since I was unable to locate pictures of the interior online.
Let’s begin at the beginning – the Wesleys. (My information is taken from 30a.com/history-of-eden-gardens-state-park and waltonoutdoors.com, as well as a few comments from myself.
William Henry Wesley, was born in Brunswick, Georgia on November 30, 1865. He came to Point Washington with his father, John Wesley, a Methodist minister, sometime around 1890 (not THAT John Wesley, he lived in the 1700s). Katie Marie Strickland Wesley, was born in Point Washington on August 30, 1875. The daughter of Captain Simeon Strickland and Louise Florence Wise Strickland, she was known as Miss Katie to her friends.
William taught school in Point Washington and there met Miss Katie, who was one of his students. She was a small person – not more than five feet tall and weighing less than 100 pounds – but she was a strong, hardworking woman with a strong will. They were married in 1893. Over the years, they had nine children, including a set of twin boys.
The family home in Point Washington was built sometime between 1895 and 1897. The 5,500 square-foot, two-story home had a central hallway and stairs surrounded by four large rooms complete with fireplace on each floor. And a wrap-around porch. And I do mean wrap-around. It goes all the way around the entire house! Isn’t that wonderful?!?
They had a windmill that pumped water for the house. Later, it was hooked into a water line from an artesian well. Until the government power reached the area, their electricity was provided by a Delco generator. There was a ten-acre lot which was used to grow all kinds of vegetables.
Most, if not all, of the family were members of the Point Washington Methodist Church. Miss Katie played the organ and did a lot of singing too. A story’s been shared that one evening when Ollie Thompson from DeFuniak Springs was singing in front of the congregation, Miss Katie started to sing along to help him. Ollie stopped singing and said, “Katie, this is supposed to be a solo.”
Wash days were quite a chore. They collected water in big tubs, scrubbed the clothes on washboards, and then boiled them for a while in a big iron pot. After which, they had to be hung on a line to dry.
Miss Katie was known as a great cook – black eyed peas, collard greens, and hoe cakes, to name a few. By today’s standards not exactly healthy, but it sure was tasty. In the winter, they’d butcher a cow or a pig for fresh meat. There was a smokehouse out back to cure the hams. Both William and Katie loved chitlings. After the butchering, she would take the entrails down to the bayou and wash them thoroughly before cooking them.
During the early years of his marriage, William became involved with Captain Strickland (his father-in-law) in the sawmill business. After several years, William built a mill of his own. The mill was located on the shore of the bayou, north of the house about where the picnic area and dock are located today. A dry kiln and planer mill were located nearby. Finished lumber, awaiting shipment by barge to Pensacola, was stacked on wharves in the bayou. The remnants of some of the piling for the wharves are still visible today.
They harvested yellow pine trees, and only yellow pine. This is what the house is made of, and the original flooring also remains and is absolutely gorgeous! According to the Park Ranger, it seems Mr. Wesley had a fondness for the live oaks and refused to allow anyone to cut any of them down. It was said to us that one time when Wesley was away, his wife allowed the removal of one and he was so upset with her when he returned home that he didn’t speak to her for three months. I don’t know about the three month part; seems like an awfully long time for spouses not to speak to one another, but who knows?
The sawmill business was a rough one and William had a lot of enemies. They managed to burn the mill several times. The last time it was burned. William was away and Katie and one of their youngest daughters went down to check on the mill, where they found that someone had tried to start a fire, but they apparently had scared them away. Later that night the arsonists came back – this time succeeding. The fire destroyed everything – even the planer mill and a lot of finished lumber.
The mill operated from 1890 until after World War I (which ended in 1918). They stopped because the mill was burned to the ground for the third time. However, the family lived in the home until Mrs. Wesley’s passing in 1953. Out of the seven surviving children, none wanted the house, so it was sold, along with 10.5 acres. According to the Park Ranger, the new owner only wanted the 10 or so out buildings, which he had moved to the beach and rented out to tourists. The tourist industry was just beginning in the area.
I can see where someone would want to make it into a cabin for tourists.
The large house would remain vacant for ten years, and in that time, came to be thought of as haunted by local children in the area. Yet, it still clung onto the same Southern charm from eras gone by… a charm that would ultimately enchant wealthy New York publisher Lois Maxon, who decided to call it home.
And now, let’s learn a thing or two about Miss Maxon, because despite a thorough search, that’s all I could find – a thing or two. Anything I didn’t write myself I borrowed from Walton County’s website.
Surprisingly, there is hardly anything available on line about this woman who was supposedly a newspaper and publishing magnate. I even Googled her parents. Nothing. She was born in 1910 to Harry Russell Maxon (1883-1960) and Lois Adelheide Gustava Margarethe von Purucker Maxon (1885-1960), and was apparently named after her mother. She was an heiress (German royalty on her mother’s side, or so the Ranger told us). She never married, never had children. She left the house and moved to Pensacola, only five years after purchasing it when her health began declining, and gifted everything – furnished – to the State of Florida on Christmas Eve, 1968 in memory of her parents. She died in Pensacola in April, 1982. She’s buried next to her parents in Gallipolis, Ohio. Gallipolis is right on the West Virginia border, north of Huntington, WV.
She looks the part of a newspaper/publishing magnate, doesn’t she?
“I have found my Eden,” she said upon purchasing the entire property for $12,500 in 1963, inspiring the name of the park to come. I don’t know how much property she donated. If you remember, in 1953 the Wesley house was sold along with 10.5 acres. The State Park currently owns 163 acres.
After some renovations, such as adding ornamental gardens and building the reflection pool that now centers the large rolling lawns with lily pads and koi fish (Although the Park Ranger told us that the Park installed the pool. Maybe they renovated it?), Miss Maxon converted the 5,500-square-foot house into the perfect setting for her remarkable antiques and her vast collection of first editions. and a collection of Louis XVI furniture said to be the second largest in the country. It is believed that she spent a million dollars over the five-year renovation.
And that’s it. It’s too bad there’s not more information on Lois. She sounds like she must have been a remarkable woman.
There are lovely gardens in this Park, probably even more lovely when it’s not January. Still, at least the Camelia’s were blooming. Did you know that they don’t have a smell to them? The bees sure love ‘em though!
It covers the town of Point Washington where Eden Gardens is located.
We never saw the Strickland Home (2010) and didn’t know we should even ask about it.
Nothing was mentioned to us. Hmmmm…..
Guess we shoulda read all this before we began.
Pretty nice, huh?
however strange as it may seem, there’s no picture of the flower!
Bees! Lots of them!
We don’t know if they came from Miss Maxon, or if the Park added them later.
And we’re both enthralled with live oaks – especially 700 year old ones! And in this place, there may only be one that old, but there are several others that can’t be too far behind. 700 years! What do you think was happening in the world 700 years ago? The year was 1322. Jews were expelled from France – – for the third time. (I didn’t even know there’s was one time, let alone three!) The Catholic church was in power in Europe (even moreso than it’s Kings and Queens), and John Wycliff (one of the Christian Church’s first Reformers) was born. And just a quarter century later, the Bubonic Plague (the Black Plague) in Europe began.
They hold weddings under this tree fairly frequently.
Pictures of what’s left of the Wesley mill dock.
After we left, we went back home and rode our bikes over to check out what was happening at the beach today. We’ve been here nearly two weeks, and every day the beach looks different! Today, Maverick and Goose were doing fly-overs. 😊
Notice the varied ring colors. And an odd cloud. : )
Maverick and Goose! From Top Gun, in case you’re wondering. : )
Dinner was hot dogs. Why mention that? Because we’re slowly discovering air frying! Blaine may never grill again! Cut slits in the dogs, put in the 400⁰ air fryer and cook for 6 minutes. Put them in the buns and stick ‘em back in for an additional 2 minutes. I’m not normally a huge hot dog fan, but these were very good! I think it’s the perfectly toasted bun. 😊
