ELKCAM FARM - THE FIRST TWELVE YEARS
ELKCAM FARM - THE FIRST TWELVE YEARS
November 2021
Frank E. Mackle III
Twenty years ago, or more I wrote The Frank E. Mackle Jr. Story.
It can be viewed at www.themacklecompany.com by clicking on the icon.
In it there is a section titled: The Horses and the Farm. It is included here as an Addendum.
It is mostly an account of the Mackle Brother’s forty plus year thoroughbred racing record.
But I want to elaborate on the Farm – as I remember it in the 1950s and early sixties.
We have recently re-acquired an original part of the farm and we are now beginning construction on a new house there. It got me to reminiscing … at the age of 77… about my early days at the Farm when I was a child growing into a young man.
As one of the last of the generation to remember the early days, I will focus on the first ten to twelve years, starting when I was about seven until about nineteen years of age. Later generations can take it from there.
(Note: many pictures can be expanded for easier reading)
By “The Farm”, of course, I am referring to the property in Highlands County, Florida which has been a God-given retreat for our family for seventy years this year and – now – five generations of Mackles.
As told in the larger story, The Mackle Brothers love of thoroughbred racing, resulted in them getting into the breeding business as well.
Their first move into the business was to buy a property in Lexington, Kentucky, the center for Thoroughbred horse breeding industry.
I was only a child and have no memory of that property. A few scrapbook items still exist, however.
But they wanted something closer to home.
In the 1960s Ocala, Florida emerged as another center for the Thoroughbred breeding industry. But the Mackles were ahead of their time. The home for their thoroughbred horse breeding business – and a place that the Mackle family could enjoy – would be in in south-central Florida, in Highlands County near the town of Lake Placid.
It is interesting to note that this pre-dated, by four or five years, their moving their business out of Dade (now Miami-Dade) County to Broward County, Charlotte County and beyond. Apparently, they were already looking around Florida. Of course, they had first come to Florida only thirteen years earlier to Delray Beach and built and sold homes in Palm Beach County and – briefly – Manatee County before the war. The war had taken them to Key West and to the west coast of Florida, at Placida, as well. So, I guess, it is not surprising – since travel was strictly by car over narrow two-lane roads which crossed Florida – that they had discovered the Lake Placid area.
Driving from South Florida or from the east or west coast of the state one travels over many miles of flat land. Those roads pass through the everglades from the south and the low-lands and flat pine lands from the east and west. Then - to one’s surprise - the land rises into the rolling, lake dotted ridge that extends from (and characterizes) the Orlando – Lakeland areas to the north. As can be seen on the following topo map, lands range from five to ten feet surrounding the ridge to over 100 feet in elevation on the ridge. With that rise in elevation comes a change from lowland muck to rolling hills, sandy soil – perfect for raising citrus trees – and beautiful freshwater lakes.
In the 1960s Ocala, Florida emerged as another center for the Thoroughbred breeding industry. But the Mackles were ahead of their time. The home for their thoroughbred horse breeding business – and a place that the Mackle family could enjoy – would be in in south-central Florida, in Highlands County near the town of Lake Placid.
It is interesting to note that this pre-dated, by four or five years, their moving their business out of Dade (now Miami-Dade) County to Broward County, Charlotte County and beyond. Apparently, they were already looking around Florida. Of course, they had first come to Florida only thirteen years earlier to Delray Beach and built and sold homes in Palm Beach County and – briefly – Manatee County before the war. The war had taken them to Key West and to the west coast of Florida, at Placida, as well. So, I guess, it is not surprising – since travel was strictly by car over narrow two-lane roads which crossed Florida – that they had discovered the Lake Placid area.
Driving from South Florida or from the east or west coast of the state one travels over many miles of flat land. Those roads pass through the everglades from the south and the low-lands and flat pine lands from the east and west. Then - to one’s surprise - the land rises into the rolling, lake dotted ridge that extends from (and characterizes) the Orlando – Lakeland areas to the north. As can be seen on the following topo map, lands range from five to ten feet surrounding the ridge to over 100 feet in elevation on the ridge. With that rise in elevation comes a change from lowland muck to rolling hills, sandy soil – perfect for raising citrus trees – and beautiful freshwater lakes.
On January, 15 1951 The Mackle Brothers purchased (what the paper said was) 120 acres of land on Highway 621 in Highlands County Florida, near the town of Lake Placid.
They paid $27,500 for it.
The story was told for years how the Mitchells had bragged about “taking” those Miami-uns”.
They paid $27,500 for it.
The story was told for years how the Mitchells had bragged about “taking” those Miami-uns”.
Below is a copy of – what must have been – the plot plan that was part of the offering. Unfortunately, someone (me?) has written over it. But you can still detect the land uses (i.e. caladium fields) described in the offering.
.jpg)
It was headlines in the local paper!
The picture is from the west with a portion of the island showing on the right. Also, on the right can be seen the canal which was dug prior to the Mackle’s purchase to fill the “island” (as I understand it). The areas west and east of the main road into the property was being used to grow caladiums – a significant industry in Highlands County for years. The low muckland was perfect for that purpose.