Villa Alexandria
Villa Alexandria is a former plantation house[1] in the San Marco neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. It was built in the 1870s by Hon. Alexander Mitchell and his wife, Martha. There were 140 acres (57 ha) of grounds of which 40 acres (16 ha) were under cultivation. In the 1920s, Villa Alexandria's gardens became part of "The Arbors", a residential property.[2]
| Villa Alexandria | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Classification | plantation house |
| Location | San Marco |
| Town or city | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Country | U.S. |
| Named for | Alexander Mitchell |
| Completed | 1870s |
| Owner | Martha Reed Mitchell |
| Grounds | 140 acres (57 ha) |
| Known for | oldest oak tree in Florida |
History edit
Soon after the Civil War, while visiting Florida, Mrs. Mitchell found a location where health and the pleasures of a home could be combined. A tract of land was purchased on the St. Johns River 3 miles (4.8 km) from Jacksonville. Here, she and her husband established the vast estate of Alexandria as a winter home.[3] With her indomitable will and energy, aided by ample means, Mitchell in a few years, converted a sandy area into "a thing of beauty and a joy forever." Her home showed good taste and care and was distinguished for hospitality.[4] Constructed in the 1870s, Villa Alexandria was characterized as one of the finest and best kept-up places in Florida.[5]
Grounds edit
The Mitchell's home was surrounded by broad piazzas. All the out-buildings of every description were well constructed. The grounds were studded with summer-houses and grottos. On the river front, there was a fine pier and boathouse.[5]
A beautiful beach road made of shells, brought from the mouth of the river, extended for some 100 yards (91 m) on each side of the pier. Just above this beach was a most beautiful "Cherokee rose" extending a distance of perhaps some 300 yards (270 m). A private road ran from the King's Road to this place. After passing the first gate near the railroad track, another road lead to the second gate, beyond which visitors' carriages were not allowed to pass. This place was generally known as "Craig's Cove". It was part of an old Spanish grant, and was certainly the show place of the environs of Jacksonville.[5]
The grounds contained almost every variety of trees, shrubs and flowers possible to be grown in this climate. Hickory and pecan-trees, English walnut, date and cabbage palms, Chinese and Japanese cane, tea-plant, as well as camelias and roses. There were 2,000 orange trees in full bearing on the premises.[5] Mrs. Mitchell brought to perfection the orange, lemon, banana, olive, plum, pear, peach, and apricot, the English walnut, the pecan from Brazil, and the Spanish chestnut. Among her rare trees were the camphor and cinnamon from Ceylon and the tea plant from China. Her list of bamboos included the sacred tree of India and five varieties of cane. The family of flowers embraced all the well-known varieties of the temperate zone and the tropics.[4]
References edit
- ^ Rogers, Debra Webb (8 November 2010). San Marco. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-4143-9. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Gavan, Barbara (20 December 2008). "Yesterday and today meet in The Arbors". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Wood, Wayne (1992). Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage. University Press of Florida. p. 250. ISBN 0-8130-0953-7
- ^ a b Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). "MITCHELL, Mrs. Martha Reed". A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life (Public domain ed.). Charles Wells Moulton. p. 510. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d Webb, Wanton S. (1885). Webb's Historical, Industrial and Biographical Florida: Pt. I. W.S. Webb & Company. p. 192. Retrieved 11 June 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.