LIVING HISTORY
16
VERO AT 100
began making trips to Palm Beach to salvage items from
the mansions, whose contents were often put up for auction
before being razed. Waldo could often be seen sitting at the
auctions, a bag of silver dollars on the Áoor in front of him,
ready to purchase. “I like things nobody else wants,’’ he said.
Once, when he learned that a salvage company was razing
an estate and he could purchase contents but would have
to picN them up that day, he sent his Áeet of dairy trucNs to
Palm Beach to retrieve the tiles, which were used to decorate
Waldo’s Mountain.
McKEE JUNGLE GARDENS
With partner Arthur McKee, Waldo formed Royal Park Exotic
Nurseries in 1925. By 1929, work on McKee Jungle Gardens
began as the nation began slipping into the Depression.
7he gardens were completed in and ocially opened
Jan. 1, 1932, becoming the region’s foremost tourist attraction
and putting Vero on the tourist map.
“He saw 100,000 cars a year going down U.S. 1, and he
said how are we going to stop them and make money from
them?’’ said grandson Mark Tripson, who is now president of
Sexton Inc.
McKee Jungle Gardens contained more than 2,000 botanical
species grown throughout the world, as well as jungle trails
and the 300-tree Cathedral of Royal Palms planted by Waldo.
Later additions included Waldo’s Hall of Giants, which
features the longest mahogany table in the world, and his
outdoor Spanish kitchen, modeled after one Waldo had seen
in Mexico. In the early days, Waldo and McKee populated
the gardens with 300 animals, including macaws, toucans,
Áamingoes, alligators, deer, wildcats, a wrestling bear and >> McKEE BOTANICAL GARDEN PHOTO ARCHIVES
Waldo Sexton, left, developed McKee Jungle Gardens with Arthur McKee.
JPR IMAGES
At top left, the entrance to McKee Jungle Gardens as it appeared in 1932. Passersby on U.S. 1 could see a giant whale skeleton that McKee visitors encountered
before entering, bottom left. Today, Waldo’s Hall of Giants, right, which features the world’s largest single-piece mahogany table, remains one of the
popular attractions at the gardens.
McKEE BOTANICAL GARDEN PHOTO ARCHIVES JPR IMAGES