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Bok HISTORIC BOK SANCTUARY
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DECKS ITS HALLS TO HELP
CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS
BY CAMILLE S. YATES
PHOTOS COURTESTY OF BOK SANCTUARY
Just 90 minutes west of the Treasure Coast, a sanctuary
awaits. Known as “Florida’s Higher Place,” Historic
Bok Sanctuary in Lake Wales sits at the highest elevation
on the Florida central sand ridge at 298 feet above sea level.
In the early 1920s, a Dutch immigrant, Edward W. Bok,
spent the winter months here, taking evening walks to the
top of Iron Mountain among the virgin pines and sandhill
scrub to enjoy Florida’s dramatic sunsets and bird life. The
idea came to him to preserve this hilltop and create a bird
sanctuary — a place of beauty, serenity and peace.
Bok slowly began to create what is now called Historic Bok
Sanctuary as his gift to the American people. Before retiring,
Bok was editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal, one of the most
successful and influential publications in America and the
Listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, Pinewood Estate is considered one
of the finest examples of Mediterranean
Revival architecture in Florida. During the
holidays, the mansion is festively adorned
with luxurious ornaments.
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