The mansion represents the last piece of modern history for
the site, said Thurlow. First the Indians used it as a midden
or burial ground. Then, in 1891 Jensen Beach pioneer Charles
Racey built a three-story wood frame house that was home
to a pineapple
plantation until it
burned down in
1921.
In the late 1930s
the Mediterranean
style mansion was
built of concrete
with the latest
technology for the
time, probably the
main reason the
structures survives
to this day.
A night at Tuckahoe
Theatro Habano, a Cubanthemed
The Leach family,
from Coca-Cola money, threw lavish parties at the hilltop
home until it was sold in 1950. Anne Bates Leach’s daughter,
Anne, said the heavily destructive hurricane of 1949
weighed heavily in the decision to sell the estate and move
to Palm Beach.
The mansion was sold for $75,000 to the Catholic Church
in 1950 and, as St. Joseph’s, was the only two-year college in
Florida. In 1972 Florida Institute of Technology
HOMES OF THE TREASURE COAST
44
This is the grand room of Mount Elizabeth. Nearly every room has a fireplace.
fundraising party, will
be held from 7 to 10 p.m.
Nov. 10 at the Tuckahoe
Mansion, Indian Riverside Park
in Jensen Beach. Tickets are
$100 per person, or $175 per
couple. Call 772.334.8277.
>>
Anne Bates Leach, a Coca Cola heir, built the Mediterranean-style
structure that stands today at Mount Elizabeth. During her ownership,
the house was a social gathering spot and hosted the first
meeting of the Stuart Garden Club.