By Dawn Krebs
dkrebs@hometownnewsol.com
MARTIN COUNTY - The Mansion at Tuckahoe is a well-known estate in Jensen Beach for fundraisers and weddings. Now, thanks to a popular magazine, it has received national attention as well.
The property, overlooking the Indian River, was featured as popular venue for weddings in the southern United States in the January issue of Southern Living Weddings. The magazine can still be found on newsstands.
The article will help the county bring attention to the venue as a wedding destination.
"The article corroborates our efforts to position and promote the Mansion at Tuckahoe, indeed all of Indian RiverSide Park, as a desirable setting for wedding, as well as other celebrations," said Craig Jon Anderson, marketing coordinator for Martin County Parks and Recreation.
There's a long history associated with the property. The Indian mound, on which the home is built, is estimated to be approximately 4,000 years old. The name Tuckahoe is thought to be a Native American word for "welcome."
In the late 1800s, Charles Racey built a home there and started a pineapple plantation. In 1938, Ann Bates Leach, an heiress to the Coca-Cola fortune, and her husband Willaford, build the mansion on top of the ancient Native American midden now known as Mount Elizabeth.
The property was taken over by the Catholic Church in the 1950s and then used as a liberal arts college until 1972, when the Florida Institute of Technology purchased it to be used as a college offering degrees in marine science. The county purchased the property in 1997 and became part of Indian RiverSide Park. After restoration in 2001, it became open to the public.
It is open for weekly tours as well as being rented for events.
The mansion has been included on the National Register of Historic Places.
For more information about the mansion, call (772) 463-3201.