Waldo E. Sexton
Encyclopedia
Waldo E. Sexton was an entrepreneur whose enterprises have attracted visitors to Vero Beach, Florida
since the 1930s and remain of value to the community, industry, tourists, artists, historians and horticulturalists. He was named to the list of Great Floridians
by the Florida Department of State for his agricultural contributions.
to Isaac and Sarah Ann Buckingham Sexton. He was the youngest male out of the couple's five children. He was the first man from Morrow Township to attend High School, which he did at the county seat of Shelbyville High School.
After initially attending Indiana University for medicine, Sexton decided becoming a doctor wasn't for him after his first attempt at autopsying a cadaver. He transferred to Purdue University College of Agriculture
, where he met John Wheeler. He was initiated into the Indiana Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta
on September 28th, 1906. During college, Sexton sold aluminum cooking utensils and later collected commission off of the sales of the men he recruited, including his first cousin Walter Buckingham in 1909. Additionally he worked for the University's extension department during the summers and put himself through school.
After he graduate in 1911, Sexton moved to Barberton, Ohio
an was briefly involved in the rubber industry. Sexton later moved to Cleveland, Ohio and began working as a traveling salesman for an agricultural tillage equipment supplier, where he met Pittsburgh native and attorney Charles "Charlie" H McKee who was financing the company. In 1913 the family suffered a loss when his brother William Avery Sexton, a police officer in Columbus Ohio, drowned while assisting the town during the
March 13th flood.
in 1914 to perform a demonstration on a local farm. Due to a late arriving expense check from his company, he stayed a few extra days at the Sleepy Eye Lodge which gave him time to get to know the area. He decided to buy a forty acre tract of land and proceeded to buy the two neighboring 40 acre tracts during the following days. With $500 left in his pocket and at the advice of Doctor Leroy Hutchinson, Sexton limited his initial investment to 120 acres.
That year he took a sales agent position with the Indian River Farms Company. The company was working on excavating the drainage system that drained the wetlands of the area and created prime agricultural land. Sexton was charged with the company's Cleveland, Ohio based office and organized numerous prospect trips via rail car from Cincinnati, Ohio to the area. During this time Charles H McKee stopped by the area on his way to his Palm Beach honeymoon. He and his wife, Clara stayed at the Sleepy Eye Lodge where he met Sexton. Before leaving, Charles purchased 1000 acres of land. When he died the following year, his cousin and Cleveland based Engineer Arthur McKee bought out his holdings.
Considered an independent citrus grower by 1917 for having planted 10,000 trees, he went on to marry Elizabeth Martens the following year in 1918. His citrus related activities included operating a grove maintenance company, a cooperative packinghouse, and founding the Indian River Citrus League. He also started a cattle ranch, dairy farm, and insurance agency and developed three varieties of avocados. That same year, he and business partner Arthur G. McKee purchased 80 acres of hammock land along the Indian River Lagoon that would eventually become the McKee Jungle Garden. The land was initially purchased in an attempt to save the area from development into residential or citrus groves as well as to explore their own collection of rare flora and fauna and test the commercial validity of various plants including ramie
and rubber trees.
He started the Oslo Packing Company with his first cousin Walter Buckingham. The company incorporated in 1920 with Sexton as President and Buckingham as Secretary and Treasurer.
in Ceylon said he approached his visit “with that secret doubt we conceal before our friends’ local enthusiasm. This doubt, however, was quickly resolved.“ The collection of rare tropical plants framed by native Florida oaks and palms “set an example for conservation and intelligent use of indigenous growth.” Landscape architect William Lyman Phillips designed “the exquisite series of waterways and landscapes, including the Cathedral of Palms, 300 Royal Palms set on a grid. David Fairchild
, a friend of Sexton, supplied many exotic plants for this project as well as his own private garden in Miami, The Kampong
, now part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden
.
In addition to thousands of orchids and lilies, the Mckee Jungle Gardens featured monkeys, alligators, bathing beauties and “ the wacky buildings and collections of Waldo E. Sexton, the folk architect and Florida nurseryman. Without an architect or plans, Sexton built and decorated the Hall of Giants and the Spanish Kitchen with cypress milled in Florida, salvaged materials and his bell collection. For the Hall of Giants he located a massive mahogany board 35 feet (10.7 m) long he had seen at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
in 1904 and turned it into a table. The large iron gates came from the demolished Whitehall Hotel in Palm Beach. The Gardens closed in 1976 but reopened on 18 of the original acres as the McKee Botanical Garden
in 2001 and is on United States National Register of Historic Places
.
Sexton continued creating unusual structures that became local landmarks and attractions. His penchant for wood, wrought iron, tile and collectibles, can still be viewed at his later enterprises in Vero Beach, including the Driftwood Inn and Restaurant
, the Ocean Grill, and the Patio restaurant. Although he bought from many sources and sometimes sight unseen by the truckload through contacts, recognizable pieces from Addison Mizner
designed Spanish style mansions in Palm Beach
continue to attract new visitors. “…Mizner would no doubt immediately acknowledge the life's work of his kindred spirit and friend, Waldo Sexton, the man who saved what might have been lost forever and who shared his respect for the past and prescience of history's enduring commercial value. The Driftwood Inn is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
One journalist described the businessman and artist who created such unusual attractions: “Sexton was a man who was not afraid to render an opinion and who never hesitated to embroider a story. He loved martinis and women, bells and thing from the sea, and he possessed a compelling urge to create. Some people called him an irresponsible screwball, an untruth he shrewdly did not deny, knowing that the world loves an eccentric.”
Vero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
since the 1930s and remain of value to the community, industry, tourists, artists, historians and horticulturalists. He was named to the list of Great Floridians
Great Floridians
Great Floridian is a title bestowed upon citizens in the state of Florida by the Florida Department of State. There were actually two formal programs...
by the Florida Department of State for his agricultural contributions.
Early Life
Waldo E. Sexton was born in Shelbyville, IndianaShelbyville, Indiana
Shelbyville is a city in Addison Township, Shelby County, Indiana, United States. The population was 17,951 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Shelby County...
to Isaac and Sarah Ann Buckingham Sexton. He was the youngest male out of the couple's five children. He was the first man from Morrow Township to attend High School, which he did at the county seat of Shelbyville High School.
After initially attending Indiana University for medicine, Sexton decided becoming a doctor wasn't for him after his first attempt at autopsying a cadaver. He transferred to Purdue University College of Agriculture
Purdue University College of Agriculture
The Purdue University College of Agriculture is one of eight major academic divisions, or Colleges, of Purdue University.-Departments:The Purdue University College of Agriculture contains eleven academic departments and two associate departments.-Academic:...
, where he met John Wheeler. He was initiated into the Indiana Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
on September 28th, 1906. During college, Sexton sold aluminum cooking utensils and later collected commission off of the sales of the men he recruited, including his first cousin Walter Buckingham in 1909. Additionally he worked for the University's extension department during the summers and put himself through school.
After he graduate in 1911, Sexton moved to Barberton, Ohio
Barberton, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,899 people, 11,523 households, and 7,443 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,095.2 people per square mile . There were 12,163 housing units at an average density of 1,349.4 per square mile...
an was briefly involved in the rubber industry. Sexton later moved to Cleveland, Ohio and began working as a traveling salesman for an agricultural tillage equipment supplier, where he met Pittsburgh native and attorney Charles "Charlie" H McKee who was financing the company. In 1913 the family suffered a loss when his brother William Avery Sexton, a police officer in Columbus Ohio, drowned while assisting the town during the
March 13th flood.
Agriculture
His work as a deep tillage machine salesman brought him to the area that would eventually be known as Vero Beach, FloridaVero Beach, Florida
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
in 1914 to perform a demonstration on a local farm. Due to a late arriving expense check from his company, he stayed a few extra days at the Sleepy Eye Lodge which gave him time to get to know the area. He decided to buy a forty acre tract of land and proceeded to buy the two neighboring 40 acre tracts during the following days. With $500 left in his pocket and at the advice of Doctor Leroy Hutchinson, Sexton limited his initial investment to 120 acres.
That year he took a sales agent position with the Indian River Farms Company. The company was working on excavating the drainage system that drained the wetlands of the area and created prime agricultural land. Sexton was charged with the company's Cleveland, Ohio based office and organized numerous prospect trips via rail car from Cincinnati, Ohio to the area. During this time Charles H McKee stopped by the area on his way to his Palm Beach honeymoon. He and his wife, Clara stayed at the Sleepy Eye Lodge where he met Sexton. Before leaving, Charles purchased 1000 acres of land. When he died the following year, his cousin and Cleveland based Engineer Arthur McKee bought out his holdings.
Considered an independent citrus grower by 1917 for having planted 10,000 trees, he went on to marry Elizabeth Martens the following year in 1918. His citrus related activities included operating a grove maintenance company, a cooperative packinghouse, and founding the Indian River Citrus League. He also started a cattle ranch, dairy farm, and insurance agency and developed three varieties of avocados. That same year, he and business partner Arthur G. McKee purchased 80 acres of hammock land along the Indian River Lagoon that would eventually become the McKee Jungle Garden. The land was initially purchased in an attempt to save the area from development into residential or citrus groves as well as to explore their own collection of rare flora and fauna and test the commercial validity of various plants including ramie
Ramie
Ramie is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial growing to 1–2.5 m tall; the leaves are heart-shaped, 7–15 cm long and 6–12 cm broad, and white on the underside with dense small hairs—this gives it a silvery appearance;...
and rubber trees.
He started the Oslo Packing Company with his first cousin Walter Buckingham. The company incorporated in 1920 with Sexton as President and Buckingham as Secretary and Treasurer.
Tourism & Architecture
Sexton’s first venture in tourist attractions was the McKee Jungle Gardens, developed on 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) purchased for planting citrus groves with his business partner, Arthur G. McKee. They decided the landscape was too beautiful to plow under. Operating from 1931 to 1976, the Gardens attracted crowds of 100,000 a year in its prime. In 1932 a reviewer who had toured tropical botanical gardens around the world, including, PeradeniyaPeradeniya
Peradeniya is a town of about 50,000 inhabitants on the outskirts of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It is situated on the A1 main road connecting Kandy and Colombo, just a few kilometres west of Kandy....
in Ceylon said he approached his visit “with that secret doubt we conceal before our friends’ local enthusiasm. This doubt, however, was quickly resolved.“ The collection of rare tropical plants framed by native Florida oaks and palms “set an example for conservation and intelligent use of indigenous growth.” Landscape architect William Lyman Phillips designed “the exquisite series of waterways and landscapes, including the Cathedral of Palms, 300 Royal Palms set on a grid. David Fairchild
David Fairchild
David Grandison Fairchild was an American botanist and plant explorer. Fairchild was responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and varieties of established crops into the United States, including soybeans, pistachios, mangos, nectarines, dates, bamboos, and flowering...
, a friend of Sexton, supplied many exotic plants for this project as well as his own private garden in Miami, The Kampong
The Kampong
The Kampong is an 11-acre tropical garden in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida United States. It is one of the five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden , and is open to visitors. An admission fee is charged.-History:The Kampong was bought as their winter...
, now part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden is a group that sponors preservation of plants native to the tropics in a network of botanical gardens and preserves.-History:...
.
In addition to thousands of orchids and lilies, the Mckee Jungle Gardens featured monkeys, alligators, bathing beauties and “ the wacky buildings and collections of Waldo E. Sexton, the folk architect and Florida nurseryman. Without an architect or plans, Sexton built and decorated the Hall of Giants and the Spanish Kitchen with cypress milled in Florida, salvaged materials and his bell collection. For the Hall of Giants he located a massive mahogany board 35 feet (10.7 m) long he had seen at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
in 1904 and turned it into a table. The large iron gates came from the demolished Whitehall Hotel in Palm Beach. The Gardens closed in 1976 but reopened on 18 of the original acres as the McKee Botanical Garden
McKee Botanical Garden
The McKee Botanical Garden 18 acres is a non-profit, subtropical botanical garden in Vero Beach, Florida. It is located at 350 U.S. Highway 1, Vero Beach, Florida. It was founded in 1929, when Waldo Sexton and Arthur G. McKee purchased an tropical hammock along the Indian River...
in 2001 and is on United States National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Sexton continued creating unusual structures that became local landmarks and attractions. His penchant for wood, wrought iron, tile and collectibles, can still be viewed at his later enterprises in Vero Beach, including the Driftwood Inn and Restaurant
Driftwood Inn and Restaurant
The Driftwood Inn and Restaurant is a historic site in Vero Beach, Florida. It is located at 3150 Ocean Drive. On August 6, 1994, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Driftwood Inn was opened in 1937, conceived and constructed by local Vero Beach eccentric and...
, the Ocean Grill, and the Patio restaurant. Although he bought from many sources and sometimes sight unseen by the truckload through contacts, recognizable pieces from Addison Mizner
Addison Mizner
Addison Cairns Mizner was an American resort architect whose Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style interpretations left an indelible stamp on South Florida, where it continues to inspire architects and land developers. In the 1920s Mizner was the best-known and most-discussed...
designed Spanish style mansions in Palm Beach
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
continue to attract new visitors. “…Mizner would no doubt immediately acknowledge the life's work of his kindred spirit and friend, Waldo Sexton, the man who saved what might have been lost forever and who shared his respect for the past and prescience of history's enduring commercial value. The Driftwood Inn is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
One journalist described the businessman and artist who created such unusual attractions: “Sexton was a man who was not afraid to render an opinion and who never hesitated to embroider a story. He loved martinis and women, bells and thing from the sea, and he possessed a compelling urge to create. Some people called him an irresponsible screwball, an untruth he shrewdly did not deny, knowing that the world loves an eccentric.”
Legacy and Honors
- Sexton Plaza in Orchid Island, FloridaOrchid Island, FloridaOrchid Island, Florida, an Atlantic coastal barrier island located in Indian River County, Florida, is actually the Indian River County part of North Hutchinson Island, although that term in not used in Indian River County. Orchid Island is separated from the mainland on the west by the Indian...
is named for him. - Honored for outstanding citizenship in Indian River County with "Waldo Sexton Day" in Vero Beach on 1958.
- Received the Indian River Chapter of American Institute of Architects "1992-1993 Ambiance Award" honoring Waldo's Breezeway, Ocean Grill Restaurant, Patio Restaurant, and Turf Club.
- Driftwood Inn added to the National Registry of Historical Places on August 6, 1994.
- McKee Jungle Gardens added to the National Registry of Historical Places on January 7, 1998.
See also
- List of Great Floridians
- McKee Jungle Gardens
- Louisiana Purchase ExpositionLouisiana Purchase ExpositionThe Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
- Vero Beach, FloridaVero Beach, FloridaVero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida, USA. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 estimates, the city had a population of 16,939. It is the county seat of Indian River County...
- David FairchildDavid FairchildDavid Grandison Fairchild was an American botanist and plant explorer. Fairchild was responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and varieties of established crops into the United States, including soybeans, pistachios, mangos, nectarines, dates, bamboos, and flowering...
- The KampongThe KampongThe Kampong is an 11-acre tropical garden in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida United States. It is one of the five gardens of the non-profit National Tropical Botanical Garden , and is open to visitors. An admission fee is charged.-History:The Kampong was bought as their winter...
- Botanical Garden of PeradeniyaBotanical Garden of PeradeniyaRoyal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya is located close to the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is renowned for its collection of a variety of orchids. It includes more than 300 varieties of orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. Attached to it is the National...
- Addison MiznerAddison MiznerAddison Cairns Mizner was an American resort architect whose Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style interpretations left an indelible stamp on South Florida, where it continues to inspire architects and land developers. In the 1920s Mizner was the best-known and most-discussed...