Ellenton
Redeeming a Civil War Legacy
Ellenton is one of the smallest communities on the gulf coast of Florida, but surprisingly enough, one with more history than most.
The land that we now know as Ellenton was once home to the Tocobaga and Yamasee tribes (as well as the Creek and Seminole tribes, much later).
Following the end of the Second Seminole War, Major Robert Gamble, Jr. received 160 acres of land along the Manatee River. He relocated there in 1844 with a couple hundred slaves and set about building a classic antebellum mansion and clearing the land for sugar cane growing. Bricks for the structure were formed from ‘tabby’ – a mixture of lime, sand, water, and oyster shells scavenged from nearby Indian mounds.
Gamble was joined by approximately a dozen more plantation owners, and within a year, they’d built a lucrative sugar trade to New Orleans on the backs of their slaves.
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Gamble rapidly expanded, increasing his 160 acres to over 3,500, building a 40,000 gallon water cistern, a sugar mill, slaves’ quarters, and a private wharf to ship out the sugar and raw molasses to Louisiana by steamboat. Unfortunately, the sugar trade started declining faster than Gamble could increase production and he was forced to sell off his holdings to pay his debts in 1856.
During the Civil War, Captain Archibald McNeill, the famous Confederate blockade runner took the mansion as his base of operations. Union raiders destroyed the sugar mill in 1864, never to be rebuilt. According to legend, after the South surrendered, Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin, allegedly one of the conspirators behind the President Lincoln assassination, came to the plantation and McNeill helped him escape to the Bahamas.
In the 1870’s, George Patten bought the Gamble plantation for $3000, but found the mansion unlivable, so he built a 2-story Victorian house that would eventually became part of the historical property. He and his wife named the area Ellenton, in honor of their daughter Mary Ellen and deeded each of his 13 children a portion of the town we now know.
Mary Ellen would go on to marry Hiram Leffingwell, one of the designers of the city of St. Louis, MO, who had relocated to Florida. In 1884, they donated land and a former plantation bell to the Union Church (now Ellenton United Methodist).
In 1925, the local chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy raised enough money to buy the Gamble house and 16 acres, which they donated to the state as a memorial to Judah Benjamin. The state restored the mansion and designated it a state park. It is the last remaining plantation home in South Florida, and despite its pedigree, is considered by the state to be a monument to the African-American slaves that built it, not the property’s owners.
In 1966, John Thomas, one of the first Civilian Pilot Training instructors in World War II and an avid air racer as well as a TWA pilot, moved to Ellenton and built a private airfield – a haven for antique and other small planes, along with a small museum with antique aircraft engines, propellers, airfoils, photograph albums, aviation library and a WWI biplane.
Today Ellenton is as well known for the outlet mall and The Ice and Sports Complex as it is for the mansion. About 4,200 people live in town year round, and if you ask the right person, they’ll reveal that the town’s largest employer, Feld Entertainment, is perhaps best known as the owner of what remained of the Ringling Brothers-Barnum & Bailey Circus before it shut down in 2017, as well as the Center for Elephant Preservation. They’re also the producers behind Disney on Ice, Marvel Universe Live! and Sesame Street Live.
The Industry Leader in Green Pest Solutions
Good News leads the industry in providing 100% all natural, safer and more effective botanically-based eco-superior products for pest control. Products that are guaranteed safe for you, your children and your pets. That, coupled with other products that utilize naturally occurring elements found in nature, allows Good News to provide the same pest-free living guarantee, with no risk to your health.
A recent EPA study suggests that 80% of pesticide exposure occurs indoors and that measurable levels of up to a dozen pesticides have been found in the air inside homes!
Perimeter Plus - Green Pest Control
Our Perimeter Plus green pest control is designed to eliminate and prevent most of the creepy-crawly insect varieties we see in Florida, including ants, roaches, silverfish and, of course, spiders. We schedule 3 visits per year to provide exterior service after the initial set-up.
Your Good News technician will inspect the entire exterior of your property while sweeping cobwebs from the eaves and windows.
Once the source of insects is determined, a proper treatment of the perimeter foundation, entry points, eaves, plant beds and trees will be applied where needed using reduced–risk, green products.
If you are having any pest issues inside, your trained tech will also treat any entry points, kitchen, baths, laundry room, or problem areas using reduced–risk or even pesticide exempt products.
We guarantee your satisfaction and will return (at no charge) in between scheduled visits if you encounter any pests. Please call as soon as you see a problem. The sooner we inspect and treat, the better.
Keeping the Rodents in the Fields
One issue we see with rapidly growing and developing areas, is that rats, mice and other rodents find themselves ‘homeless,’ and decide to move in to your home—even in the most exclusive homes and neighborhoods.
The Good News Premier Rodent Program is the most comprehensive service available. We start by excluding all known entry points and sealing roof vents with proprietary covers. Then, we set several traps in the attic(s) to kill any rodents sealed in.
Next, we install 4-6 of the best bait stations available in hidden locations around the exterior perimeter. These help to keep the outside population of rodents to a minimum. We check the traps twice per week until we are sure there are no more live rodents inside.
Finally, we vacuum droppings and apply a deodorizer, sanitizer, viruscide to the entire attic space.
Many of our customers are finalizing the process by capping their insulation with T·A·P: Thermal Acoustical Pest Control. Once T·A·P™ is installed, the attic looks brand new and acts as a deterrent to re-infestation.
Term-Assure 365 - Termite Protection
Our tropical Florida environment means that the state also has the highest risk for termite problems. Termites do more damage than floods, fires and storms combined, and like those natural disasters, the more you prepare the less you feel the impact.
Termite damage isn’t covered by most homeowners policies, which means the repair costs come out of your pocket.
Good News is the leader in using natural and essential oil alternatives to control both drywood and subterranean termite pests.
Term Assure 365 is the most comprehensive and affordable termite protection in the state. First, we perform a thorough inspection of your home to be sure there is no existing evidence of termite infestation.
Next, we perform our initial Perimeter Plus interior and exterior pest control service and install 6-8 termite monitoring stations around the exterior perimeter of your home.
Then every time one of our skilled technicians visits your house (at least once every 4 months), they check the monitoring stations along with the normal treatment. And we offer a $1 million dollar damage repair warranty for homes that qualify.
If you’re building or buying, we offer Bora-Care®, an organic pre-construction treatment, and Florida-mandated real estate WDO inspections, to insure your new home is free of wood destroying organisms.
Don’t wait, schedule your termite inspection now.
T·A·P: Thermal Acoustical Pest Control
With T·A·P, you not only keep out the bugs, but you can save money on your cooling (and heating) bills! Like all our products, TAP is all natural and safe for your family and pets, but is 32% more energy efficient than fiberglass insulation, while adding a sound barrier and even reducing fire hazard.
Quick Facts About Ellenton:
- As of 2012, Ellenton is the final home of the Ringling Brothers – Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Circus’ final performance was in May of 2017. Once a top circus attraction, the elephants are now housed in the Center for Elephant Preservation.
- The Gamble Mansion and its 40,000 gallon aqueduct along with the Patten House are being considered for status as a National Historical Monument.
- Because Ellenton once served as the Circus’ winter home, several of the former performers have settled in and around Ellenton.
- The remains of the Gamble Sugar Cane Mill, one of the largest in the South before Union raiders demolished it, can be seen off State Route 683.
- The Charms Matthews House, one of the oldest modern homes in Ellenton was recently restored to its turn of the century look.
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1080 Enterprise Court, Ste A
North Venice, FL 34275
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