There is a patch of woods on the busy State Road 60 in Brandon, an anomaly among the car dealerships and strip malls. There is a home, built in the 1800s by Julia Daniels Moseley (1849-1917), which she named ‘The Nest,’ that still stands today in that patch of woods. It is the former, private residence of Julia Winifred Moseley, granddaughter of Julia Daniels Moseley, and it is almost the same as it was when the original Moseley lived there, but now the property is covered by fallen trees and tree limbs from the recent hurricanes that hit the Brandon area this past October.
“The 1886 Moseley Homestead is currently comprised of 15 acres adjacent to Tenmile Lake, located at 1820 West Brandon Blvd.,” said Mark Proctor, chairman of Timberly Trust Inc., which oversees the Moseley Homestead. “The Moseley Homestead was a regular stop for caravans of troops that were on their way to Fort Meade and other forts throughout Florida. A short stop at the Moseley Homestead allowed travelers to take a rest and drink from the highly regarded, cool, sweet water from the pristine well located on the property.”
While there was no damage to the Moseley home during the recent hurricanes, more than 40 100 to 200-year-old trees were affected by high winds and are currently strewn all over the 15-acre site.
“We will need to be strategic in selecting volunteers to help with this project,” Proctor said. “We will need skilled tree removal companies to come and help with the cutting of the large trees and removing them. We are working with a local Boy Scout troop to help clean up the debris and tree limbs.”
Preserving Brandon, a newly formed preservation society, is working with Proctor to get the property cleaned up.
“The property is in my opinion vulnerable,” said Preserving Brandon’s founder, Karen McGinnis. “Preserving Brandon is all-hands-on-deck with developing partnership for the cleanup, as well as participation in the cleanup. We will also provide refreshments for those who volunteer.”
There currently is not a date set to do the Moseley Homestead cleanup, as both Proctor and Preserving Brandon are hoping to get more professional volunteers.
“If there are any professional tree removal companies in the Brandon community that would like to help with the cleanup, they can text me at 813-451-8780.”
If you’d like to learn more about the Moseley Homestead, you can visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/moseley.homestead.
