Frederick Northrop Burt, Pioneer Developer. 

There is an often told story that 50 year old Fred Burt, a wealthy Buffalo, N. Y., paper box manufacturer, retired to Florida about 1910, toting a million dollars in three suitcases: One for gambling, a second for financial investment, and a third for land development. 

Fact or fable, Burt’s Florida venture was a gamble: Throwing big money at 5,000 acres of near-wilderness well before the Florida Land Boom was risky business. Yet Burt’s wager was successful and undeveloped land with second growth oak and pine were transformed into three flowering visions: Spring Garden Ranch, South Farm and Burwyn Park. 

Burt’s initial 1910 cattle foray at Spring Garden Ranch, a little north of “downtown” De Leon Springs on Spring Garden Road, was not successful and he switched to raising and training horses. The original cattle barn, horse barn, two silos, blacksmith shop, machine shop, overseer’s house and half mile racetrack are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The complex has become a world class horse breeding, training, and harness racing facility, the largest in North America. The grounds are open to the public during the winter months when harness training is in season.

The Yankee had more money than anyone in De Leon Springs had ever seen. And, after backing his long, open auto out of the wooden boxcar that brought it down south, he started spending.

There. That's a start on telling the story of a New York native that changed the face of De Leon Springs. Few people know the name these days, but almost a century after Fred Burt arrived in 1912, his mark remains. 

The rambling hilltop home is gone, as is his rustic business building of large pine logs, decorated with stuffed birds and reptile skins. So are barns, houses and windmills of his South Farm, and buildings and

game courts at his popular picnic and swimming park. And the park's statue of old Ponce de Leon, too.

Tall pillars and gates to Burwyn Park, a colony of charming homes where Burt lived, are still prominent landmarks. And most everyone knows of Spring Garden Ranch where famous trotters and trainers winter amid picturesque pre World War I barns, silo and water tower. Burt was almost 50 when he and his wife retired to De Leon Springs. His F.N. Burt Co. in Buffalo, N.Y., was the world's largest paper box

manufacturer, according to a 1919 newspaper spread.

Newspaper accounts say he searched the nation with a list of exacting requirements touching on water, climate, soil, markets, shipping, churches, schools and people of good character.

He found it all in De Leon Springs. Or so it's said.

Accounts of his arrival often mention the suitcases, though never citing a source. "According to a story often told," says Volusia, the West Side, "Burt sold one of his factories in Toronto, Canada, dividing a million dollars into three suitcases and carrying them across the border."

The land suitcase quickly got lighter. Burt acquired 5,000 acres in the hill and lake country north of DeLand, leased thousands more, and began to build an agricultural empire that provided jobs for a small army.

Mules and men built 10 miles of shell roads through his new estate and 50 miles of sturdy fences, accounts say. He built houses for workers' families, raised silos and windmills, and put up dozens of specialty farm structures like drive through corn cribs, manure houses, a blacksmith shop, cattle pens and chutes near the railroad.

Along the narrow, shelled St. Johns River Scenic Highway from Jacksonville to Tampa, now U.S. 17, Burt erected impressive gates and arches to his land, some of concrete, some in Japanese style, and others of peeled and creosoted pine logs he called Davy Crockett arches.

Spring Garden Ranch was started for beef cattle. The first horsemen weren't sulky drivers in bright, colorful jackets and caps, but rough cracker cowmen in wide brimmed hats, riding the sandy palmetto range.

When his beef operation faltered, Burt turned to raising quarter horses and about 1926 built a half mile track for exercise and training. Today the ranch is said to be the largest standard bred training facility in North America, set among a collection of early 20th century barns and

farm structures worthy of a historic district.

Burt also raised turkeys, goats and hogs. By 1920, he was selling some 1,000 hogs and 400 head of cattle a year, according to an article that labeled his operation "Florida's greatest stock ranch."

Hundreds of acres of corn was grown for feed, watermelons for northern markets, sugar cane for syrup, prickly pears for jelly and tung trees for nuts shipped to an oil factory in Gainesville. He had vast citrus groves and grew cotton and pineapple.

Burt once said all wealth comes from the soil, but he had other, even altruistic, interests.

In the early 1920's, he campaigned for better roads in this area, partly to create jobs and open land for small farmers. In the late '20's, he gave land to build the Malloy School for black children in De Leon Springs, and in 1937, gave 5 acres to build McInnis Elementary School.

When Richard Schuler was principal of McInnis 30 years ago, he recalls a tung tree on campus. It reminded him of Burt's gift. John Strawn, a Burwyn Park resident since the 1950's, remembers Burt as a wealthy, generous and likable elderly gentleman. Burt's wife died in 1945. They had no children.

Burt couldn't buy everything he wanted.

For years he tried to buy the Ponce De Leon Springs resort, but failed. So he bought adjacent property, drilled 18 inch wide artesian wells and built a big swimming pool, picnic shelters, a food and bait shop,

playgrounds and other amusements. He charged only a nickel to get into Burt's Park, half the resort's price, say state archives. The property recently was added to De Leon Springs State Park.

Strawn said Burt spent much time in his final years at Burt's Park,among West Volusian's playing in the place he created.

Before dawn one winter morning in 1955, Frederick N. Burt, 91, died at home in Burwyn Park. His obituary said burial would be in Buffalo, his birthplace. It didn't mention suitcases. They were emptied long ago, if they ever existed. Besides, he had no further need.