October 24, 1995

Eagles Nest A Favorite Lodge Of Prominent Sportsmen

With thanks to Jim Christman

It is somewhat confusing to adjust one's comprehension of an Eagles Nest being home of the Elks --- but such is the case regarding the historic waterfront lodge at Solana.

Solana, a "suburb" of Punta Gorda, was settled in 1873 by a snowbird named Frederick W. Howard of Kinderhook, N.Y. Census and tax records disclose that he and his wife homesteaded 132 acres and built a five-room cabin on the property. The Howards came to Florida only in the winter.

Arrival of the Florida Southern Railway in 1886 increased the value of their property ten-fold. They hired Kelly B. Harvey to survey their land and lay out town lots. The name chosen for the development was a combination of Sol (the sun) and Anna (Howards' wife). The Solana plat was filed at Arcadia in November 1889, and the first lots sold a year later. Encouraged by brisk sales, the Howards moved here permanently in 1890 and built a large two-story frame home still occupied at the corner of Howard Street and Shore Drive.

Among early purchasers of Howards' lots was C.M. Carrier of then DeSoto County. In 1919, he bought all of Block 1 which includes the present lodge building of the Punta Gorda Fraternal Order of Elks. The property was appraised at $50 and a 60-cent tax levied on it.

The following year, Carrier built a small frame house on the site which increased the value to $550. This turned out to be a profitable investment because in 1920 Carrier sold lots 4 and 5 of his block --- including the waterfront --- to John Morrison of New York State for $1,200.

Morrison also was a winter visitor who came here for the hunting and fishing. He either enlarged the Carrier cottage, or replaced it entirely with the sprawling Elks building in 1921. Morrison named his home Eagles Nest because a pair of these stately birds had a nest in a nearby pine tree.

Mr. and Mrs. Morrison were a wealthy couple who traveled extensively and had prominent friends who sometimes visited them here --- Mrs. Thomas A. Edison, for example. They filled their home with exotic hand-carved furniture from around the world, including a fireplace mantle, matching chests and large "slave" fans imported from the Orient.

During the summer, when Eagles Nest was closed, local men were hired to maintain the grounds which included imported shrubbery. The last caretaker was Ulysses S. Whitaker, grandfather of Historian U.S. Cleveland well known to this column.

Morrison's brother, Ed, bought a winter home, now known as the Dotzler property, at Charlotte Harbor Town.

James Morrison also speculated in Solana and Punta Gorda property during the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s. He appears to have done well despite the Great Depression. He sold Eagles Nest in May 1937 for a sum disguised by the legal term of "one dollar and other valuable considerations."

It is probable that Morrison had grown lonely after the death of his wife. The deed of transfer notes him as "a single man of Charlotte County." There is no further record of Morrison here. It is assumed he moved out of the area --- perhaps back to New York State to be with family.

New owners of Eagles Nest were Mr. and Mrs. James E. Kelly of Dayton, Ohio. He was a golf professional and proprietor of a sporting goods store. In 1935, Kelly developed a heart condition. The doctor advised him to spend the winter in a warmer climate.

Kelly drove his family to Florida with out any destination in mind. Accompanying him was his wife, Jeannette, and their two little children. Young James was just three. His sister Sheila was a babe in arms. After a weary day of driving, the family reached the village of Punta Gorda. "I went into the Seminole Pharmacy to inquire about food and lodging," Kelly recounted in later years.

"The owner, Wallace Mobley recommended the Princess Hotel across the street. I then asked him where I could go for good hunting and fishing. "Mobley replied, 'Look no farther. You're in the heart of the best hunting and fishing in all Florida. I'll show you tomorrow.' The next day he and his brother Hugh, the pharmacist, put a sign in the store's door, 'Gone Fishing.' We spent the day hauling in fish from the bay. The day after that, Wallace's grandson, Jimmy Mobley, and Pauley Rasch took me hunting. I stayed two months."

"The following winter, I took the family to join Dayton friends at the old hotel in El Jobean. Jannette liked to fish and hunt also. By this time I knew all the good hunting and fishing spots and spent most of my time guiding my friends. I figured I might as well get in the resort business myself, so I sold the store in Dayton and moved to Punta Gorda.

"Lou Calder, president of the Union Bag and Paper Co., had built the beautiful Allapatchee Lodge on Alligator Creek where he entertained important customers and his friends. I heard he wanted to lease it. We agreed on terms, and the Kellys moved to Punta Gorda. My wife and I operated the lodge for four years.

"When I heard John Morrison's Eagles Nest was for sale, Jeannette and I got enough money together for a down payment. Then we added five cabins for guests and kennels for hunting dogs. We turned the place into a busy hunting and fishing lodge."

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Father Jim placed ownership of the Eagles Nest in Jeannette's name, and the whole family pitched in to make the lodge one of the most popular in the area.

Young Jim grew up at Eagles Nest and naturally took to the outdoors. As an adult, he started a camp for boys and became a rifle instructor in the Army. He remembers with enthusiasm his early years at Solana.

"Many important businessmen, sports figures, and military leaders vacationed at Eagles Nest," says Kelly.

"The Calder brothers, Bob and Lou, were guests. Lou Calder enjoyed stays there. Bob and his wife spent ten weeks there every winter. Bob Calder, Jr., of Campbell Soups, joined his family at the Nest.

"Frank G. Burke, Jr., of Sweetheart Soap, which later sold to Purex, spent four months at the Nest each winter. He enjoyed the good times he had hunting around Punta Gorda and fishing down at Boca Grande Pass. He loved the area so much he requested that upon his death his body be cremated and his ashes scattered at Boca Grande Pass. When he died, his wife and favorite fishing guide followed his wishes.

"Mike Holmes, a successful businessman from Rye, N.Y., also requested upon his death that his ashes be placed in the Peace River from the Eagles Nest dock. His wishes were carried out by his widow his sister, and his brother-in-law. Mike vacationed at the Eagles Nest for 32 winter seasons.

"Vern Den Herter, pro-end with the Miami Dolphins, came to the lodge to hunt quail. Golf's Sam Snead and Dr. Carey Middlecoff, pro- golfer and television personality covering many leading tournaments --- enjoyed hunting trips from the Nest. Other pleased guests were Freddie Hutchinson, manager of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team; Jimmy Braggan, coach for the Reds; and Dave Bristol, one of baseball's youngest big-league managers,

"Generals Omar Bradley, Bedel Smith and Cornelius Wickersham were frequent guests. Gen. Bradley was a great man and a sincere gentleman. General Smith, in addition to his military career, was also ambassador to Russia. General Wickersham brings back many wonderful memories of days spent hunting and fishing with this truly great and modest man. "General Wickersham was General Dwight Eisenhower's legal adviser during the occupation of Europe and a senior partner in one of New York City's largest law firms.

"Admiral Eddie McDonnell, and his brother, General McDonnell, were both good sportsmen. After a couple of highballs, all you had to do was ask them, 'How did the Army-Navy football game come out this year?' then sit back and enjoy the brothers' fireworks! "The admiral held the Congressional Medal of Honor. Unfortunately he was killed in a plane crash enroute to an Eagles Nest vacation.

"I grew up in the resort business and was guiding parties at the ripe old age of 12. I am still guiding. I was at the Eagles Nest for 40 years of my life. "When people ask me about the great and important people I have had the privilege to know over those years, I reply that the greatest people I ever knew there were my mother, father, sister, and my wife Shirley. We worked together to make the Nest successful."

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The Eagles Nest was purchased by the newly organized Punta Gorda Elks in April, 1980. Extensive renovations and a new dock were recently completed. A gorgeous buffet of drawers left by the Morrisons was donated by the Elks to the equally historic Freeman Home at Punta Gorda, open to the public.

However, the eagles nest is gone. The old, bare tree harboring the eagles blew down years ago. The eagles set up housekeeping elsewhere. Yet, their presence --- and 120 years of memories of the Howards, Carriers, Morrison's and Kellys --- lives on with the Elks.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers

Photo by Lindsey Williams

The Elks Lodge at Eagles Nest in Solana traces its roots back 120 years.