By LINDA CHION
linda@observernews.net
The second annual legacy Labor Day picnic to benefit the Timberly Trust is set for September in Riverview, in tribute to a pioneer who was born on her family’s property more than 100 years ago.
The Moseley property sits off an eight-lane road that was nothing but dirt when the family from Illinois moved to Limona with new hopes. The aim was to pioneer a homestead in Florida, in the greater Brandon area, which at the time bore the name New Hope.
According to Mark Proctor, a trustee for the Timberly Trust, Julia Winifred Moseley was born on the property, at 1820 West Brandon Blvd. and for years turned away “literally millions of dollars for her property to be developed because of its location on State Road 60,” which in turn is Brandon Boulevard.
“Someone offered $10 million more than once, for the 15 acres the property sits on, and Julia decided not to sell,” said Betty Jo Tompkins, who serves as well on the Timberly Trust Board of Trustees. “Julia held firm not to sell because she wanted to preserve her homestead for history.”
The Labor Day fundraiser picnic is set for the Barn Theater at Winthrop, in a Riverview community founded by John and Kay Sullivan, who support the preservation effort. Indeed, Kay Sullivan sits on the board of trustees, and her husband, as well, has been involved in securing the wishes of Moseley, who died in 2020 at age 101. She was born March 21, 1919.
Secured is the property’s designation on the national, state and local registries for places with historic significance, Proctor said. While that means the property cannot be developed, it likewise means any repairs or renovations must meet exacting standards to keep that designation, which in turn raises the costs of upkeep.
“Rarely is an opportunity available to preserve a precious piece of history like Julia Moseley’s home in Brandon,” Proctor said. “With all its growth and emerging communities, it is critical that we do not forget our pioneering roots and humble beginnings, and Julia’s property is testament to that.”
The aim of the Labor Day picnic and the overall Timberly Trust initiative is to raise operational and renovation funds to open soon the Julia Mosely Homestead for public educational tours.
The picnic is set for Monday, Sept. 7, at the Winthrop barn, at 11349 Bloomingdale Ave., Riverview. Cost for the three-hour event, which kicks off at 11, is $20 for adults, $25 at the door and $10 for kids ages 6 to 16. There is no cost for children ages 5 and under. Legacy Sponsors are Odiorne Insurance Agency and Auto-Owners Insurance.
On the menu is a full meal catered by BubbaQue’s “Real Pit Grillin’” Barbeque, which advertises nine Florida locations, including in Sun City Center, Riverview and Brandon. Recently opened is the Bradenton location, with restaurants opening soon in New Port Richey and in DeRidder, Louisiana, the chain’s first out-of-state location.
Also on the Labor Day menu is strawberry shortcake from the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. The FSGA represents about 70 Florida strawberry farm families farming roughly 14,000 acres, primarily in the Plant City-Dover area, and supports research and education efforts, including work conducted at its research farm in Dover.
Picnic activities include live band music, crafts, raffles, a silent auction, kid activities and an update on Moseley property plans.
“Most of the buildings were built in the 1880s, off an old Seminole Indian trail, which today is State Road 60,” Proctor said. “This makes the Moseley property particularly unique, in that there are very few intact landmarks like this, especially around Tampa Bay and many places in Florida.”
Noted is the Cracker Country exhibit at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, a four-acre living history museum featuring 13 original Florida buildings dating from 1870 to 1912, “but everything on display there was moved there,” Tompkins said.
Like Cracker Country, the Moseley property, complete with its structures, grounds and furnishings, is slated to show what daily life was like in rural Florida in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but in this case, Tompkins said, “Everything is right where it was built.”
“When you go onto the property, you’re immediately transformed from being on an eight-lane parkway to being in a totally different environment, where you can feel what it was like to be a pioneer,” Tompkins said. “Surrounded by 200-year-old oak trees, you feel that sense of history and get a taste of what life was like when people traveled by horse and buggy.”
Rounding out the Timberly Trust Board of Directors are Tad Denham, John Dingfelder, Tom Odiorne and Karen McGinnis Vaughn. Giving testament to her pioneering roots, Moseley, with Betty Powers Crislip, edited, “Come to My Sunland,” a compilation of “Letters of Julia Daniels Moseley from the Florida Frontier, 1882-1886.” The book is based on letters and writings of Moseley’s grandmother.
For advance picnic tickets, contact any trustee, including Betty Jo Tompkins at 813-477-8332.