17 Oaks Plantation

Lewis Barton and his wife, Mary, are building 17 Oaks Plantation in Christmas, Florida. Lewis, a Vietnam Veteran who suffered a 50% disability serving his country and his wife have been married 35 years ago. The Barton’s lost their ocean front Florida home during the hurricanes that struck the state in 2004 and decided they wanted to build a replica of a pre-civil war
plantation.

Lewis required open heart surgery early in 2011. In 2013 he contracted sepsis and as a result had to go through intravenous morphine treatment for a period of 10 days. After his release and while still recovering he traveled to Louisiana and toured the levees of the Mississippi River viewing pre-civil war plantations. During the weeklong trip Lewis researched the architecture and engineering that went into over 30 of those plantations. Upon his return the Bartons purchased the 15 acres of land on which 17 Oaks Plantation now sits. The land is shaded by stately Southern Pine and Live Oak trees.

The name, 17 Oaks Plantation, comes from the 17 oak columns surrounding the plantation home. Each is 16 inches square and stands 16 feet tall. Beginning in May of 2013, Lewis cleared the land himself while still recovering from his surgery. He pitched a tent on the property and with a chain saw and backhoe began the task of clearing a space nestled in the hammocks for their home. Initially he was only able to work for two or three hour stretchesbefore having to retire to his tent to rest for another three or four hours and then going back to work. He did this seven days a week for over a year and now, thirty pounds lighter and completely prescription free, he is able to work nine to ten hours a day without stopping to rest.