The Murphy-burroughs mansion

John T. Murphy and Daniel A. Floweree were two of the first men to venture down south and find a deep appreciation for the considerable laid-back qualities of the area and the business opportunities that lay at their grasps. Both men were friends and business associates from Montana, who held investments in cattle ranching, farming, banking, stock brokering, among other pursuits. Murphy, born in Platte County, Missouri, 1842, had grown up working on his family farms until he was old enough with an appropriate education to venture on his own. He traveled west not as a gold rush prospector, like so many before, during, and after him, but with prospects for learning a trade. He worked as a clerk in a mercantile factory until he had enough saved up to open his own trade business in 1860. For him, luck was on his side and his business boomed, leading to an expansive operation opening storefronts in several cities in Nebraska and Montana.[3] 

Through the trade of cattle, he purchased working on his family farm, he was able to capitalize on the market, eventually becoming a Montanan Cattle King and millionaire, much like that of his close, personal friend, Daniel A.G. Floweree. With business booming, he often travelled with his good friend and business partner, Floweree, to various locales to inspect potential markets. It was in the later part of the 19th century that they came to Florida upon hearing of the cattle, climate, and lax lifestyle. They ventured to Tampa to enjoy what the lands had to offer. “One day Murphy happened to read a story in the Tampa Tribune which aroused his interest. It stated that Florida was having the biggest cattle trade in its history and that thousands of steers were being shipped out of Punta Rassa to Cuba each month. The story also said that Fort Myers had become the cow capital of the state and was the home of many cattle kings.”[4] Upon this news, both men decided to see for themselves and ventured down south. On their many stops in the southwestern region, they witnessed the operations in motion where cattle were loaded onto schooners for Havana, Cuba. “They were not deeply impressed – by the cattle. Murphy said he had never seen such woebegone animals and Floweree emphatically agreed.”[5] However, when both men finally reached Fort Myers, they were entranced by the beauty of the natural wilds, mangroves, and wetlands with a winding Caloosahatchee River trickling its way past a charming frontier town with modest, well-mannered, and hardworking people. Both stayed at the luxurious Royal Palm Hotel and remained there for the winter. By the end of the season, both decided they would make Fort Myers their winter home. As the hired agent, Harvie E. Heitman represented the business interests of both Murphy and Floweree. Heitman was able to secure a parcel of property for Murphy located off First Street for $3,500. Murphy then sold half of the property to Floweree, making the first two parcels of land to be sold and cleared for residences, which would later be dubbed Millionaires’ Row. 

Both men hired C.S. Caldwell of Tampa to construct their winter homes. Interestingly each of the men selected their residences from a catalogue. The design Murphy chose was the no. 4 floor plan from the highly popular and infamous building catalogue from George F. Barber, a Tennessean architect.[6] The design was slightly altered to fit the desires of the owner, which reportedly cost Murphy $15,000 to build (or $490,496.47 in today’s money adjusted for inflation). Reportedly, the construction of the mansion involved a lengthy process. The shipment of all building materials for the home was shipped on fourteen railroad cars, then transported by schooner and barge to Fort Myers where construction crews from Tampa were hired, as no one skilled enough lived further south. The mansion was a kit, assembled piece-by-piece from specific instruction - much like post-modern products that are shipped and singularly assembled via directional catalogue. 

Once the Mansion was built,  Murphy enjoyed the lap of luxury his Estate had to offer. Every morning, they would either sit in parlor or rock in the rocking chairs and watch the Florida Crackers walk by with their cattle herds, who originally would drive past the Murphy and Floweree Estates, the only two residences at the time of its construction. First Street was still a dirt road by the turn-of-the-century. No royal palm trees had been planted, as of yet, and thus the nickname “The City of Palms” was non-existent. Social events typically involved hosting parties in the front parlor where the Edison and Ford Families were often invited. After his marriage to Clara Cobb in Fort Myers in 1907 and with the birth of his two daughters, Murphy passes after contracting pneumonia. His body was laid to rest in Helena, MT. Clara Murphy sells the Estate to the Langford Family, who, at the time in 1914, were in the midst of building their brand-new home, the Langford Mansion across the street. While in residence, the Langfords upgraded the Mansion and its surrounding grounds, including the addition of the first tennis court in the entire southern region of Florida, a garage, gazebo, water tower, and electric pump.[7] With the advent of the new construction of their Prairie style home now complete, the Langfords moved out of the Murphy Mansion and into their new home. 

They sold the Estate to Nelson T. Burroughs, a wealthy and prominent banker, grocer, and real-estate owner. He moved down with his wife, Adeline, and his two daughters, Jettie and Mona. His two sons were killed years prior in separate accidents, leaving the nature of business solely to Nelson and his one daughter, Jettie – who kept meticulous records of the Family’s finances and fortune, and thus a main reason for her never marrying. For the Burroughs, the Mansion served as a winter retreat and they never truly had substantial business dealings or holdings in the Fort Myers area, as their interests primarily involved pursuits in the North, as well as the Midwest. [8] By the early Thirties, Jettie and Mona were living in the Mansion year-round, having lost both parents in 1932 with just three months apart from each passing. Although Jettie would swear off marriage, Mona married three times over, the last of which outliving Mona. His name was Franz Fischer. With Jettie’s passing in 1969, Mona was the sole heiress to the Family’s fortune and possessor of the Estate and all businesses and properties. She lived out the remainder of her life enjoying the fruits of luxury by selling off her stocks and bonds, properties, and offloading her father’s previous businesses in the North. As stipulated in Mona Burroughs’s last will and testament, the Murphy-Burroughs Mansion was to be donated, or gifted, to the City of Fort Myers after the death of Franz Fischer and employ its use as either a library or museum.[9]Today, The Murphy-Burroughs Mansion is owned by the City, yet is annually leased to the Uncommon Friends Foundation that runs historic tours and also pairs itself with a wedding company that hosts  events on the premises. 

Fig. 8: The Secret Garden, located in the rear of the residence with a small tea house and lanai furniture.

Fig. 9: Natural artesian well on the property.

Fig. 10: Burroughs Family - from left (Jettie, Adeline, Nelson, and Mona - smiling)

Click on the PDF documents below to download the following:

- The Murphy-Burroughs Mansion coloring sheet

- The Murphy-Burroughs Mansion worksheet

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