Howey-in-the-Hills is a small town in Central Florida. The population is under 2,000 people but the town has a very unique history. It was the location of the building of the first citrus juice plant in the state of Florida in 1921. The town got its unique name from the man who built the plant and founded the town, William John Howey, and from the rolling hills that surrounded the area. The town owner once lived lavishly, but then his home became an abandoned Florida mansion with an eerie feeling about it. Let’s take a closer look at this haunting abandoned mansion in Florida.
Howey was one of the most successful citrus developers in Florida's history, buying up acres of land, planting orange groves on them, and then reselling them to investors.
This was big business. To this day, Florida is known for its orange groves, and Howey capitalized on the famous fruit early on.
His beautiful Mediterranean Revival mansion was built in 1925. Then called Howey House, it was the crown jewel of the town for many years, piquing curiosity in everyone who passed by.
Even Howey was not immune to the effects of the Great Depression, and he turned to politics for the remainder of his life. Howey died in 1938, and his widow lived in the mansion for more than 40 years after his death. The Howeys and their daughter are entombed in a backyard mausoleum on the property.
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The last owner lived in the home for many years until some bad financial advice led to the mansion being put in foreclosure and the messy legal status of the property.
Many people in the area wanted to see the home preserved and maybe even open for tours, but the legal status of things after the foreclosure made that difficult. Meanwhile, this beautiful historic mansion sat abandoned, year after year.
Check out the drone footage to observe the overgrown exterior of the mansion. These photos show the mansion in the '20s versus today. As you can see, many lovely elements remained under a layer of dust and grime for a long time.
It was tragic to see such a beautiful property disintegrate. In fact, it would be a benefit to the town to keep the property in good shape.
It turns out, the townspeople weren't the only ones that felt that way. Florida natives Brad and Clay Cowherd became entranced by the property and purchased it.
It truly was a family effort. After Brad and Clay purchased the property, their aunt and uncle took over the restoration, ensuring that the details were both entrancing to a modern audience and paying homage to the property's rich history.
Best of all, you don't have to get married at the Howey Mansion to experience its new life.
Schedule a history tour of a private tour to learn the ins and outs of the home and how the restoration breathed new life into an abandoned place in Florida.
Take a look at the footage below to see the home before it was restored and get a sense of the eerie, abandoned feel it used to have. Then check out the Howey Mansion website to see before and after pictures of the rooms. It’s incredibly different and clearly a labor of love.
Have you ever seen this abandoned mansion in Florida up close? Let us know what it was like in the comments. Interested in learning about more Florida landmarks? Check out these 14 historical landmarks in Florida that you absolutely must take a road trip to visit.
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