Immerse Yourself in the Soul of Mistletoe

1860sThe Harvin family lived along the Florida / Georgia line and west of Meridian Road in the 1860s, and their home still stands as the gateway to Mistletoe. Built prior to 1883 using hand hewed timber, the Harvin homestead later served as the manager’s house for many decades. In 1960, J.C. Harvin wrote to Mistletoe’s manager, indicating he thought his grandfather’s house was built 100 years ago. According to the letter, during the hurricane of 1883, the “big house” provided shelter to nearly everyone on the farm. The house was “so strongly built, those inside could hardly tell a hurricane was going on outside.”  A child at the time, Harvin slept through most of the storm.

Between 1870 and 1890,the population of Thomasville doubled, reaching 5500. Lured by the mild winters and supposed health benefits of breathing pine scented air, wealthy vacationers flocked to south Georgia and north Florida. Word spread among the friends, family, and colleagues of shipping magnate and Cleveland businessman Howard Melville Hanna. Hanna and his cohorts began acquiring properties in the Red Hills, consolidating farms into hunting plantations. By 1970, descendants of these families owned nearly 150,000 acres and at least 40 hunting plantations in the region.

1929 - 1941Establishing a winter refuge from his home in Michigan, Harry C. Bulkley acquired the former Harvin farm and nearly doubled the acreage. Like so many large landholders in the Red Hills region, Bulkley pieced together surrounding farms and called his property a “hunting plantation.” He converted the land use from farming to hunting, added a guest cottage, and built a rustic lodge that would serve as the foundation for the Main House of today. The Detroit lawyer and businessman named his retreat “Mistletoe Plantation.” In recognition of the hurtful nature of the word “plantation” in the context of the slaveholding history of Southern States, the current owners have chosen to drop the language of the past and pave a new path forward at “Mistletoe.”

1942 - 1953Roswell and Sarah B. King purchased Mistletoe in May of 1942. After visiting Tallahassee during legislative sessions, they moved to Mistletoe with their two daughters, and the Kings made the rustic lodge their home for more than a decade. Compared to their experiences in Jacksonville and New Orleans, life in the country proved to be quite an adventure. They tried their hand at raising cattle, planted timber, donated produce to the war effort, and spotted for planes at neighboring Birdsong. Mistletoe guests during the King years included U.S. Senator Claude Pepper and Florida Governor Millard Caldwell.

1953 - 1985 Jean Hanna Gallien of Ohio and her husband Gurnee took over in the 50s and began transforming Mistletoe into a full-scale hunting operation with substantial land acquisitions and a focus on quail habitat. At this point, the Cleveland connection between the Hanna family and Red Hills hunting properties was well established.  Mrs. Gallien began a new era of entertaining, construction, and renovation—transforming the rustic hunting lodge into the elegant Main House of today. She expanded the Christmas House and added a new foyer to the Main House. In addition, she moved the gateway to Mistletoe across the state line, as it was apparently considered more prestigious to have an address in Thomasville, Georgia.

For more than 30 years, Mistletoe focused primarily on quail production, improving habitat by breaking up larger fields, removing cattle fences, using prescribed burning, and planting grain and pine. While hunting reigned supreme, Mrs. Gallien also oversaw successful livestock and agricultural operations. Mistletoe produced bamboo, peanuts, corn, and tobacco. The Mistletoe gardens and greenhouse grew geraniums, sweet peas, and a host of winter vegetables—offering added flair to Mrs. Gallien’s elegant dinner parties. Like the King family before them, the Galliens often entertained influential visitors. Guests included governors of Georgia and Kentucky as well as George M. Humphrey who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury for President Eisenhower.

1985A new era of ownership and entertaining began with the partnership of six families: Duby and Sallie Ausley, Ken and Carol Lees Hart, Barbara and Joe Marlin Hilliard, Tom and Kay Rankin, Ed and Cheryl Richardson, and Frank and Sarah Shaw. The new owners brought some of Florida’s best known statesmen of the times to enjoy Mistletoe. Guests included Lawton Chiles, Bob Martinez, Buddy MacKay and Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick. While most of these influential guests came to Mistletoe for dinner, Lawton Chiles — an avid turkey hunter — enjoyed the opportunity to walk in the woods.  On more than one occasion, Governor Chiles showed up uninvited, unannounced, and without security detail - but he was always welcomed!

1996Over the years, the number of acres and owners declined, and the Mistletoe Partnership was reduced to the Ausley and Hart families. In 1996, a substantial portion of Mistletoe was placed into conservation easement, preserving wildlife habitat and protecting the natural beauty of the land for future generations. The allure of the bobwhite quail initiated the birth of Red Hills hunting retreats, and continued courtship of the bird has paved the way for the land’s preservation.

2024The current owners have opened up Mistletoe as a retreat for friends, family, and colleagues to gather together in the Red Hills. Today, the 85 acres surrounding the Main House remain as the heart of Mistletoe. Three generations of the Ausley family have enjoyed the historic charm and natural beauty of Mistletoe, and we are excited to share the magic with you. We invite you to host your next gathering at Mistletoe and enjoy the pleasure of being present.