He saw 100,000 cars a year going down U.S. 1, and he said how are we going to stop them and make money from them? said grandson Mark Tripson, who is now president of Sexton Inc. After leaving Barbers farm, he became a traveling salesman for the Spalding Deep Tilling Machine. When that venture proved unprofitable, he transformed it into a restaurant. 1885 Waldo Emerson Sexton is born March 23 in Shelby County, Indiana, the sixth child to Isaac Sexton and Sarah Buckingham Sexton. Across State Road 60, Marks cousin, Sean, continues to oversee the cattle ranch founded by Waldo and taken over by Ralph. Special attention to detail in each guest room along with state of the art amenities makes each stay a comfortable and memorable event. Earned the International Axe Throwing Day (2022) sponsored by WATL badge! 
McKEE BOTANICAL GARDEN PHOTO ARCHIVES. 
He developed three varieties of avocado, one of which is named Sexton.
Besides McKee Jungle Gardens, the Driftwood is one of the few Waldo creations that the Sexton family does not own today. ", | The Driftwood Resort | All Rights Reserved | Accessibility, Listed on the National Registry since 1994.
Fascinated with his various works, who doesnt automatically embrace his spirit when hearing the story of his response to a woman taking a tour with him of the Driftwood?
To the south was the land he would develop with partner Arthur McKee into the citys signature tourist attraction, McKee Jungle Gardens. He would buy fraternity jewelry, such as fraternity pins, from pawn shops and resell them to fraternity members. WALDOS MOUNTAIN
Waldos legacy has also been preserved in the Archive Center at the Indian River County Main Library, which has an extensive collection of photos and newspaper clippings from the days of Waldo.
2. Waldo built the Ocean Grill on a 250-foot piece of oceanfront property he bought in 1925. The rooms in the sections, which had an upstairs, featured furniture made of driftwood and various objects Waldo collected over the years. 1911 Graduates from Purdue and moves to Barberton, Ohio, where he works as manager on the farms of O.C. He suffered from manic depression and was hospitalized repeatedly, with the depressive episodes often occurring after the completion of a highly creative project. 1937 Completes and opens what would become known as the Patio restaurant. Waldo grew up on his parents 80-acre farm and, according to Waldo biographer Gross, was notified by his father at the age of 10 that he and his brothers were to take over all the work in the fields. Grandson Sean Sexton says he was waiting for a part to arrive from company headquarters in Cleveland, which had been hit with a snow storm. Im not going to raise yours.. The home was constructed in 1935 and finished in 1937. A parade was held featuring floats with themes from various Sexton enterprises. The restaurant building has been operated as the Szechuan Palace for the last 28 years with the Liang family leasing it from Sexton Inc.
Once Sexton finished the inn, he began to fill it, inside and out, with a, mish-mash of objects ranging from ships' wheels to cannons and from early Italian chests to plush sofas, gleaned from every corner of the state and as far away as Europe. They later produce a family of two girls and two boys. By 1947, he was being treated in Jacksonville and then later the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, and Jackson Memorial in Miami, often with sons Randy or Ralph delivering him or picking him up. Waldo Sexton arrived in Vero Beach in the 1920's and proceeded to build the Driftwood Inn, one of the most extraordinary structures in the South. The gardens were completed in 1931 and officially opened Jan. 1, 1932, becoming the regions foremost tourist attraction and putting Vero on the tourist map. The Patio began as a real estate office and a fruit stand that was opened in 1935 by Waldos sister, Lulu Sexton Sleeth. Earned the Brewery Pioneer (Level 26) badge! Michaels house [on Orchid Island] by manpower alone no mules, no tractors, no bulldozers.. I would go over in the morning and Papa would make me a jelly omelet, recalled granddaughter Logan Tripson Geeslin. The farm featured 35 structures, many of them built in the French Renaissance Revival style and adhering to Barbers belief that farms should be both beautiful and functional. THE PATIO Gas rationing during World War II reduced traffic on U.S. 1 and the fruit stand was closed. He boasted that the cow required less feed and produced more higher-priced cuts than other Thus, he immediately started to build a house for Barbara and John next door.
The whole town turned out for the parade, said Geeslin. But when Barbara became pregnant with their first child, Waldo took action. The children had few restrictions or responsibilities, except the care of various pets, which included a macaw, monkey, goats, several dogs and a clowder of cats to keep rats down in the dairy barn. It was originally built as a weekend getaway for the Sexton family, but soon evolved into a hotel and was expanded over the years. Later additions included Waldos Hall of Giants, which features the longest mahogany table in the world, and his outdoor Spanish kitchen, modeled after one Waldo had seen in Mexico.
Often, landscape artist A.E. Elsebeth soon found herself in the hotel business. SEXTON COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY. Since 1965, the restaurant, one of the most popular on the Treasure Coast, has been operated by the Replogle family, which leases it from Sexton Inc. Ian M. is drinking a Waldo's Lager by Waldo's Driftwood Resort at Waldo's at the Driftwood. While Mark Tripson loved and admired his grandfather, he also saw Waldos darker side and believes some of his issues were related to drinking. At the time Waldo arrived in Vero, Florida was neither a retirement nor tourist mecca. The origins of the building today known as the Szechuan Palace began when Waldo saw a small building being moved down State Road 60.
There, he learned to appreciate the finer things in life.
Elsebeth and Waldo Sexton sit at the reviewing stand on Waldo Sexton day in 1958. A collection of bells, many of those acquired by Waldo, can be seen placed discreetly at venues throughout Vero. He carried sacks full of them to buy salvaged items during his buying trips to Palm Beach mansions falling under the wrecking ball, gave them to his California grandchildren during visits and tossed a chest full of them to parade-goers on Waldo Sexton Day in 1958. As Waldo approached his 80s, city and community leaders declared Nov. 5, 1958, as Waldo Sexton Day to celebrate the life and accomplishments of their favorite son. And the work ahead did not intimidate the six-foot-one, 200-pound Waldo. Earned the Cheers To You! Yet Waldo saw the promise and potential of it all.
He had several stays at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, where family members say he met fellow patient Judy Garland and members of the famed Barrymore acting family. Waldo initially opened it as the Turf Club in 1957 as a place where artists could exhibit their talents. Instead, he promoted it as a free tourist attraction and place of reflection that travelers could use as a stop while driving along A1A. She only knew two selections: Hearts and Flowers and Johnny Get Your Gun, which she played alternately as the scene dictated, Sean Sexton wrote. He had an affinity for silver dollars.
Daddy always wanted us to have experiences that he never had and so he took us on all sorts of trips, Barbara told biographer Gross. beef cattle. Earned the Brewery Pioneer (Level 18) badge! One episode occurred in Cuba, and Elsebeth had to travel there to retrieve her husband. I fell in love with Florida the first day and I think I set some sort of record, he said. 1906 Graduates from Shelbyville (Ind.) SJ Brewing Company, Yes, but if it is true (I am by nature a skeptical person ). Earned the Birthday Brew (Level 3) badge! Over the years, the house was expanded.
Backus would work with him to develop sketches for his various projects, and Waldo would use them instead of architectural drawings, according to a 1981 interview with Backus. One of Floridas biggest dreamers and doers, Waldo Sexton brokered some of Vero Beachs most important land deals while building quirky restaurants, a hotel and a tourist attraction that would give the city much of its personality.
The buildings unusual appearance created a demand to rent out rooms, especially since there was only one other hotel on the beach at the time. In the early days, Waldo and McKee populated the gardens with 300 animals, including macaws, toucans, flamingoes, alligators, deer, wildcats, a wrestling bear and various types of monkeys. When a Jacksonville company was dredging nearby property, Waldo saw opportunity and encouraged the operator to dump the fill in low-lying spots on his oceanfront property. 1941 Completes the building now known as the Ocean Grill, which opened as Gus and Emmas Ocean Grill. At the time, he was staying at the Sleepy Eye Lodge the communitys only hotel and decided to stay another 10 days. Luckily, Waldo excelled at academics and qualified to attend Shelbyville High School, where he played football. He is Vero Beachs most iconic figure, celebrated and written about more than any other. Mark Tripson and wife, Hildie, ended up buying Waldos home in 1980. Earned the Paint the Town Red (Level 5) badge! Discover this great Florida beach bar.
1956 Begins building Waldos Mountain and completes it in 1960.
One of the bells belonged to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Another older brother, William, a police officer, died of drowning when swept off a boat attempting to rescue flood victims. The Ocean Grill made its debut as an open-air patio on New Years Eve 1941 but closed the next day because of no-see-ums.
Unlike his other projects, he sought no profit in it. Earned the International Women's Day (2022) badge! 2022 The Best Florida Beach Bars, LLCPlease Drink ResponsiblyPrivacy | Terms | Advertise | Contact, Waldo's at the Driftwood Resort Pool Area. He expected people to be Johnny on the Spot and do what he wanted and sometimes he could be mean. As the Great Depression approached and Floridas land boom went bust, new estate taxes forced the heirs of robber barons in Palm Beach to give up their mansions, with some falling under the wrecking ball. Our waitress informed us that the brewers/owners of Anheuser-Busch so frequent and enjoy this spot they brewed and named this beer after Waldos.
When Waldo returned a few days later, he was surprised to see a mountain of fill towering above the trees. Waldo's Restaurant - The last of the great American Hangouts, Waldo's serves lunch and dinner oceanside and celebrates Happy Hour 7 days a week!
Waldo Sexton used to love to show off his collection.
The city wouldnt be incorporated for six more years. Except for oldest daughter, Jacqueline, who would marry an Episcopal priest and live in California, each of the three other Sexton children followed paths forged by their father. Can't get enough of VeroBeach.com? Ive already raised four children, he is reported to have told the Tripsons. He spent time with George Gross writing Tales of Waldo, giving verbal accounts through his gift of story-telling and his steel-trap memory by which they put together the book, said Ralphs son, Sean Sexton. Blessed with a stout physique, he was a powerful force on the field and known to be fearless.
During her senior year of high school, she rememberd being surprised when she received an acceptance letter from Macalester College in Minnesota, even though she had never applied. Earned the Paint the Town Red (Level 2) badge! Advocates for historic preservation, the two have made few changes to both houses, with both appearing as they might in the days of Waldo. It is located by the pool at the resort and the pool is oceanside. SEXTON FAMILY PHOTO. Sexton Plaza on the beach was dedicated in his honor while bands played and speeches were made. The Driftwood affectionately calls this the "Menagerie of Monstrosities." Im a sinner.. 9. By 1917, he went into farming for himself, planting 10,000 citrus trees the first year and building a small house on 12th Street that would become his homestead.
Earned the City Brew Tours (Level 2) badge! The result was a two-story hotel with balconies everywhere surrounded by pole railings with turned or peeled-log supports. 3. In earlier days at the Driftwood, one's popularitly could be judged by the number of bells rung upon departure. Throughout childhood, he works on the familys 80-acre farm. With lumber rescued from his barn destroyed in a hurricane, Waldo began building what would become the Driftwood in 1933. Son Ralph, who headed Sexton Inc. and died in 2014, just two days shy of his 87th birthday, commissioned the only biography of his father, Tales of Waldo E. Sexton by George W. Gross, published in 2001. And to the east lay the barrier island accessible only by boat the first bridge wouldnt be built until 1920 where he would create the Driftwood Inn and Ocean Grill as well as build Waldos Mountain.
As war approached and temporarily forced the closure of the gardens, Waldo sold his interest in the gardens to McKee after 1941. Some were purchased from missions in Mexico, others once graced such proud locomotives as Old 97 of Virginia or the local line that ran to Key West. Waldos entrepreneurial drive and vision permeated every sector of early Vero commerce: real estate sales, residential development, citrus cultivation, cattle ranching, dairy farming and tourism. Barber, known as the Diamond Match King.
Earned the Paint the Town Red (Level 6) badge.
He enlisted the Rivenbark family of carpenters, who also helped with the construction of the Hall of Giants and later the Ocean Grill and Patio. So interesting story. One of Waldos older brothers, Enoch, died of suicide in 1924 after a nervous breakdown. SZECHUAN PALACE At the reviewing stand where Sexton sat, a chest full of silver dollars sat at his feet. NEW DISCOVERIES In true Waldo entrepreneurial fashion, the Tripsons today run the property known as Waldos Secret Garden as a venue for weddings and other large events.
He was a master publicist, stuffing in his pockets McKee Jungle Gardens pamphlets and flyers extolling the features of Vero Beach to hand out on virtually any trip he took or constantly prodding writers for publications like the New York Times or Saturday Evening Post to spotlight him and his attractions and the wonders of Vero Beach.
Waldo and Elsebeth raised their four children at the home that they expanded over time.
He championed the virtues of the guinea cow, a small cow said to originate with the Spaniards arrival in Florida in the 16th century. To take a virtual tour ofthe property click here. The four Tripson children grew up with their grandparents living just a few feet away and the Tripson dairy operations almost as close.
1967 Dies Dec. 28 at the age of 82 and is buried in Crestlawn Cemetery in Vero Beach. Waldo could often be seen sitting at the auctions, a bag of silver dollars on the floor in front of him, ready to purchase. Though he would sometimes enlist the services of architects and friend, landscape painter A.E. Downtown was just a crossroad with a few buildings, such as the Sleepy Eye Lodge.
Though occupied by condominiums, the land underneath remains owned by another Sexton family corporation, Oslo Packing Inc. Waldo with members of the synchronized swimming team known as the Dolphinettes on Waldos Mountain in the 1950s.
SEXTON COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY. Earned the New Brew Thursday (Level 72) badge! A sprawling resort with rooms that ramble along a spectacular oceanfront setting, the Driftwood offers everything needed for a romantic or family oriented vacation. Hed hoped that an artist colony would develop around it.
An artist and amateur architect, his greatest gift was salvaging the refuse of Palm Beach mansions to create new structures, perhaps just as structurally sound but looking as if they had been haphazardly put together or were organic to the landscape.
1932 Opens McKee Jungle Gardens with Arthur McKee. 1957 Completes and opens the Turf Club, now the Szechuan Palace. THE WORK BEGINS He built with things from the sea and felt the sea could take them back whenever it wanted, said his granddaughter, Logan Tripson Geeslin. He enrolled in Indiana University in 1908 to study medicine but later dropped out and entered Purdue University to study animal husbandry, graduating in 1911. Financing his education himself, Waldo held jobs stoking furnaces and waiting tables before going into sales. His parents were members of the Methodist Protestant Church in Indiana and he helped build the Community Church of Vero Beach, though he did not regularly attend it.
patrick o.: The bands play by the pool weather permitting. Some of the finest pieces came from luxurious estates in Palm Beach, and many are of museum quality. Anyone is free to ring a bell or two when the spirit moves them. Earned the Brewery Pioneer (Level 38) badge! Brothers Ralph, front, and Randy are on the pony. He died Dec. 28, 1967, at the age of 82 and was buried in Veros Crestlawn Cemetery.
The whole town was his blank canvas. The property was originally leased for a hot dog and hamburger stand, which Waldo later demolished to build a patio dance floor.
During the wait he decided to permanently settle in Vero. Sexton and Hurston had struck up a friendship through their mutual friend, writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Share the love!
High School and enters the University of Indiana to study medicine but later drops out and enrolls in Purdue University to study animal husbandry in 1908. 7. With partner Arthur McKee, Waldo formed Royal Park Exotic Nurseries in 1925. Kids Sports, Camps & After School Programs, Casual Dining at Waldos Restaurant (inside or oceanfront deck), Bar/Lounge at Waldos with live entertainment most weekends, Accommodations include oceanfront, park or interior views, Vacation Villas: studios, 1 bedroom with Jacuzzi, 2 bedrooms, Ocean Villas: hotel rooms, efficiency, courtyard, 1 bedroom with Jacuzzi, Kentucky Driftwood: hotel room, 1 & 2 bedrooms. As Vero Beach prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019, no one figure stands taller in the citys history than Waldo Sexton. Despite Waldos vision for grandiose ideas, he had trouble executing because of limited drawing skills. This structure, like others that were built by Waldo, was not so much designed-and-built, but collected and assembled, biographer Gross wrote.
The original building featured a 25-foot breezeway between two sections. One woman enjoyed her tour so much that she trailed along with another group the next day. When the woman noted in the afternoon tour that his stories about certain objects were not the same on the tour she had taken earlier in the day, he retorted: Madam, Id rather be a liar than a bore.. Oldest son, Ralph, bought Treasure Hammock Ranch and Waldos beef cattle interests. Otherwise,, they make room inside the restaurant for the band.
Waldo had his hand in so many enterprises that his various projects still pop up today, surprising his heirs. (Level 7) badge!
Waldo's is the restaurant on the property of The Driftwood Resort. He awarded his older grandchildren money if they learned the books of the Bible. That looks like a tiny beverage. 1917 Moves into his bungalow on 12th Street as a bachelor. Sexton is quoted as saying when confronted with the inconsistency, "Madame, I'd rather be a liar than a bore any day. We guarantee you have never run across a motel or hotel in all of Florida quite like The Driftwood Resort in Vero Beach.