The “Secret” of Waldo Sexton

He loved Buddhas and elephants. He adored family and embraced hard work and attention to detail. Wherever he looked, he wanted to see something fun and interesting, worth staring at.

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Those are just three matter of facts that can be gathered through material observation and assumption with very little personal knowledge of Waldo Sexton. The structures he built, the home(s) he made, the relationships he bolstered and traditions he began – all are particular and unique to the history of Waldo Sexton and, eventually, the history of Vero Beach.

The Waldo Sexton Homestead History weekend was held Jan. 3-5 at Waldo’s Secret Garden, located at 5000 12th St. If you missed it – do not fret – there’s always future history presentations and events, and there is plenty of material about the history of Vero if you know where to look and who to talk to. Ruth Stanbridge, a local historian, was one of the speakers at the weekend event, and she is a woman with a plethora of knowledge of Vero Beach’s history and history specifically of the Sexton family.

For those who have never experienced Waldo’s Secret Garden, imagine this: You enter through an enchanted walkway, under light-dazzled arches, giant trees and leaves flowing on either side, glimpses of sunshine and blue skies peek through the greenery as the wind blows through Mother Nature in all her glory. You come upon a two-story “treehouse” – Treehouse in the sense that it is comprised of a vast amount of incredible carpentry, and trees surround the magnificent structure from every angle. Upon entering the patio area, there are plants of every kind, elegantly favoring the environment and the wrought-iron tables and chairs that welcome visitors to sit and stay awhile. A beautiful garden goddess statue overlooks the setting, as if she is human in nature, watching over the plants and activities among them.

When entering the back patio area, around the corner from the initial entrance, guests are welcomed with a cozy yet spacious opening filled with long wooden tables and wooden chairs alike, each uniquely their own, sacred to the trees that they were sacrificed from with attention drawn to each tale-telling ring of oak, maple, or cypress. Lights dangle from above, providing an additional essence of Waldo Sexton.

A full circle around the house leads you back to the initial entry point and up the stairs into the living room of the treehouse. As a point of wonder, there’s a random dinosaur in the yard, which goes to support the premise of everywhere, in each direction, there is always something of interest to be infatuated with.

The living room is adorned with elephants, Buddhas, books, photos, detailed brickwork with a ceiling-tall fireplace and wood stove built into it. Comfortably simple, Florida-style couches fill the area, and the dining room is quaintly off to the back. The dining room has an abundance of knick knacks, including additional Buddhas, safari sculptures, vintage records, and yet another heavy duty wooden table. The kitchen is picturesque, black and white checkered tiles with a character-driven white stove, refrigerator, and sink, enclosed by yellow walls. In the halls of this floor are hollowed out wall spaces, purposely placed as accent hideaways.

Each of the bedrooms have the essentials – and again, character is given with the wide open window spaces that allow a view of the beautiful landscaping outdoors.

The pictures shown help to better guide the above word-guided imagery, however visual justice can only be given to this homestead by seeing it in person.

Tours are available throughout the year by appointment only. Nobody currently lives in the Treehouse, although descendants of the Sexton family live in the house adjacent to it, and the property as a whole is home to the Griffin family ranch, a cattle ranch with the brand 29 Bar. The house next door used to be the home which Sexton built for his daughter, Barbara, and her husband, John Tripson, and their children, and the grounds were formerly home to Sexton’s Vero Beach Dairy, eventually Tripson Dairy.

At the Homestead Historical weekend event, this family – father Rob, son, Will, and daughter, Isabella, along with a family friend, demonstrated with a hot iron on a plank, how the family brands their cattle and horses, explained what their ordinary day consists of, and what the cattle ranch lifestyle is like. Isabella, age 8, demonstrated some of her barrel racing skills, while Rob and Will showed onlookers their abilities of whip-cracking and steer lassoing.

The event initiated Friday evening with a formal dinner, and welcomed speakers Commissioner Fran Adams and Major Eric Flowers. Saturday, speakers were: Calvin Reams of the Florida Farm Bureau, Larry Lawson of Indian River Hauntings and the Florida Bureau of Paranormal Investigations, and Mr. Willie Johns, the Chief Justice of the Tribal Courts of the Seminole Tribe. Sunday’s speakers included Augustus Mayhew, Palm Beach Historian, author, and columnist, Ruth Stanbridge, Indian River County Historian, Dr. Harry Hurst, author of The Bridges of Indian River County, The War’s Impact on our County’s Bridges, and Larry Harp, author and bridge expert.

Ruth Stanbridge, who is a walking library of historical facts about the long ago days of Vero Beach, the farms, Waldo’s, Sexton Plaza, the story behind why the Treasure Coast is called the Treasure Coast (hint: it had to do with the 1715 Fleet), strives to document as much of the historical information as she can, through documentation done in collaboration with the Indian River County Historical Society.

It is through folks such as Stanbridge, Lawson, Johns, Mayhew, Hurst, and Harp, as well as the Tripsons, why Vero can embrace and retain the true value of how the city has evolved into what it is today, a true gem. Stanbridge handed out pamphlets that reiterate the concept, “Once a historical site is destroyed, we cannot get it back.”

For additional information, visit waldossecretgarden.com or email waldosgardeninfo@gmail.com. The Historical Society has two locations: One at 2336 14th Ave. in Vero Beach at the Vero Beach Railroad Station, and the other at Hallstorm House and Farmstead, located at 1723 Old Dixie Highway SW, Vero Beach.

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Jennifer Stockdale

I’m a freelancing Floridian mama. I currently reside in Vero Beach, where I blog, paint, edit, write, and mom. I believe that acceptance, empathy, and compassion are the key to a well - lived life.
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I earned my bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Central Florida, and my bachelor's in nursing from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA. I certainly embrace my experience as a nurse (and have experience as a firefighter and EMT as well), however my passion has always been in the field of journalism. I thoroughly enjoy writing and making words come to life. ​
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When I'm not behind a computer screen typing or in front of a canvas painting, you can usually find me somewhere near the water with my two kids and my husky, Skye (who also blogs and has her own YouTube). ​
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I think small businesses that are locally-owned and operated are far under appreciated so I support and recommend them whenever I can. ​
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Oh, and I am fueled by sunshine, coffee, and pixie dust.

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