[Villages Kahuna]

This is a great arrticle, concentrating mostly on the generations of the Shwartz-Morse family that created this wonderful place we live. But because it's short, a lot of detail got left out. When the article says simply that Harold and Gary decided to expand The Villages and "began to acquire land", a book could be written about that.

I've been told that most of the land around CR 466 and south, a huge tract, was owned by the Bailey family (Bailey Trail is a major road in TV). Bailey was a cattle and horse rancher and wanted to continue with that, not have houses built on his land. My understanding is that he and Harold Schwartz cut a deal whereby Schwartz and Morse would acquire a major pieve of ranchland up in the Panhandle area, near Lake City. The deal was that Schwartz and Bailey would trade land, 1-1/2 acres for Bailey up near Lake City and 1 acre for Schwartz so he could expand The Villages to the south. I have been told that the Bailey ranch is still operating near Lake City.

I actually ran into an elderly gentleman dressed in western clothing in the coffee line at Dunkin' Donuts one morning a couple years ago. I just said hello, but the fellow in line behind the gentleman began asking questions. Why the old man answered them is beyond me, but I was vicariously enjoying the "interview".

The basic facts were that the old man was born and lived in a farmhouse about where our softball fields are on CR466. That was the homestead for the Bailey ranch. He said that he and Harold Schwartz were good friends and often competed against one another in buying land in the area. He gave the example of the land where the Walmart is located on 441/27. He said that he and Swartz were bidding on a 190 acre tract that had an extensive frontage on 441, to buy both the land and all the cattle that were then on the land. He laughed when he said that Schwartz beat him out for the property by bidding $50 an acre, beating his $42 per acre bid.

Can you imagine? $50 an acre for that land!! Of course that property was adjacent to Orange Blossom Gardens which Schwartz and Morse were developing. But take a look at what's there now and think to yourself...$50 an acre. By having foresight and taking risk, the Morse family made a lot of money just on that transaction. And they earned every dime that they made.