This is a Letterbox Hybrid cache. For anyone not familiar with Letterboxing there is a log in the box for you to sign and stamp (with your stamp), then you stamp your own log or paper (with stamp that is in the box). If you do not have your own stamp, then stickers or handrawn artwork is acceptable. DO NOT TAKE STAMP WITH YOU; IT IS NOT A TRADE ITEM!!!
On the shore of Lake Rochelle in the City of Lake Alfred is a pristine expanse of natural Florida called the Mackay Garden and Lakeside Preserve. With almost a mile of lakefront shoreline, this 112 acre property is home to many species of endangered plants and animals. It has been preserved through a grant from the Florida Communities Trust and has been developed with nature trails, a passive recreational park, a natural canoe launch, and a fitness trail. At its heart is a beautiful mansion built in 1916 by Alexander Mackay. The Mackay family was one of the founding families in the Polk County citrus industry. The house has been restored as a premier special event facility for weddings, business retreats and community gatherings.
The 7,000 square-foot residence is an outstanding example of Craftsman style architecture, with sleeping porches and large porch columns, open interior spaces and a staircase in the main room. The home has had only minor alterations over the years, and is eligible for listing on the National Register. A walled arbor with arched openings is located west of the residence and a sunken garden with a fountain is on the east. An experimental tropical plant garden is attributed to Dr. David Fairchild, a renowned botanist and plant explorer of the late 19th and early 20th century. In the 1970s, Rosemary and Peter Mackay James planted parallel rows of Eucalyptus trees in a grove known as the “Cathedral,” which is a copy of another Cathedral of Trees planted in the early 1920s by Alexander Mackay (Rosemary’s grandfather) in Scotland.
This cache was placed with the assistance of the
Florida Geocaching Association