McMullen House

McMullen House. Built: 1868 Moved: 1992. , Life in the Early Years , Daniel and Margaret McMullen and their children built this home in 1868. They come to the Pinellas Peninsula in the early 1850s, following in the footsteps of Daniel's older brother James. During the Civil War years they left, returning by wagon to the Largo area in late 1865. On their 160-acre homestead they raised livestock and grew crops. They shared the frontier with the bears, deer and turkeys often seen near their home. Loud squeals from the hogs startled sleeping children when the bears, searching for their next meal raided the nearby pigpens. , Family Reunions , The McMullen family held legendary reunions. In July 1925, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Uncle Dan's birth, 625 descendants of the 7 McMullen brothers who settled Pinellas came together at this home. Over 100 automobiles created traffic jams on the dirt and shell roads leading to the homestead. Children played under the moss-draped trees while adults sat on orange crates and reminisced. Everyone enjoyed a fish fry. , Florida Cracker Style, Plus Some , Built of native pine, the home had two formal rooms and two shed rooms connected by a dogtrot breezeway, an architectural style known as Florida Cracker. Successive generations added rooms and outbuildings to the property. Walk behind the house to see the stone and brick wall from the original homestead well. , A Home with Many Hearts , McMullens loved in this home for 123 years. 'Uncle Dan' McMullen lived here for 40 years with his family. Around 1910 his daughter and her husband loved here and raised some of their nieces and nephews as well as Daniel's granddaughter Nancy McLaughlin. She lived in the house for more than 80 years until 1992. , The 4 "C"S: Cotton, Citrus, Cows and Commerce , The McMullens grew cotton, sugar cane and vegetables. By the mid 1870s, Daniel converted some cotton fields to citrus groves. The children, who helped in the fields, liked this change preferring to pick oranges and grapefruit to the prickly cotton! The family raised chickens and hogs but were well known for their cattle. By 1890 Daniel McMullen probably had the biggest ranch on the peninsula with nearly 1,500 head of cattle. He was part owner of a Largo mercantile store, the Farmers' Alliance Exchange, and at the end of his life helped establish the Bank of Largo. He regularly rode into town on a buckboard wagon to check on his businesses. , Cuttin' Wood and Courtin' , In 1890 'Uncle Dan' sent his daughter Nancy to a new Largo sawmill to get boards for orange crates. Jim Hardage, the owner, saw Nancy arrive on her horse and buggy. It was love at first sight! Later he told some of his mill workers he would walk 100 miles to see her again. After a 10 year courtship, they married and moved into this home. , Tidbits from Time , Brothers on the Battlefield , McMullen family members were experts at herding cattle and meat smoking. Brothers James and Daniel joined the Confederate Cow Cavalry during the Civil War (1861-1865) to bring supplies to troops. They brought livestock from peninsular Florida that provided meat, tallow and hides to the struggling Confederate forces. On one trip, the cavalry herded 365 cows, traveling at the "grazing rate" of 8 1/2 miles per day.