History of The Mansion at Tuckahoe

Mt. Elizabeth and Racey Plantation

William Racey home, an elevated house surrounded by trees

Mt. Elizabeth is a 4,000-year-old Indian mound created by the Ais Indians. The mound, originally 60 feet high, contains broken pottery, tools, fish bones, shell ornaments, and other items used in daily life.

Explorer William Henry Racey purchased the mound and surrounding land in the late 1850s. In 1891, his son Charles Racey built a three-story wood-frame house on the site and started a pineapple and citrus plantation.

The property was sold to a New York Judge after the house burned down in 1921.

The Leach Family and Tuckahoe

In 1936, Atlanta businessman Willaford Leach and his wife Anne Bates Leach, a Coca-Cola heiress, purchased Mt. Elizabeth and built the Mediterranean Revival-style home that exists today. Named “Tuckahoe” (thought to be a Native American term for “Welcome”), the estate was completed in 1939 with the latest architectural designs of the time.

Sitting on 54 acres of riverfront woodland and rolling lawns, Tuckahoe was a hub of social life in Martin County and hosted parties attended by local residents and WWII soldiers from Camp Murphy.

Mrs. Leach also helped found The Garden Club and funded the original Bascomb Palmer Eye Institute in Miami.

Catholic Church and Florida Institute of Technology

The Leach family moved to Palm Beach in 1950, selling the mansion to the Catholic Church and the Sisters of St. Joseph based in St. Augustine. The sisters added dormitory wings and moved St. Joseph College of Florida to the property.

The sisters operated Florida’s only 2-year liberal arts college until 1972, when Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) purchased the property and used the mansion as its administration building.

INDIAN RIVERSIDE PARK

The Mansion after Florida Institute of Technology closed its doors

After FIT closed in 1986, the mansion and surrounding property stood vacant for more than a decade until local community leaders led a referendum drive to encourage Martin County to purchase the property.

Purchased by the county in 1997, the property became the site of Indian RiverSide Park, with the first phase opening to the public in 2001.

Phase two included the restoration of The Mansion at Tuckahoe for public use and the facility now hosts numerous events every year. Since completion of the renovations in 2009, the site has become one of the premier locations for weddings in Martin County.

The Mansion Today

The Mansion at Tuckahoe is currently operated by the Martin County Parks and Recreation Department. It is available to be privately rented for weddings, parties, fundraisers, birthday parties and more, during the week and on weekends.

If you are interested in holding your event at The Mansion at Tuckahoe, please contact Martin County Parks and Recreation at (772) 463-3201.

Tours

Historic, docent-led tours are held at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on the first and third Wednesday of each month from November 2025 through May 2026. Tours are free; please arrive 15 minutes early. Reservations are not required.

For more information, please call the park office at (772) 463-3201.

The Mansion at Tuckahoe
1707 NE Indian River Drive
Jensen Beach, Florida, 34957