For sale: Hideout where 'Ma' Barker shot it out with the FBI

The 1930 frame home in central Florida is substantially unchanged since the 1935 standoff. The bullet holes have been patched but are still visible.

By Teresa at MSN Real Estate Aug 17, 2012 12:45PM

© 2012, Stirling Sothebys International RealtyNow here is a one-of-a-kind property: the central Florida hideout where "Ma" Barker, her son and a dozen federal agents engaged in the longest shootout in FBI history in 1935.

 

The two-story lakefront house in Oklawaha, Fla., about an hour northwest of Orlando, is for sale for the first time ever.

 

It's substantially unchanged from the 1930s, even to the vintage furniture. The bullet holes have been patched, but the marks of the more than 2,000 shots fired on Jan. 16, 1935, are still visible.

 

The owners are taking offers through Oct. 5, and the listing suggests that offers start at $1 million.

 

"There's unbelievable interest around the world in crime memorabilia," Roger Soderstrom, listing broker at Stirling Sotheby's, told The Orlando Sentinel. "People have never seen a property where everything is intact from the time of the event. We think the buyer could be someone who has a passion for crime memorabilia and who wants to build their own house and keep this as a collector's house. It could be a bed-and-breakfast. You could have weddings there.''

While $1 million seems like a high price for a home in rural Florida, the property includes 342 feet of sandy beach frontage on Lake Weir and 9.5 acres of land, which can be developed, in addition to two houses.

The original house, built in 1930, is a two-story frame home with four bedrooms and two baths, a total of 2,016 square feet. The listing adds: "Patched bullet holes are easily visible throughout the house." The house has been staged to match the historic FBI photos. You can see comparisons if you download the furniture catalog.

 

A second house, built in 1974, has three bedrooms and two baths in 1,869 square feet, plus a two-car garage.

The house where the shootout occurred was built by Miami furniture manufacturer Carson Bradford, and his family still owns the property. (The Barkers, both of whom died in the shootout, were renting.) The relatives decided to sell after the death of some older relatives because they weren't using the property anymore.

"We really would like to see it go into the right hands," Carson Good of Orlando, one of the heirs, told The Sentinel. "People have approached us over the years, but we never wanted to sell. We love the property."

 

39Comments
Apr 6, 2013 8:40AM
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1 mill?  Ain't gonna happen.  Didn't Ma have the strange habit of sleeping with her sons?  Hoped they changed the sheets.

Aug 18, 2012 8:44AM
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Hey, Teresa

Loved this. My Dad, his Mother, and brothers, lived across Lake Weir, from this place in 1935.  My Uncle Dan was 9 years old and remembers the Feds in the area at this time, trying to recruit locals, etc.

Aug 18, 2012 7:20AM
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WHY on earth would I pay 1 million for a shack???
Real estate in some parts of this country is SERIOUSLY overpriced.
Did anyone hear the housing bubble burst? Neither did I.

Aug 17, 2012 9:22PM
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I looked up that address: 13250 e county hwy 25 on mapquest/satelite.  I think I can see that old boat house shown in the listing video.  I can't find the roof of the house since it is green and surrounded by trees.  I couldn't find any address on any of the info the realtor had for the public.  If I lived closer, I'd get a better look.

Aug 17, 2012 8:55PM
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Found an article that gives the address as 13250 E. County Hwy 25 on Weir Lake.  I doubt the real estate company is giving out that info.  Not that I have $1M to spend either.
Aug 17, 2012 8:42PM
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I guess I have to go look up why "ma" had a shoot out with the FBI.....dang MSN, just a little backround on the subjects would help....
Aug 17, 2012 7:40PM
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Good to see that crime has continued throughout the generations for this family.  $1 million... now that's criminal!
Aug 17, 2012 7:22PM
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 I wonder if they throw in a few ghosts for that price?
Aug 17, 2012 7:17PM
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"you would have to walk a long way through snake infested woods to even see that lake."  ....That's why you would also need a Thompson sub machinegun like the Barkers!!!
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It's amazing how crime pays in the US and how the news media helps criminals be popular!!!
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Not a bad deal. I am for sure it will sell soon for about a Million. There are a lot of people out there who have that money.

Good Luck Tony

Aug 17, 2012 6:19PM
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What tipped off the FBI was Fred Barker shooting alligators in the lake with a Thompson submachine gun.....Also the FBI were too scared to go inside so they sent a local black man inside to see if they were dead

 

Aug 17, 2012 6:10PM
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I was in junior high in the late 1960s, when I seemed to take up an interest in Ma Barker, Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson....Bonnie & Clyde, etc.   I began reading everything I could find on them in the school library.  I'd LOVE to be able to buy this place.  From the 'Golden Age' of REAL gangsters.   But I can certainly understand why MOST folks WOULDN'T be interested.
Aug 17, 2012 6:07PM
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I live outside Joplin,Mo. This story duplicates the Bonnie & Clyde shootout story. The only thing these 2 properties are good for are is maybe producing a documentery. Other than patch work, it mentions nothing of any updating or upkeep. If I were serious, I can see maybe $2000.00/acre. Now being from southwest Missouri, I can honestly say that I own beach front property in Florida!
Aug 17, 2012 5:40PM
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1 mil is hardly a bargain since the house nor the other one is not actually lakefront property, with only 342 feet actually touching the lake out of 9.5 acres you would have to walk a long way through snake infested woods to even see that lake. On the other hand the price is good if you could turn the (Barker) house into a B&B but how interesting would it be to stay in a bullet ridden B&B with a 70 year old story of some criminals that this generation knows nothing about? Can it be developed or subdivided? No, the zoning is not right for it and if it was how many lots could be called (lakefront) property. Can it be lakefront if you only have 10 feet touching the lake?
Aug 17, 2012 5:30PM
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Donna you are seriousy dumb! The damn Barkers never owned the stinking house..WTF

Aug 17, 2012 5:24PM
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A million seems conservative to me . 9 acres and beach front property is enough to get a million right there. I wouldn't want a house with bullet holes though been there done that.
Aug 17, 2012 5:23PM
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'You could have weddings there'????  Is this guy for read?  Unless it comes with 200 acres the asking price is a total tourist rip-off.  Shame on Sotheby's for handling this real estate freak show.
Aug 17, 2012 5:16PM
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Only a fool will buy this house for that much money. If one is stupid enough out there somewhere, I hope they have tons of Holy water to cast out all he Demons and Ghost...
Aug 17, 2012 5:08PM
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That photo is kinda disappointing.  She doesn't look anything like Shelly Winters.

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About Teresa Mears

Teresa Mears

Teresa Mears is a veteran journalist who has been interested in houses since her father took her to tax auctions to carry the cash at age 10. A former editor of The Miami Herald's Home & Design section, she lives in South Florida where, in addition to writing about real estate, she publishes Miami on the Cheap to help her neighbors adjust to the loss of 60% of their property value.

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