Located at 1819 Taylor Road
in Port Orange, 1.5 miles west of I-95
Guests to Gamble Place can step back in time to experience the same pristine environment that James Gamble found so inviting during his first visit to the area in the late 1800's. James N. Gamble, of the Procter and Gamble Company and a long time winter resident of Daytona Beach, bought this land on Spruce Creek for use as a rural retreat. Photo: Guests to Gamble Place can step inside an exact replica of Snow White's Cottage.
The houses are currently closed for walk-up tours.
Group Guided House Tours are currently available by reservation only for groups of 10 or more. All tours of Gamble Place can be reserved by calling the Museum of Arts & Sciences at 386-255-0285.
Cracker Creek Canoeing is adjacent to Gamble Place and offers their famous Eco-History Pontoon Boat Tours Thursday through Sunday at 11am and 2pm. Kayak and Canoe rentals are available Thursday to Sunday from 8 am to 5pm.
For questions about visiting Cracker Creek Canoeing please contact:
Cracker Creek Canoeing
1795 Taylor Road
Port Orange
386-304-0778
www.oldfloridapioneer.com
Located at 1819 Taylor Road in Port Orange, 1.5 miles west of I-95.
To reach the Gamble Place and Cracker Creek, take I-95 exit 256 and go west on Taylor Road (SR 421) approximately 1.5 miles. At the Florida Historic Site marker turn left down the 2-lane shell road. The Gamble Place and Cracker Creek are approximately one half mile down the shell road. Entrances for the properties are clearly marked.
More About Gamble Place
James N. Gamble: Florida's First Winter Resident
Visitors are often surprised to learn that James N. Gamble, of Procter and Gamble fame, was responsible for the construction of this rustic, winter home in the backwoods of western Port Orange, Florida. Indeed, he, a wealthy Cincinnati businessman, built his Cracker-style cottage in the middle of the county to compliment a more luxurious seasonal estate along the Halifax River. Features like the crescent moon cutout shutters and rustic appearance reflect the imaginative, yet sensible, character of James Gamble, quite possibly the first and most persistent winter traveler to Florida.
Of Procter and Gamble Fame
James Gamble was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from Kenyon College in 1854. Upon the advice of his father, he went into the manufacturing business, working his way up through the ranks at the Procter and Gamble factory, eventually managing the company until his retirement in 1890. It was during his tenure as supervisor that Gamble employed a young inventor, Thomas Edison, to solve a communications problem at the factory. The result was the creation of the first teletype machine. It was also during this period when the famous Ivory Soap was invented, or rather discovered, by a workman who on his lunch break inadvertently left a blending machine on, which beat extra air into the soap mix.
The History of Gamble Place
A frequent winter visitor, Gamble discovered this western Port Orange land by way of Spruce Creek in the 1890s. An avid outdoorsman, he found that this magnificent place had much to offer. He purchased 175 acres on April 6, 1898, from George W. Leffman. Around 1907, Gamble built his hunting and fishing retreat and the adjacent orange packing barn.
Gamble's fondness for rustic southern country architecture is reflected in the design of the main house. Gamble incorporated many Florida Cracker architectural features into his bungalow-style design, including large, open porches, an open breezeway, a steeply pitched, wooden shingle roof, and large windows for cross-ventilation.
The final result is a unique, upscale version of a Cracker house.
When Gamble died on July 2, 1932, Gamble Place was willed to his two daughters, Olivia and Maud. Maud married Judge Alfred K. Nippert, who designed and built the nearby Snow White Cottage in 1938.