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Thursday, March 13, 2008

A Kroegel Homestead

On March 12, I grabbed my camera and away I went...

I just noticed this brand new marker along a route we drive almost daily. So, today I treated myself to a photo shoot on the property since it wasn't posted "no trespassing".

An article about the acquisition of the land is HERE. "The property contains the house built for Paul Kroegel's son, Arthur Rodney Kroegel, as well as Paul's photo studio and two workroom/ warehouses filled with the memorabilia of the first warden of the national wildlife refuge system."

Rodney was the son of one of the original residents of Sebastian. His father, Paul, fought for the preservation of the beautiful shore birds being slaughtered for their feathers for hats. A statue of Paul, the father, stands overlooking the Pelican Island Wildlife Preserve...the first in the nation signed into existence in 1904 by Teddy Roosevelt. Paul was the first warden of the preserve.
Rodney, born in 1903, was a photographer and one of the original graduates of the first school in Sebastian. The house, although burned out, appears to have been lived in within recent years. There are some wonderful old buildings and plants on the grounds.

My "Tales of Sebastian" book says that Rodney's daughter, Janice and her family lived on the homestead near her father, so one of the buildings may be her house.

In an article written by Rodney, himself, he says that his father helped him build a photography studio so he could develop and print his own photos. I wonder which building that would be.
There was so much to photograph and see that I had quite a few photos to choose from for this piece.

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Gabby Faye
Michigan, United States
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