Why is it called the Bradford – Barker House?

The Bradford family bought the land before 1900 and constructed this house on the property in 1930. Gun battle was in 1935. Descendants of the Bradford family donated the house to Marion County in 2016. Always owned by one family!

What was the Gangs relationship to the house?

They rented the house through a realtor from the Bradford family in November of 1934. Said they were wintering in Florida. Common at the time.

What is the Bradford Story?

The property was sold in 2016 and the new owners did not want to preserve the house. It was to be torn down or moved. Marion County officials decided to preserve the house and accepted it as a gift, and moved it on a barge to its present location across Lake Weir in October of 2016 to its new home at Carney Island Recreation and Conservation Area, a county-owned park.

When did the Agency become known as the FBI?

The FBI was established in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation, the BOI or BI for short. Its name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935 shortly after the famous shoot out.

What is the vision for opening the Ma Barker house?

The vision is for the public to enjoy maximum access to one of the most famous houses in America. Marion County intends to recreate the setting by opening the house to the public and providing abundant exhibits to interpret the history of the house, what happened during the shoot out and how it effectively ended a history of organized crime and gangs in the country.

Why do you want to glorify gangsters?

We are not glorifying gangsters. We are honoring law enforcement. This was and is documented as the longest gun battle in FBI history. It is also basically was the death knell to the mobster and gangster movement.

Is the house haunted?

Many people including multiple living and deceased members of the Bradford family firmly believe the house is haunted!

What is a public enemy? What does public enemy No. 1 mean?

The term as used in the 1930’s unofficially meant a criminal at the top of the FBI’s list of the ten most wanted criminals. Someone who was a major menace to public safety.

During the Great Depression many, especially farmers and laborers in the Midwest viewed banks and the government as the bad guys; and turned Public Enemies into folk heroes. The cast included names such as Al Capone, John Dillinger, Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, Lester Gillis, alias “Baby Face Nelson”, George “Machine Gun Kelly,” Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow and Alvin Karpis of the Barker-Karpis gang were all on this list until either their capture or death.