Brandon families looking to spend part of Labor Day outdoors can head to Riverview this year, where the Timberly Trust is hosting the second annual Brandon's Legacy Labor Day Family Picnic to raise money for the historic Moseley Homestead. The fundraiser runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 7 at the Winthrop Barn Theatre, 11349 Bloomingdale Ave., with money raised going toward preserving a 14-acre pocket of oaks and pines that has stood along State Road 60 in Brandon for nearly 140 years.
Live music, a barbecue lunch from Bubbaque's and strawberry shortcakes courtesy of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association anchor the afternoon, according to Osprey Observer. Organizers have also lined up a silent auction, raffles, children's crafts and games, and a presentation on the history and significance of the homestead. Adult admission costs $20 in advance or $25 at the door, youth tickets for ages 6 to 16 run $10, and children 5 and younger get in free. Odiorne Insurance Agency and Auto-Owners Insurance are serving as the picnic's presenting sponsors.
A Watchmaker's Frontier Cabin Rebuilt Into A Landmark
The homestead traces back to 1886, when Charles Scott Moseley, a former watchmaker for the Elgin National Watch Company, rebuilt the family's frame house after fire destroyed their original log cabin. Moseley had moved from Illinois to Florida in 1882 with his wife, artist Julia Daniels Moseley, settling near Ten Mile Lake for its climate and natural surroundings, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Jan. 31, 1985, under reference number 85000159, and Hillsborough County designated it a local landmark in 1991, according to Wikipedia. It remains one of the area's oldest surviving historic sites and offers what organizers describe as a rare glimpse into Brandon's early history.
Palmetto Wallpaper, A World's Fair And A Threatened Landmark
Inside, the house still displays hand-painted wallpaper that Julia Daniels Moseley wove from native palmetto frond fibers, a rare piece of Florida frontier folk art she partially exhibited at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, according to the Moseley Homestead. The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation has also named the property to the state's Eleven to Save list, a designation reserved for Florida's most threatened landmarks.
Julia Daniels Moseley's letters home from the Florida frontier were later compiled by her granddaughter into the book Come to My Sunland: Letters of Julia Daniels Moseley from the Florida Frontier, 1882-1886, as noted by hhhistory.com. Decades later, Julia Winifred Moseley lived on the property for her entire 101-year life, establishing the Timberly Trust in 1992 to protect the homestead, its outbuildings and the surrounding oak and longleaf pine habitat along Ten Mile Lake before her death in 2020, according to the Timberly Trust. The trust and its volunteer board now work to manage and preserve the property for future generations.
Storms And A New Car Dealership Squeeze The Property's Edges
The homestead hasn't escaped the pressures of growth along State Road 60. In November 2023, the Hillsborough County Historic Resources Review Board voted 4-0 to approve site plans for an adjacent Mitsubishi dealership, a decision that drew pushback from Timberly Trust leaders and neighbors worried about light, noise and runoff, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
Nature has been just as unforgiving. Hurricanes in October 2024 knocked down more than 40 century-old trees on the property, though the historic house itself avoided major structural damage, according to Osprey Observer. The trust organized community cleanup events in early 2025 to help clear the grounds of ancient live oaks and longleaf pines tucked between the commercial developments now lining State Road 60.
A $1.65 Million County Investment Still Needs Community Help
Hillsborough County government has separately managed a $1.65 million capital improvement project dedicated to building renovations and structural preservation at the homestead, according to county records. That public funding covers structural repairs on the landmarked buildings, but Timberly Trust organizers say donations from events like the picnic still directly benefit the homestead's continued restoration and maintenance.
The Moseley family's legacy also lives on nearby. The family is interred at Limona Cemetery, one of eastern Hillsborough County's oldest burial grounds, where a granite memorial stone honoring Julia Winifred Moseley was installed this year, Osprey Observer has reported. Limona itself was a 19th-century winter colony later absorbed into modern-day Brandon.
Tickets and information on sponsoring the event or donating to the silent auction and raffle are available by emailing [email protected] or calling 813-230-4680. Donations are tax-deductible, and sponsorships offer businesses community recognition and brand visibility. Organizers say the picnic helps preserve what they call an irreplaceable piece of Brandon's history, ensuring the homestead continues to educate and inspire future generations.
