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Community Sunday Favorites: Villa Zanza and the Eccentric Major Adams

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 Maj. A. J. Adams spent several years constructing the castle. Originally called Villa Zanza, it was designed to resemble a Spanish castle he had once visited.

BRADENTON -- Few residents can recall the origins of the distinct Spanish-style mansion that loomed over the highest bluff on the Manatee River. Major A. J. Adams spent several years constructing the castle. Originally called Villa Zanza, it was designed to resemble a Spanish castle he had once visited. Villa Zanza was the theme park of the 1800s. The foliage surrounding the property consisted of exotic fruit trees that were hand-selected from India and Africa. Songbirds and macaws inhabited the canopy and the owner exhibited an air of sophistication that was very different from the country character of the neighboring pioneer families.

Major Alden Joseph Adams was born in 1843. He was a son of the famous Adams’ family, Mayflower settlers from Townsend, Mass., who eventually produced two presidents. But contrary to his conservative dynasty, Adams became a man of unusual personality who had many fascinating experiences throughout his lifetime.  He would go on to become a Civil War veteran, a world traveler, a foreign correspondent for a New York newspaper, and the largest landowner in Manatee County.

At age 16, Adams enlisted in the Union Army attaining the rank of Major. Following the war, he joined the Secret Service where he served as a government observer during three battles with General Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the two prominent figures during the Italian Resurgence, a social movement that united different states of the Italian peninsula into the single country.

During the French-Prussian War of 1871, which ended the Napoleonic rule in Italy, he was a war correspondent for the New York Herald under the famous editor James Gordon Bennett, a major figure in the history of American newspapers.  His headquarters were in Paris where he was able to file eyewitness accounts of Parisian life under the Paris Commune, a group of working class citizens that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It is considered the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution. It is rumored that Adams may have even been a prisoner during this time.

While living in Europe, Adams crossed the Atlantic 40 times. He was an accomplished linguist, fluent in French, German, Italian, two dialects of Spanish and was familiar with many other languages.

 Maj. Adams was a Civil War veteran, a world traveler, a foreign correspondent for a New York newspaper and the largest landowner in Manatee County

A publisher asked Adams to go to Africa and search for explorer Dr. David Livingston. However, Adams declined the assignment. 10 years of adventure had left him with failing health. He instead chose to retire, rather than forage through the unknown. Adams recommended journalist Henry Morton Stanley instead, who is most noted for uttering the famous greeting ”Dr. Livingstone, I presume?“

Adams traveled to Florence, Italy to recuperate. It was there he met Miss Adelaide Gilbert, a wealthy, cultured young woman from Boston. They began an Italian romance that led to marriage. Major and Mrs. Adams were both extensive travelers and affluent linguists, which conveniently allowed them to converse in several languages – a nifty trick for protecting a private conversation.

Like many others during the late 19th century, Adams traveled to the sunshine state to recover. As the story goes, while traveling along the Manatee River he caught site of what he thought was the most beautiful place in the world. He had originally planned to move to California, but the serene scene on the river changed his mind. He purchased a 400-acre tract from the state where he built his home, Villa Zanza, on one of the highest bluffs on the Manatee River (his property ran from present-day Manatee Memorial to Ninth Street East).

Adams built a three-story home that is rumored to have taken seven years to complete. According to Lillie McDuffie, in The Lures of Manatee, Adams used a poor-grade of concrete for the construction. During the rainy season, the material would become soft and wash out.  Many residents believed the mansion would have to be abandoned, but finally all the leaks were patched and the concrete was able to dry and stayed until the Florida boom years when the structure was bulldozed to make way for a subdivision called Beau Vue.

The home was supposedly fashioned after a Spanish castle, but the medley of styles implemented in the architectural design was as eclectic as the Major’s travels. The building was about eight feet from the ground with flights of steps leading to broad piazzas at the front and rear. A parapet roof rose high above the palm and orange tree landscaping and offered a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside. 

The castle itself was alluring, but the grounds drew visitors in for sheer beauty and exoticness. Footpaths made of oyster shells led visitors from the castle to an open road, among orange trees, rare tropical plants and flowering shrubs gathered from all over the world. In later years, when the road became Manatee Avenue, oleanders and clusters of bamboo flanked either side.

Vines and climbing plants covered the walls of the castle. Tropical fruit trees personally selected from Africa and India abounded. Besides the fruit trees, Adams had a jungle of bamboo, which was the habitat of many exotic birds and animals. Following the sudden death of his wife Adelaide in 1893, the Major took an extensive holiday where he traveled to several tropical countries. When he returned, he brought back a collection of rare birds. This became his hobby. He collected geese, ducks, parrots, macaws and cockatoos that would fly to him when he lifted his finger. Hundreds of songbirds filled the air with music. There were water birds in ponds and peacocks spread their tails in a brilliant array of color. Adams owned two monkeys and never had less than 20 horses. One can imagine how sophisticated Adams must have seemed to other pioneers. There was an air of mystery about the man as well as his estate.

Adams also collected surrounding land until he had well over 300,000 acres – becoming the largest landowner in the county. This gave him legal claim over a third of the county. He was an agent for the Plant Steamship Line and the Independent Line. The vessels docked daily at his property for shipments of outgoing fruits and vegetables.

Adams received appointment of the United States Commissioner by President Chester Arthur and for years was the only Justice of Peace and notary in this part of the country. As Sarasota was part of Manatee County at that time, all citizens accused of a crime were tried before him. Joseph Simpson wrote of the position:

”I believe Major Adams was the best I ever knew both as to legal work and as a judge to conduct trials. If it happened to be some poor Negro man or woman, unable to obtain council, who was being tried before him, he or she fared just as well as those who were able to pay. He would kindly question the party and explain the law to him, so as not to confuse him in any way. I know whereof I speak as I served as juror in his court five times and as deputy constable three times. If a person was found guilty, Major Adams sentenced him without peer of favor.“

Adams ran a large mercantile store on Manatee Avenue. The first meetings of the Grand Army of the Republic were held above his store and he was the first commander of Florida Post Number 19. The store was so well stocked that there was an ongoing bet that any item a person desired could be found at Adams’ shop. One day a traveling salesman made a ten-dollar bet that he could name an item missing from the inventory.

”I bet you don’t have a Methodist pulpit,“ he said.

”Here it is!“ replied Adams enthusiastically.

It just so happened that the Manatee Methodist Church was being remodeled and the Major had supplied all the materials and furnishings – including the pulpit.

Not everyone enjoyed the Major’s antics. In 1895, Adams’ barn was set on fire killing several of his beloved animals. A local arsonist burned down his store two years later. As the fire raged, Adams broke in the door to save his goods. He was overcome with smoke and passed out after inhaling too much. He would have died, had it not been for the bravery of a young woman named Miss Maude Davis, his secretary, who rushed into the burning building and dragged his unconscious body out.

Adams married Davis in 1898. She was the granddaughter of Asa Bishop, one of the early settlers of Shaw’s Point. To this union, two children were born.

Maude died at age 24, after she was stricken with Scarlett Fever. Her youngest daughter was only 4 years old. The Major donated land for the Dew Cemetery on Ninth Avenue and First Street West where Maude was buried. (It was supposed to be ”New“cCemetery, but there was a misprint on the deed).

In June of 1915, Major Adams died at DeSoto Sanatorium in Jacksonville at age 72. So ended the life of a remarkable man. He was buried next to his second wife in the cemetery he gave to the community. 

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