Gangster Ma Barker’s historic hideout, the Florida retreat where FBI had its longest and fiercest shootout, is up for grabs. The minimum offering price quoted by Stirling Sotheby's International Realty of Heathrow, Fla., is $1 million.
The Bradford House, or popularly known as the "Ma Barker Gang Hideout," is located on Lake Weir in Ocklawaha. It was built in 1930 as a summer vacation retreat for the family of wealthy furniture manufacturer Carson Bradford.
Four years later, Ma Barker, who served as a mother to a crew of notorious criminals wanted for bank robbery, kidnapping and murder rented the house. And just after a year, in 1935, FBI agents tracked Ma Barker to the home. A dozen agents surrounded the home and were met with gunfire; what ensued was the longest shootout in FBI history; more than 2,000 rounds were fired over four hours. In the end, Ma Barker and her son Fred were killed.
All these years, the Bradford Estate remained in the family and amazingly, the home hasn't seen many upgrades since the shootout. Though the bullet holes were plastered over, it is clearly visible. The furnishings too remain the same.
The 9.5-acres estate has 2,016 square feet of living space, the two‐story, four‐bedrooms and one and one‐half bathroom.
“It’s not just a home, but an amazing piece of history that’s available for the first time in more than 80 years,” Roger Soderstrom, founder and owner of Stirling Sotheby’s International Realty, said in a statement. “It’s a fantastic property, but the history associated with it is what really makes it special.”
The history is so enticing that many books, music and movies, too, have tried to capture the essence of Ma Barker. In 1939, author James Hadley Chase based some of the characters in his novel "No Orchids for Miss Blandish" on Ma Barker and her sons. Ma Barker's story was adapted in the low budget film "Bloody Mama" in 1970. And in 1977, disco band Boney M released a hit single titled "Ma Baker."
