Lewis Barton and his wife, Mary, are building 17 Oaks Plantation in Christmas, Florida. Lewis, a Vietnam Veteran who suffered a 50% disability serving his country and his wife have been married 35 years ago. The Barton’s lost their ocean front Florida home during the hurricanes that struck the state in 2004 and decided they wanted to build a replica of a pre-civil war
plantation.
Lewis required open heart surgery early in 2011. In 2013 he contracted sepsis and as a result had to go through intravenous morphine treatment for a period of 10 days. After his release and while still recovering he traveled to Louisiana and toured the levees of the Mississippi River viewing pre-civil war plantations. During the weeklong trip Lewis researched the architecture and engineering that went into over 30 of those plantations. Upon his return the Bartons purchased the 15 acres of land on which 17 Oaks Plantation now sits. The land is shaded by stately Southern Pine and Live Oak trees.