The Warehouse

The Warehouse, spanning nearly 100 years weave the lives of families and communities together. There are stories of dreams and ambitions, war and blood, tragedy and death, and even romance and fantasy. To be certain, they are the stories of the blood and guts of pioneers that gave the Warehouse her substance and of the many lives She touched.

In the days after God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden, His fairies, Faith, Hope, Serenity, Passion, and little Curiosity, were concerned about Him being sad and lonely.

Upon meeting The Creator in the Garden's morning mist, the fairies asked if they could find Him new friends. God chuckled at the fairies' concern and offered an alternative. "Would you like to find people to build a storehouse in which I can keep My unclaimed gifts and blessings?"

With great delight, the fairies began their task.

In 1863, Leo Bates was ten-years old when he watched his father, Fred Bates, suffer a tortuous death from a rattlesnake bite. The only possessions Fred left his son was a strong faith in God and a sawmill.

After Leo's mother died and his siblings settled with their families, Leo Bates and his wife, Susan, left the family home in Georgia. The young couple did not intend to make a home in the wild, unsettled territory of Florida. However, when their wagon hit a gopher hole and shattered a wheel, Leo proclaimed in his strong, yet gentle manner, "Well, Susan, honey, this must be where God wants us to be."

After the Civil War, a young John Wilkins left his Missouri home in 1873. He was only nineteen and desperate to leave behind his heartbreak of losing his first love, Miss Ann Marie. With his golden mare Biddy, as his only companion, John traveled through Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana to the Bayo country. While in the swamps, John worked for Henri Dubose, a Cajun timberman who had a strong faith in God and a heart as big as he was. When John contracted malaria, Babette, Henri's Cajun-Choctaw daughter, nursed John through his illness. Later, John thought his happiness was complete when he married Babette and had a son. However, they lost their son to smallpox. Though it broke his heart, Henri encouraged his children to leave the Bayo to escape their pain.

After many tiring weeks of travel, John and Babette stopped by a riverbank. Looking into the blue Florida sky, Babette listened. The pine trees seemed to whisper, "Welcome Home."

Thus, Leo Bates and John Wilkins, with their families, established the Christian community later known as Graceton. Little did Leo and John know how their sawmill and their faith in God would touch the life of a great-great granddaughter.