History of Wickett Groves
In 1924, Harold J. Wickett moved to the Gainesville area to study agriculture at the University of Florida. He took a liking to the town, and enjoyed his studies greatly. The next year, a monumental change occurred at the university—it became a co-ed school. This led to an equally monumental change in Harold's life–Mary S. Thornsbury was among the first women to join the program, and they instantly fell in love.
They married in February of 1926 and bore their first child just over a year later. Harold worked hard and completed his degree in 1927. With a wife and a newborn child to feed, Harold knew he must find work, but all he knew was agriculture. He only had a little money saved up, so he did not know what to do.
Nevertheless, he searched Gainesville for some land that he could afford. One day, whilst on his search, he came upon a lovely piece of property.
"There's no way I could afford this," Harold thought to himself, "but it sure is beautiful."
The field was mostly bare, save a single tree—an orange tree, thought the oranges seemed to have a touch of red on their skin.
This fascinated Harold.
"Those must be Blood Oranges. I had no idea they could grow around here!" He wondered aloud.
All of a sudden, as Harold surveyed the field before him, a man dressed all in black appeared and greeted him. He carried an orange in his right hand and a large knife in his left.
"Of course they're Blood Oranges. What of it? Why are you on my property?" the man snapped.
Harold was taken aback.
"Sir, I apologize, I was only admiring your beautiful field."
Harold then explained his situation and that he was in need of an affordable piece of land.
As if by magic, the man's demeanor changed.
"I'll sell you this property. I'll sell it cheap. How does $10,000 sound?" The man said, taking a bite of the orange in his hand.