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No story of Collier County could possibly be
considered complete without mention being made of
one of the county's best known citizens - Mrs. J. M.
Barfield of Collier County.
The newcomer in Collier County will hear many
times before the first week has passed, tales of the
endeavor of this charming woman and the power for
good she has welded in the upbuilding of her county.
Tales of battles with the county commisioners of Lee
County before the division which made Collier a
seperate unit; tales of battles with nature and of
the victory; tales of lobbying in Tallahassee to
help bring about the founding of the new county and
tales of her widely appreciated hospitality, her
hospitality and charm.
Mrs. Barfield was born in Cordele, Georgia in 1888 and came to Caxambas in 1902 with her parents, Mr.and Mrs.A.T. Stephens. Her father had been suffering from Malaria and had learned of the island's immunity from that disease and was well repaid in health for the breaking up of the old Georgia home. In 1906 Mrs. Barfield, then Miss. Tommie C. Stephens, married Mr. J.M. Barfield who then operated a general store along with his vegtable business on the lower end of the island and here was built the famous Barfield Hotel on top of the highest point in South Florida, those hills known as the "Heights" from which such a magnificient view of miles and miles of Collier County can be enjoyed. Aggressive in spirit, determined in her efforts to accomplish any undertaking attempted, empowered with untiring energy and backed by a powerful will, Mrs. Barfield looked out over the rugged contours of her chosen surroundings from her home on the hill and visualized the latent possibilities of development. Not content to remain within the close confines of her immediate household and permit her children to grow upon an isolated island, but at the same time happy in her home life and satisfied with the possibilities of future growth of the section, she did not wait for things to happen, but began making definate plans to bring about improvements Unselfish and untiring energy has marked the dusty path of Mrs. Barfield's progress in building and accomplishing the plan for her children and for the community of which she has lived. but Mrs. Barfield was no dreamer of idle dreams. She visualized the possibilities that lay before her and made her plans to accomplish her purpose. Addition after addition was made to the little home on the hill, and friends coming and going and telling others, soon brought visitors to the island and to the Barfield Hotel, which soon became a popular resort where choice sea foods and home grown vegtables soon created a reputation for the hotel's cuisine. Jellies, pastes and preserved fruits of the numerous verieties prolific in the sub-tropical clime caused the hotel guests to place orders for delicacies to be carried back north with them. To meet this demand, still another addition was made to the hotel and a small manufacturing plant was added to the back of the kitchen, where Mrs. Barfield would often be found working into the small hours of the night. Mrs. Barfield's first entry into the public affairs of the island was in the building of the highway connecting Marco and Caxambas, a distance of five miles over sand hills on the southern end and across mangrove swamps and bogs towards the north. At this time, the tri-weekly mail from Fort Myers via Naples was landed at Marco and transported by wagon and later by Ford car over the poor excuse for a road to Caxambas. In the wet weather the mangrove swamp was a bog, and in the dry season the sand hills made travel very difficult. The first car to attempt this run with the mail soon cut deep ruts into the road, and as the county seat and the county commisioners were then many hours of weary travel away at Fort Myers, the road soon became impassable, and a boat was employed to take the mail around the island.
Works For The Road
The county commisioners were beseeched by
the islanders to give them relief from this
situation but with only disultory results.
Feeling the importance of a road to the
success of her plan, Mrs. Barfield finally
went into action in such a forceful manner
as to soon establish her in the minds of the
county commisioners of Lee County. Taking a
handful of her constituants with her, she
took a boat from Marco to Fort Myers, an all
day journey, and presented the situation to
the board. After much delay and several days
away from her numerous home duties, the
board instructed her to purchase a Ford
truck and to proceed with the work of making
a fill across the swamps that would permit
liason between the two island towns. Acting
on the verbal instructions of the
commisioners, she placed an order for a
second hand truck and returned to Caxambas,
well pleased with the results of her labors.
However, no sooner than Mrs. Barfield left
the city than private interests presented a
proposition to the commisioners, purporting
to save the county money and accomplish the
same results by the use of privatly owned
equipment, and the order for the truck was
countermanded.
Displays Tact
When word reached Caxambas of this
dirty dealing, Mrs. Barfield became
justly incensed and again set out
for Fort Myers, for verification of
the reports, which was finally
confirmed with numerous
explainations. but feeling assured,
and knowing from past experiences
with the same situation that this
only meant another outlay of county
funds with no results to the
community, Mrs. Barfield was not to
be thus easily put off. Taking the
offensive, she set out for Tampa and
with her own private funds from
tireless labor in the hotel and
manufacturing of fruit products,
bought a truck and had it
delivered at Caxambas. Again facing
the commisioners, she asked
permission to build the road, and it
is of record in the county offices
today that the road bed constructed
was of the most lasting material at
the lowest cost to the county of any
similar road built before or after.
Creates Ferry Service
But still, there was no outlet
from the island to the mainland
except by boat and a small
privatly owned barg that, if not
in use at some other point on
the island, would sometimes
transport one across the channel
if one would personally assume
the risk. Mrs.Barfield therefore
began another campaign for a
ferry across the channel, and
backed by her faithful
constituents presented her
petition before the board, which
was promptly laid on the shelf
with the excuse that a ferry
across an open channel was
illegal and was contrary to the
regulations of the war
department.
The commisioners,
nevertheless, had not yet
learned to know and appreciate
mrs. Barfield. Their refusal of
her petition only augmented her
determination to see it through.
Other channels were spanned by
ferries and even bridges. She
knew it. Why not Marco pass?
For nine months, at every meeting of the board, Mrs. Barfield continued to present her petition, not passively, but with new reasons and more urgent demands at each meeting, until finally, feeling the force of her arguements and the power of her personality, she was instructed to secure a barge and begin operation of the ferry.
Talks Turkey To
Board
Again however, private
interests interferred,
and at the following
meeting of the board,
Mrs. Barfield was not
present and the ferry
was awarded to another
party who falsely
claimed that Mrs.
Barfield had been unable
to secure a suitable
barge.
But though absent at
the meeting, Mrs.
Barfield read of the
boards actions and again
set out for Fort Myers
by way of the slow
moving boat and without
delay called the several
members of the board
from their homes, had a
special meeting called,
the late contract with
the private interests
rescinded - and the
ferry was at last
definitely established.
Is
Interested in
Community
Standing
firmly for what
she considers
the rights and
privilages of
her people, Mrs.
Barfield has
always
unhesitatingly
and
unflinchingly
stood immovable
against all
attacks to the
contrary coming
from whatever
source they
might.
Besides her
innumerable
official duties
with the Collier
Organization,
Mrs. Barfield
always finds
time to
represent her
people's
interests. In
the county
fairs, her
supervision of
Collier County
exhibits
invariably
attract
attention. At
the same time as
a sports woman,
she holds the
world's record.
according to a
clipping taken
some time ago
from Rube
Allen's "Florida
Fisherman" for
the largest
mangrove
snapper, the
fish weighing an
even fifteen
pounds.
Collier County
is mighty proud
of Mrs. Tommie
C. Barfield.
-----------------------------------------------------
An
added note:
Mrs.
Barfield was
the
inspiration
for the book
" A Girl
Called
Tommie,"
Queen of
Marco
Island,
Florida.
Authors:
Katherine
S. Kirk and
Elizabeth M.
Perdichizzi
-----------------------------------------------------
From
the
University
of
Florida
Digital
Collections
,
Historical
Newspapers
of
Florida.
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