Conserving Land, Preserving History in Cross Creek, Florida

In mid-April, with generous support from a couple and a few other folks, Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) acquired over 46 acres in the small community of Cross Creek, Florida. The land was previously part of what is known as the Axline-Brice House. It’s tucked between Lochloosa Lake and Orange Lake and sits across the way from Marjorie

Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park.

The house was built in the late 1880s, during a time when Florida was booming with citrus. Wealthy northerners were coming down, buying land, and planting orange groves. One of them was Jasper Axline, a businessman from Cincinnati, who built this home as his winter retreat. But this wasn’t just a simple farmhouse. It actually had some

surprisingly modern features for its time—like an indoor kitchen and detailed decorative woodwork that still survives today. It showed both wealth and craftsmanship, right in the middle of rural Florida. In 1910, the house was sold to the Brice family, who lived there for generations and ran the surrounding grove. Locals even called it ‘The Grove House.’

What makes the story even richer is that the Brices were neighbors of the writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, who later wrote The Yearling. She knew the family well and even referred to W.R. Brice as ‘Boss Brice,’ so this house is part of the same landscape that inspired her famous depiction of old Florida life. Over the years, the house has had only a few owners and has been carefully preserved. Today, it still stands as a rare reminder of Florida’s citrus boom and the people who shaped that era.

Even though it’s privately owned and not open to the public, the Axline-Brice House provides a window into a very specific moment in Florida history—when opportunity, agriculture, and storytelling all came together in one quiet place.

The 46-acre property acquired by ACT will become a nature preserve that conserves part of “old Florida” and will be open to the public for passive recreational use in early 2027. The Preserve will be called the John & Catherine Licko Memorial Preserve as a way to recognize their lifetime legacy of working hard, saving money, and living below their

means, and for their deep, enduring love and respect for each other, for family, for nature, and for the beauty of “old Florida.”

Acquiring this property not only increases the buffer around Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park and the Axline-Brice House, it also keeps the connectivity between Lochloosa Lake and Orange Lake intact. This is also in the heart of the larger Lochloosa Wildlife Corridor that run north to south through the eastern portion of Alachua County.

$105,944 Raised for the Santa Fe River during the 2026 Amazing Give

From all of us at Alachua Conservation Trust, thank you so much for supporting us during the Amazing Give on April 30th.

Not only did ACT reach our $100,000 goal, but we also came in first for total donations, out of 115 participating organizations, and broke previous organizational records for the most amount of money raised on a Giving Day.

This money will go towards preserving land along the Santa Fe River, including:

• 20 acres in Gilchrist County with 2,000 feet of riverbank and a 150-foot spring run, protecting our drinking water via the Floridan Aquifer

• 39 acres in Gilchrist County directly downriver from the confluence of the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers, buffering two critical waterways rich in natural and cultural significance

• 13 acres in Alachua County near our existing Santa Fe River Preserve, expanding the preserve and strengthening a vital corridor that safeguards wildlife

Our work would not be possible without supporters like you, and we will continue to work towards preserving the integrity of our wild spaces.

16-20 Year-Olds Invited to Apply to 2026 Young Leaders for Wild Florida Summit

The 2026 YLWF Summit will be a three-day event that will feature a day of volunteering, a day of advocacy, and a celebration swimming day! 

All youth between the ages of 16-20 living or studying in and around Alachua County are encouraged to apply.

Young Leaders for Wild Florida is a donation-based program where campers pay what they can to attend. We encourage donations for program participation and sustainability. 

The summit is made possible this year thanks to support from the apparel company, Waterlust.

Applications for the YLWF Summit are open now and close on June 1st.

Photos by NRLI

Featured Event

Weekly Walk & Talk at Blues Creek Ravine Preserve

Friday, May 8, 2026, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Join ACT staff and volunteers for a guided hike at Blues Creek Ravine Preserve!

Weekly Walk & Talk at Leafs Preserve (North Entrance)

Friday, May 15, 2026, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Join ACT staff and volunteers for a guided hike at Leafs Preserve!


Weekly Walk & Talk at Tuscawilla Preserve

Friday, May 22, 2026, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Join ACT staff and volunteers for a guided hike at Tuscawilla Preserve!

Weekly Walk & Talk at Orange Lake Overlook

Friday, May 29, 2026, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

Join ACT staff and volunteers for a guided hike at Orange Lake Overlook!

2026 Summer CrEEK Family Fest

Saturday, May 30, 2026, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Come out for CrEEK Family Day, a day of environmental education for all ages!

You make conservation possible! 



Thank you for donating your time, money, and energy to making ACT's work a success.

Please donate today - or consider including ACT in your estate planning - to save wild spaces, train the next generation of land stewards, and open up new public preserves to your community.



THANK YOU!