Ocklawaha (also spelled Oklawaha) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Marion County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,508. The community is part of the

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

A post office was established at Ocklawaha in 1884. The area has its own postal district (32179) and post office. The community took its name from the nearby

Ocklawaha River The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 21, 2011 Ocklawaha River flows north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. Its name is derive ...

The Shootout

In 1935, Ocklawaha was the scene of a shootout between federal agents and Barker-Karpis Gang member

Fred Barker Frederick George Barker (December 12, 1901 – January 16, 1935) was an American criminal who, along with Alvin Karpis, co-founded the Barker-Karpis gang, which committed numerous robberies, murders and kidnappings during the 1930s. Barker was ...

. The agents fired about 500 bullets into the house, with roughly 250 shots fired in return, according to the after-action report of Special Agent in Charge Earl "E.J." Connelley. The fight ended in the deaths of Fred Barker and his mother Kate "Ma" Barker. Each year, the Ocklawaha Chamber of Commerce puts on a reenactment of the event. FBI agents discovered the hideout of the Barker-Karpis Gang after Arthur "Doc" Barker (one of Ma Barker's sons) was arrested in Chicago on January 8, 1935. A map found in Arthur's possession indicated that other gang members were in Ocklawaha. The FBI soon located the house where the gang was staying after identifying references to a local alligator named "Gator Joe", mentioned in a letter sent to Arthur. The gang had rented the property under the pseudonym "Blackburn", claiming to be a mother and sons wanting to vacation in a country retreat. Agents surrounded the house at what is now 13250 East Highway C-25 on the morning of January 16, 1935. The FBI were not aware that

Alvin Karpis Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpavičius; August 10, 1907 – August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) crim ...

and other gang members had left three days before, leaving only Fred and Ma in the house. The agents ordered them to surrender, but Fred Barker (and possibly "Ma" Barker) opened fire at 7 A.M.; both he and his mother were killed by federal agents after an intense shootout lasted for four-and-a-half hours. During the shootout, Fred almost killed FBI Special Agent James Campbell "Doc" White (who was taking cover behind a tree)—at the same time, Special Agent in Charge Earl "E.J." Connelley shot and wounded Fred in the neck. Allegedly, many local people came to watch the events unfolding, even holding picnics during the gunfire.Stuart B McIver, ''Touched by the Sun'', Pineapple Press, 2008, pp.71ff. Gunfire from the house finally stopped at 11:30 A.M., and the FBI ordered local estate handyman Willie Woodbury to enter the house wearing a bulletproof vest. Woodbury reported that there was no one inside alive. It was believed that Fred and Ma were killed by heavy gunfire while McDade and Muzzey fired

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...

. It isn't known if Ma Barker fired a gun during the shootout—or if Ma Barker was directly involved with any criminal activity. She certainly knew that her sons were criminals. Both bodies were found in the same front bedroom. Fred was killed after being shot 14 times; including three times in the head. Ma appeared to have died from a single bullet wound in the skull. According to the FBI's account, a

Tommy gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy Gun", "Chicago Typewriter", "Chicago Piano", “Trench Sweeper” or "Trench Broom") is a blowback-operated, air-cooled, magazine-fed selective-fire submachine gun, invented by United Sta ...

was found lying in her hands.Burrough, Bryan (2004). ''Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-1934''. Penguin Press, New York, p.508-509; Other sources say that it was lying between the bodies of Ma and Fred. Their bodies were put on public display, and then stored unclaimed until October 1, 1935, when relatives had them buried at Williams Timberhill Cemetery in

Welch, Oklahoma Welch is a town in northern Craig County, Oklahoma, United States. It is south of the Kansas state line, at the intersection of state highways 2 and 10 with U.S. Highway 59. The population was 619 at the 2010 census, an increase of 3.7 percent ...

, next to the body of Herman Barker. The FBI agents who were involved in the shootout were: * 15-year-veteran Special Agent in Charge Earl "E.J." Connelley (a

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

veteran; who served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

) * 11-year-veteran Special Agent James Campbell “Doc” White (who was a Texas Ranger for 18 years) * 5-year-veteran Special Agent John Madala * 5-year-veteran Special Agent Ralph D. Brown (who served as a pilot for

United States Marines Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

from 1925 until 1930) * 5-year-veteran Special Agent Samuel K. McKee, Jr. (who was involved in the death of

Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...

) * 3-year-veteran Special Agent Daniel P. Sullivan * eight-month-rookie Agent Thomas Mario McDade (who served in the 1934

Battle of Barrington The Battle of Barrington was an intense and deadly gunfight between federal agents and notorious Great Depression Era outlaw Baby Face Nelson, that took place on November 27, 1934 in Northside Park, in the town of Barrington, outside Chicago, Il ...

. in 1942 he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

(

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

) and attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.) * eight-month-rookie Agent Alexander A. Muzzey * eight-month-rookie Agent Charles Jerald "Jerry" Campbell (who served with

Oklahoma City Police Department ) , formedyear = 1889 , formedmonthday = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 1,382 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = $226 million (2021) , nongovernment = , country ...

for 5 years) * eight-month-rookie Agent Grier Cornelius Woltz * Special Agent Charles Winstead (who was the agent thought to have fired the bullet outside the

Biograph Theater The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, was originally a movie theater but now presents live productions. It gained early notoriety as the location where bank robber John Dillinger was lea ...

that killed

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...

) * Special Agent Richard L. Jones * Special Agent Thomas Melvin * Special Agent Joseph Thomas McLaughlin

Geography

Ocklawaha is located in southeastern Marion County at (29.0425, -81.9294), on the north shore of

Lake Weir Lake Weir is a fresh-water lake located in southern Marion County, Florida. Due to its large size and proximity, it is sometimes included with the Harris chain of lakes to the southeast, but is not directly hydrologically connected to them. It i ...

. It is bordered to the east by Silver Springs Shores East.

, the Marion

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, is to the northwest, and Leesburg is the same distance to the south. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Ocklawaha CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 29.5%, are water. The water area is mainly in Lake Weir to the south, with the rest in Bowers Lake on the western edge of the community.

References

External links

{{authority control Census-designated places in Marion County, Florida Census-designated places in Florida Unincorporated communities in Marion County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida

History

The Shootout

Geography

See also

References

External links