Main entrance of the Lodge.
In 1943 The Wakulla Lodge roof caught fire and burned. The quick action of several Army officers housed at the lodge and the fire resistant construction of the building prevented a total disaster.
A cameraman who happened to be staying at Wakulla Spring captured the action on his movie camera. The film became a home movie favorite of Ed Ball
"Edward Ball was born in 1888 Northumberland County, Virginia, and came to Florida in the 1920s after being asked by his brother-in-law, Alfred I. duPont, to assist with his Florida business interests. Ball tripled duPont’s holdings, investing in real estate and banking.
When the State of Florida was having revenue difficulty, Ball prepaid the taxes on the duPont estate in order to assist the state. After duPont’s death in 1935, Ball acquired more than a million acres of Florida land, as well as a major interest in the Florida National Bank, which he used as basis for the Florida National Group, one of the most successful banking ventures in the state. Ball also established the Ed Ball Wildlife Foundation, a perpetual trust with sanctuaries in seven locations across Florida.
He bequeathed his estate to the Nemours Foundation established by Alfred duPont, which operates the Nemours Children’s Clinic in Jacksonville. Edward Ball died in 1981. His Great Floridian plaque is located at the Wakulla Springs Lodge, Wakulla Springs, south of Tallahassee, where Edward Ball frequently stayed."
Source: Great Floridians