Private island for sale in Florida comes with a historic schoolhouse — and 3 cabins
Formerly called Belle Island, a 224-acre property now named Hog Island hits the real estate market in Palatka, Florida, for $7.45 million.
The lush land, which the website says is “currently the largest private island for sale in the state of Florida,” is a utopia all its own, complete with three cabins, a helicopter pad, boat barn, a home known as The Island Keeper’s Residence and “the oldest existing one room schoolhouse in the country.”
And judging by the photos, nature plays a rather large role when it comes to the island.
“The island itself consists of 220 acres, and there are some wetlands throughout the island, so at different times of the year or if there is a storm, the water may come up. To the seller’s knowledge, the cabins have never been flooded,” listing agent Carl Lilavois said to Realtor.com.
“It is jaw-dropping just seeing how much land is out there — and how much wildlife is actually out there.”
The cabins are spread out about the island, with two — Turtle Cabin and Gator Cabin — are in the center of the island. Both have three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Swamp Cabin is on the southeast part of the island and has two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The schoolhouse, which was built in 1899, is currently being used as a reception center. The three-bedroom house known as The Island Keeper’s Residence is considered one of the island’s “prized features,” the website says.
According to Lilavois, the owner decided to change the name of the island to hog for an interesting reason.
“He changed the name to Hog Island because Belle Island is an attractive name, and you may have a boater who might want to just stop in to tour the island, whereas Hog Island is not as much of an attractive name,” Lilavois told Realtor. “It was something he changed to keep people away from his private property.”
Lake George, where the island is located, is about 64 miles northwest of Orlando.
This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Private island for sale in Florida comes with a historic schoolhouse — and 3 cabins."