This Florida Home Was Moved by Barge to Escape Its Violent Past

Along the tranquil shores of Lake Weir, Florida, sits a house that has seen better — and significantly louder — days. Built in 1930, it looks like a quaint, unassuming two-story home. But its past is less 'quaint' and more 'bullets and federal agents.'

This was once the infamous hideout of the Barker-Karpis Gang, led by the legendary Kate "Ma" Barker. On January 16, 1935, the tranquil lakeside scene erupted into the longest gunfight in FBI history. Six hours of absolute chaos later, Ma Barker and her son Fred were found dead inside. So, yeah, not your average family home.

Today, you can still visit and see the bullet holes that scar the walls, along with the furniture that witnessed it all. It's a quiet testament to a very un-quiet day.

The House That Floated Away

Fast forward to 2016. The house, still standing but perhaps giving off a slightly menacing vibe, was slated for demolition. New owners, understandably, weren't keen on living in a historical crime scene. But instead of tearing it down, they opted for a rather dramatic solution: they moved it.

A crew meticulously lifted the entire 2,100-square-foot structure off its foundation. Then, in a scene that sounds straight out of a quirky indie film, they placed it onto a barge and slowly, deliberately, pushed it across Lake Weir with a Jon boat. Moving it by water was apparently easier and safer than trying to drag a notorious, bullet-riddled house through Florida traffic.

The house now rests on new ground, a few miles from its original, rather ill-fated location. Its walls and scars remain, a permanent reminder that some homes have stories even the quietest lakes can't wash away. And that sometimes, the best way to deal with a house's problematic past is to literally make it float away.