About
Epping Forest Yacht & Country Club brings together decades of traditions and history, just minutes from the heart of downtown Jacksonville. It is an escape from everyday life, a step back in time, where world leaders and generations of industry legends have come to connect for business and pleasure with luxurious amenities and world-class service.
Nestled on the banks of Florida's St. Johns River, Epping Forest has been a Jacksonville landmark for close to a century. Epping Forest is a Florida landmark, rich in history, charm, and grace. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Sites, and is significant architecturally for its structure and landscaping. In many ways Epping Forest represents much that is Florida, and parallels the evolution of business in the region.
.JPG)
Alfred I. duPont and his wife, Jessie Ball duPont, moved their legal residence to Florida from their palatial home in Wilmington, Delaware, known as "Nemours". They purchased 58 acres on the St. Johns River and built their home with a mixture of Gothic, Spanish Renaissance and Baroque influences throughout the design. They called it "Epping Forest" after a small town in England which was the ancestral family home of Jessie Ball.
Construction on the Epping Forest Mansion took two years. The Mansion contained 25 rooms in its original grandeur.
The Mansion at Epping Forest has hosted several powerful worldwide leaders throughout its history to include the Vanderbilt Family, the Carnegie Family, Ambassador Zahedi of Iran, Princess Lila Merian of Morocco, The Biltmore's, President Gerald Ford, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and former Vice President Mike Pence. Major political leaders, heads of state, and the captains of American industry have all visited Epping Forest.
A local businessman, Raymond Mason, bought the estate and lived there with his family until 1984, entertaining world leaders such as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and President Gerald Ford.
Gate Petroleum acquired Epping Forest from the Mason family. The company felt strongly that Epping Forest should be preserved for the future enjoyment of Jacksonville citizens.