Ma Barker’s

The infamous Barker house

 On January 8, 1935, FBI agents surrounded the home of gang matriarch Kate “Ma” Barker and her son Fred. After an intense shootout lasting several hours, Ma and Fred succumbed to the hail of bullets. Legend has it Ma still haunts her former home and harbors an intense hatred of law enforcement. Here’s a story from a retired police officer who encountered Ma on the 70th anniversary of her death.

“I’m a retired police officer, and in January 2005, I attended the annual Ma Barker shoot-out re-enactment done in downtown Ocklawaha, Florida. Officials had built a small home front to depict a house that looked similar to Ma’s real place. I asked a Deputy where the real home was, he reluctantly gave me the location, and I went to visit it.

I parked down a desolate side road that abutted Lake Weir, and there it was through the thick bushes, trees, and vegetation. I walked closer to get an unobstructed picture using my 35mm Minolta camera. Once I saw that no one was anywhere around, I snapped several photos. At the time, there was no one on the rear porch.

After taking a few photos, I sensed the presence of Ma Barker and at least two adult males in her driveway. She was a visibly angry, an intense ball of fire-like energy, and said ‘Get outta here, lawman!’ Needless to say, I told her ‘no problem,’ and I left, never intending to return.

In April, upon my annual return to NY, I had the film developed at a local CVS store. The clerk inspecting the photos for quality purposes asked, ‘who’s the lady in the photo?’ I said, ‘what lady?’ After an 8X10″ enlargement, there she was as clear as day. Ma Barker.

Fast forward: In 2016, the Tampa Bay Times investigated the matter, verified who I was, and insisted on an on-camera interview. The video was dead-on, however, the story by Lane DeGregory was a bit on the exaggerated and untrue side, with a degree of disrespect. While I understand the Times must sell papers, the story should not have included things I never said or did. The video would be viewed by no less than 25 million people worldwide, but is nowhere to be found now. Why?

My story has been verified by Carson Good, realtors, Ed and Loraine Warren (deceased) and many, many more. The Ma Barker house now rests about two miles across the lake from its original location and is now an open to the public attraction, replete with original artifacts. It’s still thought to be haunted by Ma Barker herself.”