Page 4 - The Edge: Issue 5 2020

Merritt Island
The historic MI dragon gains new life. Story by Shannon Stuckey
A dragon once sprawled over an island on the river, calling Merritt Island its home. The dragon, nicknamed Annie, used to lie on the very tip of Merritt Island; down near South Tropical Trail. Unfortunately, this dragon was made out of stone, and it met its demise in the year 2002, suffering damages throughout multiple hurricanes. Annie was a cultural monument in Merritt Island for many years, and the island’s beloved dragon is now potentially facing revival.
When VanDercar built the statue, he thought that a backstory was necessary. From this, the legend of the Merritt Island Dragon arose. According to VanDercar’s legend, many years ago, the natives of Merritt Island were being attacked by a rival tribe, when suddenly a dragon arose from the water and helped them to drive away the other natives.
The real origin of the Merritt Island dragon is somewhat different. In 1971, Jeff and Aynn Christa met with sculptor Louis VanDercar about making a statue for their winter home on the southernmost tip of Merritt Island. VanDercar agreed, and the next step was for them to think of what the statue could possibly be.
It was then when VanDercar suggested the idea of a dragon. The idea had come to VanDercar in a strange dream, where a lady dressed in all black with white hair told him to “build a dragon like a boat.”
The Christas agreed, and other neighbors and family decided to pitch in on the unique idea.
Most neighbors in the area feared their homes would be bought for less if the dragon was built, so they tried to get the dragon disapproved by architecture laws in Florida. Eventually, officials decided that the dragon was to stay and Vandercar began sculpting Annie.
Once Annie was finished, she was 67 ft. long and over two tons. The dragon sculpture also included a small cave, about 3 feet wide and 6 feet tall, which they used for reading and meditating.
Shortly after the dragon was “born,” Jeff and Aynn Christa decided to sell the property. It was rebought again in 1974 by Mitchel Mark. The area around the Merritt Island Dragon was named Dragon Point by Mark’s wife, and is still used today as the official street name.
When these new owners came in, they decided to make some changes. They remodeled the original one story house and turned it into a four story mansion. They also updated the dragon by putting lights and a smoke machine in the mouth so Annie could “breathe fire”.
In 1981 the property was resold and bought by real estate developer Warren Macbeth. After settling in, Macbeth invited Vandercar to make new changes to the dragon in hopes to make it more realistic.
Some changes that were made to Annie were the adding of a new tail and legs, as well as the enlargement of her head. But the most interesting part that was added in this
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