Tag Archives: Burt Reynolds

Maloney’s Cashel Endures

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From Cashel there is an unparalleled view of St. Lucie River and Indian River as they flow toward the St. Lucie Inlet.

Alison Azar Beckmeyer who, with her husband, purchased Cashel in 2016, is proud to own the mansion and has lovingly restored it. She recounts how, at the closing, realtor Kim Spears, emotionally expressed the community’s gratefulness that Cashel was being preserved.

When news of the impending purchase got around, one of Alison’s Cleveland colleagues and Martin County history buffs inundated her with the historic background of Cashel and Martin Maloney. Later, Alison visited Moloney-built, St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Spring Lake, New Jersey.  She was surprised when the church docent did not know Martin Maloney had a winter home in Florida.

Beautiful St. Catherine’s Catholic Church stands near Spring Lake and close to the Atlantic Ocean.

Alison purchased a book about St. Catherine’s Church and, returning to her car, flipped through it. An image of a greeting card that featured, among other buildings, “Cashel in Port Sewall, Florida,” caught her eye. She went back into the church to show it to the docent.

This plaque in on the wall in St. Catherine’s Church.

This got the attention of a priest who was interested to know Alison and Tom Beckmeyer were the proud owners of the Maloney winter home. After learning its name, he pointed a religious mural high above them. One of the figures was Ireland’s “King of Cashel” featuring Martin Maloney’s face!

This 1926 Greeting shows three of buildings funded by Martin Maloney as well as his homes in Spring Lake and Port Sewall.

Alison Beckmeyer snapped this photo of the “King of Cashel” with Martin Maloney’s features.

The wrought iron fence that once surrounded Maloney’s Ballingarry now surrounds a half dozen fine homes. This photograph was taken Allison Beckmeyer when she visited Spring Lake, New Jersey.
Even though Martin Maloney’s daughter, Margaret razed Ballingarry, her parents’ huge Spring Lake mansion in 1953 because no one was willing to buy it, Alison discovered that the estate’s wrought Iron fence still encircles the former Maloney property where several fine homes now stand.

I will conclude my Cashel blogs with photos of scenes of the estate when it was used for television commercials and for Burt Reynolds’ B. L. Stryker, supplied by fellow history buff Brandon Weston but first I want to point out that Cashel continues to be used for charity.

Each year the Beckmeyers host a lavish fundraiser for “Folds of Honor” to provide scholarships from members of injured servicemen. This is a link to the 501c3 organization.

http://Folds of Honor

These scenes of large animals on the Cashel estate are fun to see. Some were taken by Brandon Weston and some are from the Internet. Brandon supplied the link to the actual commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7OfD_D5-pY

I am sure you will enjoy watching the commercial. It’s a hoot!

Burt Reynolds stands in Cashel’s entryway.

To finish off, if anyone wants to watch the B.L. Stryker King of Jazz episode that features Cashel. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MsAzsIKwMU

We will end with this tall Cashel visitor. Brandon said after the giraffe’s arrival the filming of the commercial could not be kept secret and scores of cars stopped because people wanted to know what was going on.

Cashel—Beyond the Gate

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This photograph and the two below were taken in 1992 to fulfil a request from Nancy M. Parker who was gathering information about the architect, Horace Trumbauer, who designed Cashel.

Martin Maloney’s Cashel completed in 1917 endures.  Its many owners have made modifications through the years but its original design has been maintained.

Through the years Cashel has been the scene for community events and charity fundraisers. The estate has provided the backdrop for Burt Renolds’ B. L. Stryker episodes and high- end television commercials.

In 1992, I was contacting by Nancy M. Parker of Ridgewood, N. J. who was compiling the works of architect Horace Trumbauer who designed Cashel. She requested photographs and Chuck and Joan MacGillvary, who owned the former Maloney estate at the time, gave me permission to take photographs.

This aerial photograph taken by Arthur Ruhnke, shows the Sunrise Inn as well as Cashel to the left of the hotel. Only a few other buildings existed in Port Sewall on January 6, 1949.

In 2010, an elaborate Designer Showcase sponsored by the Children’s Home Society took place at Cashel. Anxious for the significant history of the Maloneys and Cashel to be shared, I did my best to impress the organizers with its importance.

Martin Maloney was incredibly important in Spring Lake , NJ where he built a mansion dwarfing Cashel as well as a splendid Catholic Church. This appeared in the newsletter of the Spring Lake Historical Society. Unfortunately, the Designer Showcase shared practically none of Cashel’s history.


Brandon Weston has become an expert on the history of Cashel ever since he lived on the property and was bitten by the history bug. He has added Martin Maloney and Horace Trumbauer to his area of expertise and is allowing me to use some of his on-sight photos and as well as photographs he has found in his research to illustrate this and future blogs.

Courtesy Brandon Weston
Courtesy Brandon Weston
Courtesy Brandon Weston

Future blogs will feature Martin Maloney’s connection to the Sunrise Inn, Maloney’s ownership of much of Stuart, Maloney’s prominence as a Catholic and his estate’s generosity to local Catholics. Other subjects will be the architect of Cashel, Horace Trumbauer’s importance. and photographs of an elephant, giraffe and a tigers at Cashel as well and Burt Renolds at Cashel as B. L. Stryker.