Nestled just a few yards off State Road 60 in the middle of Brandon, there exists a portal to Florida's distant past. Obscured by trees and overgrowth, it is likely passed every day by thousands of commuters who don't know something marvelous is just out sight.

Down a dusty dirt path you will find a 14.15-acre time capsule from a century before Brandon was overrun by the modern suburban plagues of strip malls, chain eateries and developers looking to pave over anything that was green.

It is called the Moseley Homestead and it's where Julia Moseley has chosen to live for 98 years, except for the time she spent in Atlanta studying English and Latin at Agnes Scott College.

Developers have tried to get their mitts on this land before but Julia kept turning them down, even though it would have made her a rich woman. A rough guess is that she could have put about $10 million in the bank and lived comfortably in a beach-front condo somewhere.

Instead, she had the property and everything on it declared a designated historic landmark, with upkeep and maintenance handled by the non-profit Timberly Trust.

That's how in the middle of an area zoned for commercial, office and industrial use, you will find moss-draped oak trees, pine needles, chirping robins, a working water well, a few scattered buildings, and the one-story, wood-frame house called "The Nest." It's where Julia lives.

"When you drive down that dirt road, you can almost feel the time when her grandmother was there. You can see her sitting on that porch," said attorney and former Tampa City Council member John Dingfelder.

The home was built in 1886 and much of the original structure remains. This includes an incredible piece of original wall covering of palmetto fiber on painted burlap.

There are two old pianos in the home; Julia taught untold numbers of students how to play the works of Brahms and Bach. Asked how she was as a teacher, she answered slyly, "I was interesting."

A lot of repair work needs to be done on the home and the trust helps provide for that. But as fascinating as the homestead is, the woman who lives there is the real treasure.

"Julia is strong-willed. She is a fighter, and she wants things done a certain way," Dingfelder said. "She is determined to preserve this slice of Florida's pioneer history. I even brought my kids out here so they could see what Florida used to look like."

There was a battle nearly 30 years ago over a county plan to cut down a stretch of magnificent canopy oaks along Brandon's Lakewood Drive. Republican political consultant Mark Proctor remembered how hard Julia fought to keep those oaks standing.

They're still there.

Proctor stayed in touch with her over the years and now, along with Dingfelder, serves on the Timberly Trust board. When a home-health care plan for Julia was recently running short of cash, she might have been forced to move to a nursing home.

He wasn't going to let that happen.

A few phone calls and emails later, and there were more than enough donations. Julia will stay in her home.

"This is living history," Proctor said. "All those people drive by every day and never realize that 1886 is right here, just off the road."

So much Florida history has given way to fast-food joints, convenience stores and gated suburban developments. There is no way to recapture what was lost. But know that a piece of that time still exists because instead of cashing in, Julia Moseley thought it was more important to preserve.

That's the way it's to be forever. No one is going to get their mitts on these 14.15 acres, are they?

Her eyes twinkled and her voice was firm as she uttered a single word.

"No."