DeFuniak Springs Historic District | |
Location | Roughly bounded by Nelson and Park Aves. and 2nd and 12th Sts., DeFuniak Springs, Florida |
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Coordinates | 30°43′0″N86°6′53″W / 30.71667°N 86.11472°W |
Area | 1,900 acres (7.7 km2) |
Architect | William Dryer, W. T. May |
Architectural style | Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
MPS | DeFuniak Springs MPS |
NRHP reference No. | 92001048 |
Added to NRHP | August 28, 1992 [1] |
The DeFuniak Springs Historic District is a U.S. historic district (designated as such on August 28, 1992) located in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. DeFuniak Springs, originally Lake DeFuniak, was named after Fred DeFuniak, the chief executive of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. [2] The district is bounded by Nelson and Park Avenues and 2nd and 12th Streets. It contains 172 historic buildings and 2 objects.
One such historic memorial is Florida's first stone memorial to the Confederacy. This memorial was first erected in Euchee Valley Presbyterian Church but currently resides on DeFuniak Springs' courthouse lawn. [3]
Other than the Confederacy, a huge part of the town's history includes railroads. When railroad operation began in 1882, DeFuniak Springs became a popular railroad stop, particularly for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. This brought a lot of new people to the area.
As a result of these new people coming to the area, another huge part, and perhaps the most important part, of the town's history began This was the rise of the Chautauqua. It is believed that the Chautauqua emerged because of the influence of the Lyceum Movement, the lack of educational quality in schools, and the rise of religion following the Civil War. After its formation, the Chautauqua spread all over the United States, including to DeFuniak Springs. [4] The Florida Chautauqua continued from 1885 to 1922 and attracted thousands of visitors to the area. This eventually led to the building of the historic Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood in 1909. This building originally included an auditorium that could seat up to 4,000 people, but the auditorium was destroyed by Hurricane Eloise in 1975. This building is located at 95 Circle Drive and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [5]
Other locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places include 132 Circle Drive, which is a family residence built in 1900 and owned by the prominent citizen and realtor R.E.L. McCaskill, 144 Circle Drive, which is St. Agatha's Episcopal Church that was completed in 1896, and 150 Circle Drive, which is now the Parish House of St. Agatha's Episcopal Church but originally was built in 1900 to serve as a boarding house during the Chautauqua Era.
Walton County is located on the Emerald Coast in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida, with its southern border on the Gulf of Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,305. Its county seat is DeFuniak Springs. The county is home to the highest natural point in Florida: Britton Hill, at 345 feet (105 m). Walton County is included in the Crestview–Fort Walton Beach–Destin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
DeFuniak Springs is a city and the county seat of Walton County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,919 as of the 2020 Census, up from 5,177 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Crestview—Fort Walton Beach—Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. DeFuniak Springs also serves as a hub for many residents in surrounding communities.
America's 11 Most Endangered Places or America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places is a list of places in the United States that the National Trust for Historic Preservation considers the most endangered. It aims to inspire Americans to preserve examples of architectural and cultural heritage that could be "relegated to the dustbins of history" without intervention.
The Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood is a historic site in DeFuniak Springs, Walton County, Florida. It was constructed as part of the Chautauqua education movement and is located at 95 Circle Drive. It is now used to house a branch of the Walton County Chamber of Commerce. On August 7, 1972, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Perry L. Biddle House is a historic house located at 203 Scribner Avenue in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, United States. It is locally significant as one of the best examples of the houses constructed in an early subdivision of DeFuniak Springs, outside of the heavy development which took place around Lake DeFuniak, and is also a good example of Frame Vernacular construction.
The Louisville and Nashville Depot, or Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot or Louisville and Nashville Passenger Station, Louisville and Nashville Railroad Passenger Depot or variations, may refer to the following former and active train stations previously used by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Some of these are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
St. Agatha's Episcopal Church is a historic Carpenter Gothic Episcopal church located at 144 Circle Drive, in DeFuniak Springs, Florida in the United States. It is a contributing property in the DeFuniak Springs Historic District.
The Walton County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building located in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. It is a contributing property in the DeFuniak Springs Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1992.
State Road 83 is the state designation for U.S. Route 331 between US 98(SR 30) in Santa Rosa Beach and US 90(SR 10) in DeFuniak Springs. It also includes an independent route from DeFuniak Springs to the Florida-Alabama State Line. The entire route is in Walton County.
The Walton County Heritage Museum is located at 1140 Circle Drive, DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Housed in the former L&N railroad depot, it is part of the DeFuniak Springs Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Walton-DeFuniak Library is a historic library located at 3 Circle Drive, in DeFuniak Springs, Walton County, Florida in the United States. Opened in 1887, it is the oldest continuously run library in the state. It is a contributing property in the DeFuniak Springs Historic District. The City of DeFuniak Springs and the commissioner’s office of the city donate funds to the Walton-DeFuniak library in order to keep the library running for patron benefit. While the original Walton-DeFuniak library was opened in 1886, there has been some debate as to exactly which library is the oldest in the state of Florida. Historians will say that the oldest library in Florida is actually located in St. Augustine.
A Mississippi Landmark is a building officially nominated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and approved by each county's chancery clerk. The Mississippi Landmark designation is the highest form of recognition bestowed on properties by the state of Mississippi, and designated properties are protected from changes that may alter the property's historic character. Currently there are 890 designated landmarks in the state. Mississippi Landmarks are spread out between eighty-one of Mississippi's eighty-two counties; only Issaquena County has no such landmarks.
The Vicarage is a historic house located at 150 Circle Drive, in DeFuniak Springs, Florida in the United States. Also known as McLendon House, it is located next to St. Agatha's Episcopal Church. It is a contributing property in the DeFuniak Springs Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1992.
Confederate monuments and memorials in the United States include public displays and symbols of the Confederate States of America (CSA), Confederate leaders, or Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. Many monuments and memorials have been or will be removed under great controversy. Part of the commemoration of the American Civil War, these symbols include monuments and statues, flags, holidays and other observances, and the names of schools, roads, parks, bridges, buildings, counties, cities, lakes, dams, military bases, and other public structures. In a December 2018 special report, Smithsonian Magazine stated, "over the past ten years, taxpayers have directed at least $40 million to Confederate monuments—statues, homes, parks, museums, libraries, and cemeteries—and to Confederate heritage organizations."
The Old Mauch Chunk Historic District is a national historic district located at Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
The Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad (P&A) was a company incorporated by an act of the Florida Legislature on March 4, 1881, to run from Pensacola to the Apalachicola River near Chattahoochee, a distance of about 160 miles (260 km). No railroad had ever been built across the sparsely populated panhandle of Florida, which left Pensacola isolated from the rest of the state. William D. Chipley and Frederick R. De Funiak, both of whom are commemorated in the names of towns later built along the P&A line, were among the founding officers of the railroad company.
Proudfoot & Bird was an American architectural firm that designed many buildings throughout the Midwest region of the United States. Originally established in 1882, it remains active through its several successors, and since 2017 has been known as BBS Architects | Engineers.
Frederick R. De Funiak was an officer in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Later he became a successful railroad engineer and an official of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. DeFuniak Springs, Florida, is named for him.
The First Congregational Church, also known as Iglesia Pentecostes Evangelica Principe de Paz, is a house of worship located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. An architectural rarity, it is one of a small group of churches in the Prairie School style of architecture. Designed primarily in the Prairie style with some eclectic touches by architect William L. Steele, its horizontal lines are emphasized by Roman brick and crisp rectilinear forms. Somewhat at variance are the distinctive dome and the prominent round heads on the windows.