Diane Skelton

The most picturesque and historic literary site in the Florida Panhandle is the quaint town of DeFuniak Springs. Sprawling across I-10 (the northern geographic boundary of my book A Literary Traveler’s Guide to the Gulf South), DeFuniak Springs began as a Victorian-era cultural retreat. Most of its original buildings still stand as a tribute to the power of learning. Dozens of Victorian homes, a library, meeting hall, churches and a massive park encircle a lake where row boats once ferried lovers of the written and spoken word to the evening readings and lectures of Chautauqua. DeFuniak Springs is about an hour’s drive east of Pensacola along I-10 or thirty minutes north of Scenic Highway 30A and the towns of Seaside and Santa Rosa Beach. Local legend has it that a Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad executive on a train excursion looking for a site for a resort town spotted a lake, nearly a mile wide in a perfect circle, from his rail car. He stopped the train and declared the wooded lake the ideal locale. It quickly acquired its name DeFuniak in an employee naming contest. When the railroad learned the Chautauqua Institute of New York was looking for a winter retreat location, a resort-railroad partnership materialized. Naturally, the railroad would transport travelers directly to their cultural-vacation stop. The Chautauqua Movement, which began at Lake Chautauqua in New York State, encompassed four elements: arts, religion, education, and recreation. Individuals participated in programs, and, in turn, the knowledge they gained benefited their communities. The Florida Chautauqua Association was formed in 1884 and from 1885 to 1928 as many as 4000 passengers a day stopped at DeFuniak Springs for the Chautauqua experience. The DeFuniak season ran for seven weeks, and people would come for days or weeks for the vibrant lectures and lessons. Popular lecturers drew crowds who stayed in the glamorous Chautauqua Hotel. Travelogue speakers, dressed in costumes, projected stereopticon (not too unlike a slide show or Power Point) images and drew crowds as did concerts. Others came for courses like The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle classes taught on the campus. And, of course, for recreation they rowed and sailed the lake. Some New York Chautauqua members liked the area so much they built Victorian houses around Lake DeFuniak. Quickly, the campus grew with buildings including an auditorium that seated 4000. The library backing up to the lake is the oldest public library still standing in Florida. . .