DeFuniak Springs is a city in Walton County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, United States. The population was 6,968 as of the 2020 Census. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Walton County, the city also serves as a hub for many residents in surrounding communities. In 2019,

MSN MSN (meaning Microsoft Network) is a web portal and related collection of Internet services and apps for Windows and mobile devices, provided by Microsoft and launched on August 24, 1995, alongside the release of Windows 95. The Microsoft Net ...

's ''Insider Online'' named the city as the "best small town in Florida". DeFuniak Springs is home to

Lake DeFuniak Lake DeFuniak is an almost perfectly circular 40 acre lake in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, United States, at the center of the DeFuniak Springs Historic District. Lake DeFuniak is one of the two almost perfectly round circular spring-fed lakes ...

, one of two spring-fed lakes in the world that is nearly perfectly round.

History

The town was founded during the late 19th century as a resort development by the officers of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad, a subsidiary of the

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of t ...

. The P&A was organized to connect the terminus of the L&N at

Pensacola Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ci ...

to the western terminus of a predecessor of the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

at River Junction—now Chattahoochee—in the 1880s. The town was named after Frederick R. De Funiak, a vice-president of the L&N. Like much of

Northwest Florida The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the G ...

, DeFuniak Springs was settled mainly by Scots from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

and

the Carolinas The Carolinas are the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina, considered collectively. They are bordered by Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and Georgia to the southwest. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Combining Nor ...

. DeFuniak Springs was established as a final-destination resort. The developers enlisted the cooperation and aid of the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua br ...

Movement. The

Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood The Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood (also known as the Chautauqua Auditorium and Lakeyard) 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 ...

, an auditorium seating 4,000, was constructed on

in the center of town. Seminars, classes, and the like were held in the Hall of Brotherhood building for people on vacation. The auditorium of the building was severely damaged by

Hurricane Eloise Hurricane Eloise was the most destructive tropical cyclone of the 1975 Atlantic hurricane season. The fifth tropical storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Eloise formed as a tropical depression on September 13 to the ...

in 1975 and razed. In 2003, the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood Foundation, Inc., a charitable foundation, started a capital campaign to restore the historic building. The westerly portion of the building facing Circle Drive was still in use at that time. As part of the intellectual atmosphere of the town, a college and a private high school (named

Palmer College Palmer College of Chiropractic is a private chiropractic college with its main campus in Davenport, Iowa. It was established in 1897 by Daniel David Palmer and was the first school of chiropractic in the world. The college's name was originally ...

and Palmer Academy, respectively), as well as a technical school ( Thomas Industrial Institute) and a teacher training school ( Florida Normal College) were established in the late 19th century. Florida Normal College was later incorporated into

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. The other schools closed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, which created financial strains. There remains a College Avenue that once led to Palmer College. In 1886, the town held an important meeting that changed the course of public education in Florida. At this meeting, teachers from around the state formed the

Florida Education Association The Florida Education Association (FEA) is a statewide federation of teacher and education workers' labor unions in the US state of Florida. Its 145,000 members make it the largest union in the state. It is a merged affiliate of the American Fede ...

. This teachers' union remains the state's predominant voice for educators and is affiliated with the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

and the

American Federation of Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America (the largest being the National Education Association). The union was founded in Chicago. John Dewey and Margaret Haley were founders. About 60 per ...

. The town contains other historically significant landmarks. The Walton County Library is located on Circle Drive, the oldest extant library in the state of Florida. The library contains antiquities, including an impressive medieval weapon collection, in addition to many first-edition books. Also situated on Circle Drive are the Walton County Heritage Museum, housed in the former L&N railroad depot, and St. Agatha's Episcopal Church, built in 1895–1896. DeFuniak Springs Hist Dist First Presby Church01

DeFuniak Springs Hist Dist First Presby Church01

First Presbyterian Church is the only private structure in the Lake Yard, the park surrounding the lake. Although Walton County was opposed to secession, the first monument to the Confederate war dead constructed in Florida is located on the lawn of the Walton County Courthouse. A chicken processing plant operated by

Perdue Farms Perdue Farms is the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, based in Salisbury, Maryland. Perdue Foods is a major chicken, turkey, and pork processing company in the United States. Perdue AgriBusiness ranks among the top United ...

at DeFuniak Springs was closed in April 2004.

Traditions

The surrounding landscape of

is decorated for the holidays between

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

and

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Whi ...

to celebrate the holiday season. This is known to locals as the "

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

Reflections".

Geography

DeFuniak Springs is located at 30°43'N 86°7'W (30.721, –86.119). The city is located in the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia on the north, and the ...

along

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...

and U.S. Routes 90 and 331. I-10 runs south of the city from west to east, providing access from exit 85 (U.S. Route 331). I-10 leads east 119 mi (192 km) to

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

, the state capital, and west 80 mi (129 km) to

. U.S. Route 90 runs through the city from west to east as Nelson Avenue, and leads east 12 mi (19 km) to

Ponce de Leon Ponce may refer to: *Ponce (surname) * *Ponce, Puerto Rico, a city in Puerto Rico ** Ponce High School ** Ponce massacre, 1937 * USS ''Ponce'', several ships of the US Navy *Manuel Ponce, a Mexican composer active in the 20th century * British sl ...

and west 29 mi (47 km) to Crestview. U.S. Route 331 is the main north–south route in the city and its main connection to the

Gulf coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coast, coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The list of U.S. states and territories by coastline, coastal states that have a shor ...

. U.S. 331 leads northwest 25 mi (40 km) to Florala,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

and south 26 mi (42 km) to

U.S. Route 98 U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola and Apalachicola, Florida, and has sinc ...

near Santa Rosa Beach.

Florida State Road 83 State Road 83 (SR 83) is the state designation for U.S. Route 331 in Florida, U.S. Route 331 between U.S. Route 98 in Florida, US 98(Florida State Road 30, SR 30) in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, Santa Rosa Beach and U.S. Route 90 in Florida, US 90(Fl ...

also runs through the city as well, leading south to Santa Rosa Beach (with U.S. 331) and north 19 mi (31 km) to the Florida-Alabama state line. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land, and (2.49%) is water.

Climate

DeFuniak Springs has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(''Cfa'').

Education

Public schools

Public schools in Defuniak Springs are run by the Walton County School District. * Walton High School *Walton Middle School *Maude Saunders Elementary School *Mossy Head Elementary School *West DeFuniak Elementary School *Walton Academy

Private schools

*First Christian Academy

Library

At the time of planning, the founders of DeFuniak Springs were interested in the adult education movement. For DeFuniak Springs, this movement did not only include the Chautauqua center, McCormick University and Academy, and the State Normal School, but also a community library. In 1887, a group of women formed the Ladies Library Association and their goal was to establish a library that would become the "little sister" to the Chautauqua center, university, and school. The Ladies Library Association chose a plot of land adjacent to the Chautauqua center and signed a lease for ninety-nine years. By the end of 1887, five years after the initial plan of the village, there was a community library. The Ladies Library Association's main goal of establishing a social library was complete. Initially, the library relied on book donations, but also purchased books from the Ladies Reading Club and a private book owner, J. L. Shearer. The Ladies Library Association persisted and was able to maintain the library, books, and maintenance of the library for quite some time. However, by 1923, the Ladies Library Association was unable to continue to sustain the library and requested city funds, which the city took on gradually. It was not until the 1960s when the subscription fees were finally eliminated and the county and city assumed total responsibility for its maintenance and collection development. Today, the Walton-DeFuniak Library remains in use just as it did when it opened in 1887.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 5,089 people, 2,105 households, and 1,324 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,464 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 71.78%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 22.99%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.00% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.81% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.83% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 3.30% of the population. There were 2,105 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $24,516, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $24,219 versus $19,255 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $13,298. About 18.2% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

Image:DeFuniakCaboose.jpg, A caboose outside the old L&N railroad depot, now the Walton County Heritage Museum Image:ChatauquaBuilding.jpg, The

is the centerpiece of Circle Drive. Image:DeFuniakHouse1.JPG, This home, built in the 1980s after the historic house on site burned, is in keeping with the older historic homes surrounding Lake DeFuniak. Image:Lake_DeFuniak_Sunset.JPG, Winter sunset on Lake DeFuniak, located in downtown DeFuniak Springs Image:DeFuniak Springs Hist Dist Lake01.jpg,

in the daytime, from behind the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood Image:DeFuniak Springs Hist Dist CD0003a.jpg, The Walton-DeFuniak Library. Built in 1886–1887, it is the oldest structure in Florida built as a library and still serving as one. Image:DeFuniak Springs Sun Bright02.jpg, Sun Bright, the home of

Sidney Johnston Catts Sidney Johnston Catts (July 31, 1863 – March 9, 1936) was an American politician and anti-Catholic activist who served as the governor of Florida as a member of the Prohibition Party. After leaving office he became involved in criminal proced ...

, Florida's 22nd governor Image:DeFuniak Springs Hist Dist CD0650e-.jpg, One of the historic homes in the city's

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from cer ...

Notable people

Buck Showalter William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III (born May 23, 1956) is an American professional baseball manager for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he served as manager of the New York Yankees (1992–1995), Arizona Diam ...

, (b 1956) is a professional baseball manager for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major lea ...

. *

Kyrsten Sinema Kyrsten Lea Sinema (; born July 12, 1976) is an American politician and former social worker serving as the senior United States senator from Arizona since January 2019. A former member of the Democratic Party, Sinema became an independent i ...

, (b 1976) is a politician serving as the senior United States senator from

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

References

External links

''DeFuniak Herald''
newspaper that serves DeFuniak Springs, Florida is available in full-text with images i
Florida Digital Newspaper Library
{{authority control County seats in Florida Cities in Walton County, Florida Cities in Florida 1880s establishments in Florida Populated places established in the 1880s