Walton-DeFuniak Library is a historic
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
located at 3 Circle Drive, in
DeFuniak Springs,
Walton County, Florida
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 c ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. 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 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 o ...
. 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.
In 1989, the library was listed in ''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', published by the University of Florida Press.[''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 9, ]
There are over 25, 000 volumes available at the Walton-DeFuniak Library.
History
After 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 ...
association had their first session in DeFuniak Springs, locals realized there was a need for library resources to support it.[ The creation of a library in the area would further contribute to the movement towards cultural and intellectual progress.]