Birth of a City

By the summer of 1901, leaders of the community of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, had decided that it would be advantageous to incorporate the community into a town. Accordingly, due notices to the electors were printed in The Breeze, calling for a public meeting on July 30th, 1901, to decide whether… Continue reading

National Forest Headquarters

This item appeared in the Bradford County Telegraph (Starke, Florida) on September 30, 1910: The headquarters of the [Choctawhatchee] and Ocala National Forest will be moved from DeFuniak Springs to Pensacola and the supervisor in charge of these forests is making preparations to [transfer] the office. This will be done… Continue reading

Funding for Waterworks, Sewerage, and a Public School Building

The following is from Acts and Resolutions Adopted by the Legislature of Florida at Its Eleventh Regular Session (April 2 to May 31, 1907) Under the Constitution of A.D. 1885. The Walton County representative was J. F. Richbourg of Laurel Hill. [Contributed by Robert Daniel]

Hearing to Fund the Courthouse in DeFuniak Springs

From Hearings Before a Special Subcommittee of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, House of Representatives, on Bills for Public Buildings at [among other places] De Funiak Springs, Fla. (Statement of Mr. Kehoe), February 5 , 1919, Washington, D.C., page 50-52. According to the Preface of this volume of… Continue reading

State Senator Johnnie Wright

From “Today in Florida History” on Jacksonville.com, a blog of The Florida Times-Union: Nov. 2nd, 1948 Johnnie Wright of DeFuniak Springs was elected to the Florida State Sentate on this date. Wright, age 23 years and 7 months, was one of two members of the Senate at this young age…. Continue reading