The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-11-08
BY w. cHIPLEY JONES.


DeFuniak Springs is the best adver-
Stised town in West Florida. Pensacola.
not excepted. And the effect of this
+; publicity is manifest to the most casual
! observer upon every hand.
| There isn't a more beautiful; a better
! kept: a more wholesome, more delight
full community in Florida. And the
! towns citizenship of all classes make it
! perfectly plain to the stranger within its
gates. the effect Of the atmosphere of re-
finement; of culture: of wholesomeness
OF environment in which they live.
And yet, paradoxical as it may sound.
! the good people of DeFuniak do not
seem to appreciate. in the measure
/ which it occurs TO me they ought, the
actual value of what is theirs: nor do
they, as a community, appeal to me.
whose business It is to notice such
things more closely than the ordinary
observer. as fully approaching the value
OF the wonderful development possibili-
ties of the section Immediately sur
rounding their town.
But that's another story, or rather an
other angle to the main story of De-
Funiak which is to follow. and which
will be treated further along in the
story.
I started this out with the statement
that DeFuniak Springs is the best ad-
vertised town. Pensacola not excepted, in
West Florida; and I repeat the state
ment.
In this connection, however. DeFun-
lax has been peculiarly fortunate since
it was founded, approximately forty
years ago.
BUILT AROUND SPRING.
The entrancingIy beautiful sourceless
and apparently outletless, spring around
which the town has been built, was the
excuse Of it's founders for the towns
location where it is.
And the men who were the fathers Of
DeFuniak Springs, were men of vision,
men Of extraordinary foresight into the
future and from the beginning, the
town was extensively advertised. Then.
as the leading feature adopted for the
towns development, the Florida Chau-
tauqua-by the way, the first Chau-
tauqua assembly promoted in the South
was established there. This was in
1885, just three years after the town
was established, and for more than
thirty years an annual assembly was
held at DcFuniak Springs, usually open
ing in February, or March, and running
for sixty days.
Thousands on thousands Of dollars
were spent by the promoters Of this first
Southern Chautauqua. and Cor many
years after the Florida Chautauqua haC
become a community institution. other
thousands of dollars were spent in adj
vertising DcFunak as the seat of the
mother Chautauqua assembly of the
South, with the result that "DeFuniak
Springs was coined into a household
word in thousands of communities in
every state in the Union.
Several years ago, however. the Flor
ida Chautauqua, which has left an in
delible impress upon the members of
every household occupied by the older
residents Of DeFuniak. and which Is
principally responsible for the culture
and wholesoneness of the atmosphere Of
the town, died of hamilton. Nor has ii
been revived, though an imposing and
beautiful tabernacle-temple of learning,
would possibly best describe it-still
stands upon the shores of the spring
from whence the town takes its name
as a mute reminder, monument, If you
please, of the days which really first put
DeFuniak Springs on the map and kept
it there until a DeFuniak Springs citi-
zen-a DeFuniak- raised boy-assumed
the publicity responsibilities of DeFuniak
where the directors of the Florida Chau |
tauqua left off. And he has sustained
the role ever since.
A Real Builder.
I refer to Robert e. Lee McCasllill. a |
SON of one of the pioneers Of Walton |
county and DeFuniak Springs, and a |
Chip off the old block" as a builder