Located near the highest point in the state of Florida, DeFuniak Springs is built around a distinctively circular spring-fed lake. Colonel William D. Chipley chose the location for the town after coming upon its pristine waters while on a railroad survey in the early 1880s. Named after Colonel Frederick DeFuniak, president of the Florida and Atlantic Railroad, the town attracted the attention of the Chautauqua, a prominent late-nineteenth century cultural movement centered on Lake Chautauqua, New York.

What began as an effort to educate Sunday school teachers in western New York became a nation-wide phenomenon that featured programs in the arts, science, literature, and history, as well as theology. With the opening of the First Assembly of the Florida Chautauqua in 1885, DeFuniak Springs became a center of culture and education. Within two years, the State Normal School opened in DeFuniak Springs. The Normal School, which trained Florida school teachers, relocated to Tallahassee in 1904 and served as a part of the foundation for what would become Florida State University. By the mid 1920's, the Chautauqua movement had faded, but the charms of DeFuniak Springs have not.

The city, with its many historic buildings and museums, remains a center of history and culture in Northwest Florida. The historic Louisville and Nashville railroad terminal is home to the Walton County Heritage Museum. The Walton-DeFuniak Public Library, opened in 1887, is considered the oldest continually operating public library in the state of Florida. The library exhibits an extensive antique weapon and armor collection gathered by Kenneth Bruce, the son of Wallace Bruce, U.S. ambassador to Scotland, popular speaker on the national Chautauqua circuit, and president of the Florida Chautauqua.

Wallace Bruce's legacy is preserved for all to see in the Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood auditorium. Built on the shores of Lake DeFuniak, the auditorium is a very visible reminder of the town's rich historical, cultural, and educational legacy. Visitors can embrace that legacy each February, when DeFuniak Springs hosts the "Winter Assembly" of the Chautauqua.

This podcast made possible through a grant from the Florida Humanities Council. Script written by Paul Zielinski. Narrated by Dave Dunwoody.