Dear Friends of the Walton County Heritage Museum,

October was a busy month! On October 6, we had the organizational meeting of the Walton County Genealogy Society and, later in the month, the Board of Trustees of the Walton County Heritage Association voted to make the Genealogy Society a part of the Association, just as the Museum is a part of the Association. Our Second Saturday Show & Tell program on October 13 featured Chris Meyer, who spoke about HO-Scale Model Railroading. The people attending that program also decided they would like to form a club, so they will meet monthly at the Museum while looking for a place to work on their layout.

Dr. Patricia Clements, the founder of the Florida Gubernatorial Textile Collection in Tallahassee, visited DeFuniak Springs on October 18 and gave an excellent presentation at the quarterly meeting of the Walton County Heritage Association. While here, she visited the Catts house and examined Mrs. Catts’ inaugural gown that is on display at the Museum. We now have Dr. Clements' book, A Legacy of Leadership: Florida Governors and Their Inaugural Speeches, on sale in our gift shop.

On Saturday, November 17, Dr. Brian Rucker of the University of West Florida is bringing his "History of the Florida Panhandle" class to tour the Museum and, weather permitting, go on a walking tour of the Historic District. We are always pleased to accommodate tour groups, so please keep us in mind for your club or organization.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, November 3: Marilyn Louwerens and I will host a table at the Baker Block Museum’s Heritage Day, representing the Walton County Heritage Association and Museum. At 10:00 that morning, the Walton County Genealogy Society will meet at the Baker Block Museum for a tour of their outstanding genealogy library. All are welcome to join us and enjoy the festivities at Baker. They will have food, crafts, and live music all day.

Tuesday, November 6, 7:00 P.M.: First meeting of the HO-Scale Model Railroading Club at the Museum. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

Saturday, November 10, 2:00-3:00 P.M.: Second Saturday Show & Tell - Ron Kelley, editor of The DeFuniak Springs Herald, will talk about the history of the newspaper, the oldest business in Walton County, and show some front pages of the paper from years ago. You are invited to bring old newspapers from your collection to share with others or just come and enjoy Ron’s presentation.

Projects in Progress:

Depot Walkway - Honor your family and friends for years to come with the placement of their names on stepping stones. Each stone is 12-inches square and may be engraved with up to 4 lines of 12 letters each for a $100 donation to the Museum.

DeFuniak Springs - A book of our history in photographs is being written, but we still very much need photographs showing the people, places, and events of the greater DeFuniak Springs area. All contributors will be given credits for their photographs. We will make digital scans of the photographs so you do not have to let them out of your possession. We can come to your home or office with a laptop and scanner, or you can bring the photographs to the Museum for scanning.

Delicious DeFuniak Springs - We are also working on a cookbook as a companion to the photographs book. We very much need recipes that have been used in the kitchens of the greater DeFuniak Springs area. All contributors will be given credits for their recipes.

I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving, and I hope to see you at the Museum soon!

Diane

Diane Merkel
Chair, Board of Trustees
Walton County Heritage Museum