Anna's Stories -- Camp Walton and Mary Esther -- Brenda Rees -- Shaping Florida
Posted 06-01-2009 at 06:26 PM by Brenda Rees
Updated 11-06-2009 at 08:58 AM by Brenda Rees (Gulfview 2009, Ft. Walton Beach, Emerald Coast Junior League, Capt. Fritz, Gulfview Hotel. Maxwell car. Note review all blogs about Florida and Walton County.)
Updated 11-06-2009 at 08:58 AM by Brenda Rees (Gulfview 2009, Ft. Walton Beach, Emerald Coast Junior League, Capt. Fritz, Gulfview Hotel. Maxwell car. Note review all blogs about Florida and Walton County.)
Tags camp walton, florida history, mary esther, resort, wiscasett
Anna’s Stories – Camp Walton – Mary Esther --Smith's Resorts -- Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida
© Brenda Rees All Rights Reserved
Transcript from handwritten paper by Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon (33 pages)
Anna's story reveals details about Ft. Walton Beach that many don't know or have forgotten. What a wonderful beach camp on the sound. Many of these pictures and notes are not included in other publications.
The Smiths were certainly early resort pioneers in this resort driven beach community.
As a historic and well known resort area on the Emerald Coast, more exposure to Ft. Walton Beach's past is important. Its beautiful and strategic location attracted early natives, explorers, the best entrepreneurs and daring individuals. The high elevation of this area protected early native peoples and provided strategic harbors and sites for the military over many years. The beautiful dunes and sand satisfied a sophisticated and demanding beach crowd. Boating and fishing were long part of Ft. Walton Beach's legacy and livelihood.
Picture, the "Sewing Circle" from Anna Smith's Album. Friends and Family in the Gulf in 1913. They had a resort home at Camp Walton and traveled there by their boat "The Anna." All historic photographs from the Anna Smith - Sonny Hollingsworth collection. (c) All Rights Reserved
Anna Smith wrote about the Smith and Thornber families' adventures in Walton County and at the beaches along the Emerald Coast in Northwest Florida. I'll post some pictures from the selection Anna left for her son, Sonny Hollingsworth. Some are just incredible. One shows Tuff Smith, who many know from "The Smith House" in Grayton Beach, with one of his early fish catches at Camp Walton. Another shows a group of "The Sewing Circle" ladies in 1913 bathing suit dresses in the Gulf. Many of these pictures are premier presentations on this blog.
Enjoy this excerpt. To discover or review other unique facts and stories about Florida and Walton County, please see my other blogs. Brenda Rees -- Shaping Florida
(Remember to Log In to See Pictures.)
Typed by Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida 5-28-2009
From Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon's papers left with her son, Sonny Hollingsworth, and shared with me.
(Sonny is married to my mother, Gloria.)
Notes from Anna that follow were handwritten by her in 1978, so keep that in mind. Detailed in black with page #.
“Lewis Irvin Smith (1845-1932)
Anna Durinda Brown Smith (1843-1929)
As recalled by Anna Smith Reardon
DeFuniak Springs, Fla.
9-10-78
…page 15 ...Uncle and Auntie soon bought and found a summer home near the Gulf of Mexico. It was (and still is) in Camp Walton (now Fort Walton Beach,) facing the sound and just west of the Sheraton Marina Inn. They spent their summers there for several years. Uncle bought a
The summer home of Mr. and Mrs. L.I. Smith at Camp Walton. L.I. and Anna Smith are checked. Picture from the collection of L.I.'s great niece, Anna Smith, and her son, Ernest L. Hollingsworth.
Postcard "The Anna" 1910 Probably at Camp Walton resort where the Smiths enjoyed the summer or Freeport. The Smith-Thornber families often traveled to Camp Walton from their DeFuniak homes on their boat "The Anna." It was named for L.I. Smith's niece, Anna Smith and his wife, Anna Durinda Smith.
Page 16 nice cabin cruiser, or launch, and named it the “Anna.” He built a boat house near the front of his house, he never learned to operate the boat, but persuaded his friends, Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Buck, to move from DeFuniak Springs to Camp Walton. Mr. Buck bought or built a water front home nearby, for his family, which included a son, Ralph and a daughter Mabel (now Mrs. Mabel Buchanan who still lives in Ft. Walton Beach.) Mr. Buck built a general store over the water, to the west of the boat house. He dispensed gasoline to boats, sold all kinds of merchandise, and for many years was the village post master, with the post office in one corner of the store. On the days Uncle and Auntie chose to take a boat ride, Mr. Buck was the pilot and engineer. One favorite trip
Mr. Buck mailed this postcard to his daughter Mabel in 1908 from Camp Walton. I'll post the back and his notes sometime. Mr. Buck was the skipper of "The Anna" for L.I. Smith, Anna's great uncle. Mr. Buck had been to the Chautauqua up in DeFuniak Springs. This post card might have been purchased at Chautauqua and then mailed from Camp Walton.
Page 17 was to Camp Pinchot to visit Mr. and Mrs. I.F. Eldridge (Mr. Eldridge was the National Forester.) Another was to the Elce Studios, where a brother and two sisters painted in oils, had hand painted china for sale, as well as hand carved wooden articles. On most trips, Uncle bought hand painted china for Auntie and for friends. He commissioned one of the artists to paint two oil paintings. I have one.
I’m fairly sure that Uncle had a financial interest in the “Brooks House,” one of the earliest hotels in Camp Walton. I recall it as an unpainted two-story frame building. My family often visited Uncle and Auntie at Camp Walton, and we took meals at the “Brooks House” occasionally. A recent history of the area calls this the “Brooks Hotel” but I don’t
Page 18 recall ever hearing it called by that name. It was located about where the Sheraton Marina Inn is now.
The Smith Children, Anna and Billie, resting on the roots of a giant pine tree in front of the "Gulfview." Their brother, Tuff, was probably fishing. You can see the sign on the balcony. Their great uncle L.I. Smith had bought the hotel and the house next door. This picture and others from the collection of Anna Smith and her son, Sonny Hollingsworth. I drove over to Ft. Walton Beach the other day and was pleased to see the "Gulfview" was still there and in good hands of the Emerald Coast Junior League.
Uncle was not entirely satisfied with the location of his house, so soon disposed of it and bought the “Gulfview Hotel” and the house just west of it. I don’t recall who ran the hotel at that time, or whether it was being operated. I do remember that Uncle L.I. entered into an agreement with the Staff and Gerlach families, whereby they came from Indiana to operate the hotel. Uncle and Auntie spent their summers in the cottage next door and took their meals at the hotel. One summer, I remember that my parents and I, with my sister and brother, Kenneth, stayed for two weeks at the hotel. Other summers we stayed at the cottage and took our meals at the
Kenneth "Tuff" Smith, Anna's brother, with his flounder in 1913 at Camp Walton. Tuff became well known for his fishing prowess at Grayton Beach. Tuff lived with his parents Mr. and Mrs. P.W. Smith, brothers, sisters and other family members at the Smith Dairy in DeFuniak Springs, Walton County, FL.
Bathing at "The Shallows" near Camp Walton about 1913.
Page 19 hotel. Uncle and Auntie were very hospitable, one summer, the vacation group included a friend of the family, Miss Steptoe Campbell of King William, Va. My older brothers took their vacations with Uncle and Auntie, as well as many others.
When we were there, Papa would row us to a swimming spot west of Camp Walton, called “the shallows.” This was usually before breakfast. Also, at least once a day we went by row boat or launch to Santa Rosa Island where we walked across and bathed in the gulf. The island was entirely uninhabited and without litter of any kind.
Emerald Coast Dunes on Postcard in Anna Smith's collection. Probably around 1910 and near Camp Walton and Santa Rosa Island. The Emerald Coast, from Cola to Cola (Pensacola to Appalachicola), has beautiful dunes, beach and gulf waters along with significant Florida history.
I remember the day the Staffs and Gerlachs arrived from Indiana on one of the passenger boats that traveled from Pensacola to Freeport. After that, we enjoyed
This picture was in album near other Camp Walton pictures and is probably Anna and her sister Billie in the row boat that they took from Camp Walton across the Santa Rosa Sound to Santa Rosa Island. There was no "Okaloosa Island" as there was no Okaloosa County until 1915 when it was founded, half out of Walton County and half out of Santa Rosa County. Walton County is one of the oldest counties in Florida, founded December 29, 1824.
Page 20 bountiful meals of good German cooking. Miss Agnes Gerlach often made twenty pies in the morning. She did most of the baking, but I believe Mrs. Staff, her sister, made the bread. Miss Frances Gerlach ran a store built over the water. Mr. Staff had a fine garden, fished, and raised pigs and cows, thus providing most of the food for the hotel. They were a musical family, and often joined the guests in singing and playing musical instruments at night.
In the early years, travel to Camp Walton was by boat from Freeport. Sometimes we came home by way of Pensacola, traveling by train for the last lap. I can recall trips on the “Captain Fritz,” a stern wheeler, the “Charles E. Cessna,” a side wheeler, the “Eugene,” a double deck gasoline
Capt. Fritz at Camp Walton (Ft. Walton) Pavillion. From the collection of Anna Smith and Sonny Hollingsworth.
Postcard to Billy from Uncle. Text on back to follow. The Florida trying to pull Swan.
Postcard Anna Smith had of Shipley's Hotel (noted on back). The Cedars.
Page 21 powered boat, and possibly others. The “Ruth” was the mail launch for many years, and took passengers, but it was small, so we never traveled on it.
Within a few years the Staffs and Gerlachs had bought the hotel. Meanwhile, Uncle had loaned money to Mr. Charles Shipley, who ran “The Cedars,” a hotel at Mary Esther, a few miles west of Camp Walton. Uncle and Auntie had wearied of the summer crowds at Camp Walton, so built their final vacation home on Santa Rosa Sound at Mary Esther. When we visited there, we usually had our meals at “The Cedars,” and sometimes they were prepared in a small house in the yard by a cook. Auntie didn’t like the odor of cooking food in the house, so the completely equipped kitchen was
The Smith Resort Home at Mary Esther. What a nice beach home this family of note from DeFuniak Springs owned.
Page 22 seldom, if ever used. The house had a basement and a furnace, two bath rooms and two large, wide porches.
All these years, Uncle and Auntie returned to their “Wiscasset” home in DeFuniak Springs for the winter months. When the roads became passable, one of my brothers or my grandfather would furnish transportation for them back and forth to Mary Esther. Uncle and Grand-dad bought at least two cars together (a Maxwell and a Dodge), but Uncle never learned to drive. (I recall that I was terribly embarrassed because much of Uncle and Auntie’s luggage was wrapped in newspaper and tied with string, though they owned elegant leather luggage.) ... End of this typed excerpt from Anna Smith's papers. Please enjoy additional pictures.
The "Maxwell" car used to transport the Smith family. Billie is in the back seat and Lewis in front. The Maxwell, according to Anna, was used to transport the family from their DeFuniak Springs homes down to meet their boat transportation to Camp Walton and Mary Esther.
Miss Nell, Anna and her sister, Billie among the "Wild Oats" on Santa Rosa Island across from their Camp Walton beach home.
Postcard Mr. Buck, skipper of "The Anna" for the Smith family and Camp Walton resident, sent to his son, Ralph, in 1908. Mr. Buck's text on back talks about taking train to Glendale and Chautauqua.
(This picture temporarily removed to make room for other pictures)
Another picture of Mr. and Mrs. L.I. Smith and their summer resort home at Mary Esther. Anna wrote "Uncle and Auntie at Mary Esther" on back of picture.
Postcard from Anna in 1912. Be sure to note the Camp Walton postmark.
Camp Walton postcard 1910.
Mr. Lewis Irving Smith (Known as L. I. Smith) was a distinguished gentleman of Walton County and Northwest Florida. His great niece was Anna Smith. L.I. raised Anna's father, P.W. Smith due to his parent's early death. L.I. had businesses and homes in DeFuniak Springs, Camp Walton and Mary Esther. His family established in Walton County and had homes along the beaches of South Walton. More information about L. I. Smith will be posted on future blogs.
The Smith and Thornber families had moved permanently to Walton County from South Dakota in 1903. L.I. and his nephew P.W. Smith had visited Grayton Beach in 1899. They also attended Chautauqua in DeFuniak Springs and wintered at the DeFuniak Springs winter resort in 1900-01, 1901-02 and 1902-03. The beauty, business, culture and climate attracted them to the area. Today, the Smith family is important to the local history story.
View from the water of Camp Walton in 1912, from Anna Smith / Sonny Hollingsworth collection. The "Anna" used to transport the Smith's from DeFuniak to Camp Walton is docked and you can also see the building built out over the water.
Ernest L. (Sonny) Hollingsworth on Santa Rosa Island near Camp Walton with the Smith Family around 1932. Anna's sister, Billie, and her husband owned a laundry. They sold it to the Nelsons (Bets Haynes parents). The Haynes's children live in Grayton Beach and South Walton. See Anna's Stories -- Back to School.
"Wiscasett" home at Smith Dairy in DeFuniak Springs. Wiscasett was home to a number of the Smith family. L.I. Smith and his wife, Anna, would come here when they were not at their resort homes in Camp Walton or Mary Esther. L.I. Smith also owned a home on the fashionable and now historic Circle Drive in DeFuniak Springs. (Photograph by Brenda Rees - (c) 2009)(Picture temporarily removed due to space allotments.)
The Gulfview in 2009. I was so pleased to visit this with my friend in Ft. Walton Beach. The Emerald Coast Junior League is to be commended for restoring and preserving this historical building. You can see this building when you visit Ft. Walton Beach. It is located near the current Ft. Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Building. Staff's restaurant is also nearby on Highway 98. L.I. Smith once owned this building and was instrumental in the Staff and Gerlach families coming to Florida and the Emerald Coast. (see Anna's remarks above)
End of this installation of Anna’s Stories – Camp Walton – Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida
See the other blogs by Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida to learn about the Real History of the Real Florida. You might be particularly interested in seeing the blog about graves of the Walton family. Ft. Walton was named for George Walton Jr., the namesake of Walton County, Florida. Walton County was founded December 29, 1824. George Walton Jr. was Secretary for West Florida under Governor Andrew Jackson in 1821. Walton was named Acting Governor when Jackson left Florida and returned to Tennessee. After Duval finally showed up in Florida to become Governor, Walton became Secretary of the Territory of Florida and remained in that position until 1826. George Walton's father, George Walton, was a signer of The Declaration of Independence. George Walton, Jr.'s daughter, Octavia Walton Le Vert was a Belle of the Nation and world renown. See more about her in other blogs by Brenda Rees -- Shaping Florida.
© Brenda Rees All Rights Reserved
Transcript from handwritten paper by Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon (33 pages)
Anna's story reveals details about Ft. Walton Beach that many don't know or have forgotten. What a wonderful beach camp on the sound. Many of these pictures and notes are not included in other publications.
The Smiths were certainly early resort pioneers in this resort driven beach community.
As a historic and well known resort area on the Emerald Coast, more exposure to Ft. Walton Beach's past is important. Its beautiful and strategic location attracted early natives, explorers, the best entrepreneurs and daring individuals. The high elevation of this area protected early native peoples and provided strategic harbors and sites for the military over many years. The beautiful dunes and sand satisfied a sophisticated and demanding beach crowd. Boating and fishing were long part of Ft. Walton Beach's legacy and livelihood.
Picture, the "Sewing Circle" from Anna Smith's Album. Friends and Family in the Gulf in 1913. They had a resort home at Camp Walton and traveled there by their boat "The Anna." All historic photographs from the Anna Smith - Sonny Hollingsworth collection. (c) All Rights Reserved
Anna Smith wrote about the Smith and Thornber families' adventures in Walton County and at the beaches along the Emerald Coast in Northwest Florida. I'll post some pictures from the selection Anna left for her son, Sonny Hollingsworth. Some are just incredible. One shows Tuff Smith, who many know from "The Smith House" in Grayton Beach, with one of his early fish catches at Camp Walton. Another shows a group of "The Sewing Circle" ladies in 1913 bathing suit dresses in the Gulf. Many of these pictures are premier presentations on this blog.
Enjoy this excerpt. To discover or review other unique facts and stories about Florida and Walton County, please see my other blogs. Brenda Rees -- Shaping Florida
(Remember to Log In to See Pictures.)
Typed by Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida 5-28-2009
From Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon's papers left with her son, Sonny Hollingsworth, and shared with me.
(Sonny is married to my mother, Gloria.)
Notes from Anna that follow were handwritten by her in 1978, so keep that in mind. Detailed in black with page #.
“Lewis Irvin Smith (1845-1932)
Anna Durinda Brown Smith (1843-1929)
As recalled by Anna Smith Reardon
DeFuniak Springs, Fla.
9-10-78
…page 15 ...Uncle and Auntie soon bought and found a summer home near the Gulf of Mexico. It was (and still is) in Camp Walton (now Fort Walton Beach,) facing the sound and just west of the Sheraton Marina Inn. They spent their summers there for several years. Uncle bought a
The summer home of Mr. and Mrs. L.I. Smith at Camp Walton. L.I. and Anna Smith are checked. Picture from the collection of L.I.'s great niece, Anna Smith, and her son, Ernest L. Hollingsworth.
Postcard "The Anna" 1910 Probably at Camp Walton resort where the Smiths enjoyed the summer or Freeport. The Smith-Thornber families often traveled to Camp Walton from their DeFuniak homes on their boat "The Anna." It was named for L.I. Smith's niece, Anna Smith and his wife, Anna Durinda Smith.
Page 16 nice cabin cruiser, or launch, and named it the “Anna.” He built a boat house near the front of his house, he never learned to operate the boat, but persuaded his friends, Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Buck, to move from DeFuniak Springs to Camp Walton. Mr. Buck bought or built a water front home nearby, for his family, which included a son, Ralph and a daughter Mabel (now Mrs. Mabel Buchanan who still lives in Ft. Walton Beach.) Mr. Buck built a general store over the water, to the west of the boat house. He dispensed gasoline to boats, sold all kinds of merchandise, and for many years was the village post master, with the post office in one corner of the store. On the days Uncle and Auntie chose to take a boat ride, Mr. Buck was the pilot and engineer. One favorite trip
Mr. Buck mailed this postcard to his daughter Mabel in 1908 from Camp Walton. I'll post the back and his notes sometime. Mr. Buck was the skipper of "The Anna" for L.I. Smith, Anna's great uncle. Mr. Buck had been to the Chautauqua up in DeFuniak Springs. This post card might have been purchased at Chautauqua and then mailed from Camp Walton.
Page 17 was to Camp Pinchot to visit Mr. and Mrs. I.F. Eldridge (Mr. Eldridge was the National Forester.) Another was to the Elce Studios, where a brother and two sisters painted in oils, had hand painted china for sale, as well as hand carved wooden articles. On most trips, Uncle bought hand painted china for Auntie and for friends. He commissioned one of the artists to paint two oil paintings. I have one.
I’m fairly sure that Uncle had a financial interest in the “Brooks House,” one of the earliest hotels in Camp Walton. I recall it as an unpainted two-story frame building. My family often visited Uncle and Auntie at Camp Walton, and we took meals at the “Brooks House” occasionally. A recent history of the area calls this the “Brooks Hotel” but I don’t
Page 18 recall ever hearing it called by that name. It was located about where the Sheraton Marina Inn is now.
The Smith Children, Anna and Billie, resting on the roots of a giant pine tree in front of the "Gulfview." Their brother, Tuff, was probably fishing. You can see the sign on the balcony. Their great uncle L.I. Smith had bought the hotel and the house next door. This picture and others from the collection of Anna Smith and her son, Sonny Hollingsworth. I drove over to Ft. Walton Beach the other day and was pleased to see the "Gulfview" was still there and in good hands of the Emerald Coast Junior League.
Uncle was not entirely satisfied with the location of his house, so soon disposed of it and bought the “Gulfview Hotel” and the house just west of it. I don’t recall who ran the hotel at that time, or whether it was being operated. I do remember that Uncle L.I. entered into an agreement with the Staff and Gerlach families, whereby they came from Indiana to operate the hotel. Uncle and Auntie spent their summers in the cottage next door and took their meals at the hotel. One summer, I remember that my parents and I, with my sister and brother, Kenneth, stayed for two weeks at the hotel. Other summers we stayed at the cottage and took our meals at the
Kenneth "Tuff" Smith, Anna's brother, with his flounder in 1913 at Camp Walton. Tuff became well known for his fishing prowess at Grayton Beach. Tuff lived with his parents Mr. and Mrs. P.W. Smith, brothers, sisters and other family members at the Smith Dairy in DeFuniak Springs, Walton County, FL.
Bathing at "The Shallows" near Camp Walton about 1913.
Page 19 hotel. Uncle and Auntie were very hospitable, one summer, the vacation group included a friend of the family, Miss Steptoe Campbell of King William, Va. My older brothers took their vacations with Uncle and Auntie, as well as many others.
When we were there, Papa would row us to a swimming spot west of Camp Walton, called “the shallows.” This was usually before breakfast. Also, at least once a day we went by row boat or launch to Santa Rosa Island where we walked across and bathed in the gulf. The island was entirely uninhabited and without litter of any kind.
Emerald Coast Dunes on Postcard in Anna Smith's collection. Probably around 1910 and near Camp Walton and Santa Rosa Island. The Emerald Coast, from Cola to Cola (Pensacola to Appalachicola), has beautiful dunes, beach and gulf waters along with significant Florida history.
I remember the day the Staffs and Gerlachs arrived from Indiana on one of the passenger boats that traveled from Pensacola to Freeport. After that, we enjoyed
This picture was in album near other Camp Walton pictures and is probably Anna and her sister Billie in the row boat that they took from Camp Walton across the Santa Rosa Sound to Santa Rosa Island. There was no "Okaloosa Island" as there was no Okaloosa County until 1915 when it was founded, half out of Walton County and half out of Santa Rosa County. Walton County is one of the oldest counties in Florida, founded December 29, 1824.
Page 20 bountiful meals of good German cooking. Miss Agnes Gerlach often made twenty pies in the morning. She did most of the baking, but I believe Mrs. Staff, her sister, made the bread. Miss Frances Gerlach ran a store built over the water. Mr. Staff had a fine garden, fished, and raised pigs and cows, thus providing most of the food for the hotel. They were a musical family, and often joined the guests in singing and playing musical instruments at night.
In the early years, travel to Camp Walton was by boat from Freeport. Sometimes we came home by way of Pensacola, traveling by train for the last lap. I can recall trips on the “Captain Fritz,” a stern wheeler, the “Charles E. Cessna,” a side wheeler, the “Eugene,” a double deck gasoline
Capt. Fritz at Camp Walton (Ft. Walton) Pavillion. From the collection of Anna Smith and Sonny Hollingsworth.
Postcard to Billy from Uncle. Text on back to follow. The Florida trying to pull Swan.
Postcard Anna Smith had of Shipley's Hotel (noted on back). The Cedars.
Page 21 powered boat, and possibly others. The “Ruth” was the mail launch for many years, and took passengers, but it was small, so we never traveled on it.
Within a few years the Staffs and Gerlachs had bought the hotel. Meanwhile, Uncle had loaned money to Mr. Charles Shipley, who ran “The Cedars,” a hotel at Mary Esther, a few miles west of Camp Walton. Uncle and Auntie had wearied of the summer crowds at Camp Walton, so built their final vacation home on Santa Rosa Sound at Mary Esther. When we visited there, we usually had our meals at “The Cedars,” and sometimes they were prepared in a small house in the yard by a cook. Auntie didn’t like the odor of cooking food in the house, so the completely equipped kitchen was
The Smith Resort Home at Mary Esther. What a nice beach home this family of note from DeFuniak Springs owned.
Page 22 seldom, if ever used. The house had a basement and a furnace, two bath rooms and two large, wide porches.
All these years, Uncle and Auntie returned to their “Wiscasset” home in DeFuniak Springs for the winter months. When the roads became passable, one of my brothers or my grandfather would furnish transportation for them back and forth to Mary Esther. Uncle and Grand-dad bought at least two cars together (a Maxwell and a Dodge), but Uncle never learned to drive. (I recall that I was terribly embarrassed because much of Uncle and Auntie’s luggage was wrapped in newspaper and tied with string, though they owned elegant leather luggage.) ... End of this typed excerpt from Anna Smith's papers. Please enjoy additional pictures.
The "Maxwell" car used to transport the Smith family. Billie is in the back seat and Lewis in front. The Maxwell, according to Anna, was used to transport the family from their DeFuniak Springs homes down to meet their boat transportation to Camp Walton and Mary Esther.
Miss Nell, Anna and her sister, Billie among the "Wild Oats" on Santa Rosa Island across from their Camp Walton beach home.
Postcard Mr. Buck, skipper of "The Anna" for the Smith family and Camp Walton resident, sent to his son, Ralph, in 1908. Mr. Buck's text on back talks about taking train to Glendale and Chautauqua.
(This picture temporarily removed to make room for other pictures)
Another picture of Mr. and Mrs. L.I. Smith and their summer resort home at Mary Esther. Anna wrote "Uncle and Auntie at Mary Esther" on back of picture.
Postcard from Anna in 1912. Be sure to note the Camp Walton postmark.
Camp Walton postcard 1910.
Mr. Lewis Irving Smith (Known as L. I. Smith) was a distinguished gentleman of Walton County and Northwest Florida. His great niece was Anna Smith. L.I. raised Anna's father, P.W. Smith due to his parent's early death. L.I. had businesses and homes in DeFuniak Springs, Camp Walton and Mary Esther. His family established in Walton County and had homes along the beaches of South Walton. More information about L. I. Smith will be posted on future blogs.
The Smith and Thornber families had moved permanently to Walton County from South Dakota in 1903. L.I. and his nephew P.W. Smith had visited Grayton Beach in 1899. They also attended Chautauqua in DeFuniak Springs and wintered at the DeFuniak Springs winter resort in 1900-01, 1901-02 and 1902-03. The beauty, business, culture and climate attracted them to the area. Today, the Smith family is important to the local history story.
View from the water of Camp Walton in 1912, from Anna Smith / Sonny Hollingsworth collection. The "Anna" used to transport the Smith's from DeFuniak to Camp Walton is docked and you can also see the building built out over the water.
Ernest L. (Sonny) Hollingsworth on Santa Rosa Island near Camp Walton with the Smith Family around 1932. Anna's sister, Billie, and her husband owned a laundry. They sold it to the Nelsons (Bets Haynes parents). The Haynes's children live in Grayton Beach and South Walton. See Anna's Stories -- Back to School.
"Wiscasett" home at Smith Dairy in DeFuniak Springs. Wiscasett was home to a number of the Smith family. L.I. Smith and his wife, Anna, would come here when they were not at their resort homes in Camp Walton or Mary Esther. L.I. Smith also owned a home on the fashionable and now historic Circle Drive in DeFuniak Springs. (Photograph by Brenda Rees - (c) 2009)(Picture temporarily removed due to space allotments.)
The Gulfview in 2009. I was so pleased to visit this with my friend in Ft. Walton Beach. The Emerald Coast Junior League is to be commended for restoring and preserving this historical building. You can see this building when you visit Ft. Walton Beach. It is located near the current Ft. Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Building. Staff's restaurant is also nearby on Highway 98. L.I. Smith once owned this building and was instrumental in the Staff and Gerlach families coming to Florida and the Emerald Coast. (see Anna's remarks above)
End of this installation of Anna’s Stories – Camp Walton – Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida
See the other blogs by Brenda Rees – Shaping Florida to learn about the Real History of the Real Florida. You might be particularly interested in seeing the blog about graves of the Walton family. Ft. Walton was named for George Walton Jr., the namesake of Walton County, Florida. Walton County was founded December 29, 1824. George Walton Jr. was Secretary for West Florida under Governor Andrew Jackson in 1821. Walton was named Acting Governor when Jackson left Florida and returned to Tennessee. After Duval finally showed up in Florida to become Governor, Walton became Secretary of the Territory of Florida and remained in that position until 1826. George Walton's father, George Walton, was a signer of The Declaration of Independence. George Walton, Jr.'s daughter, Octavia Walton Le Vert was a Belle of the Nation and world renown. See more about her in other blogs by Brenda Rees -- Shaping Florida.
Total Comments 3
Comments
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Love it!!!Posted 06-01-2009 at 10:22 PM by DD
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Whoa....this is really interesting, because my house in Pt. Washington was moved from the sound behind Staff's restaurant. It was located directly on the sound, on a hill and down below is the house on (literally) the water. I bought the house in 1999 from the Garvey's when they build a bed and breakfast on the site. They told me my house had been in their family since it was built circa 1900.
One of the photo's (the one with the flounder) show's a one story house in the background that I believe is the house i live in now in PW.Posted 06-02-2009 at 07:05 AM by seagrovegirl
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Excellent job Brenda!Posted 06-02-2009 at 07:18 AM by kurt
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