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...

Anna's Stories - By Brenda Rees - Shaping Florida
Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon enjoyed Grayton Beach with her family and friends. Here is the second blog by Brenda Rees - Shaping Florida about her stories and picture collection. Many of the pictures in this particular blog are from 1940-1970. Her son, Sonny Hollingsworth, spent many summers with his Uncle Tuff and Aunt Alline at "The Smith" house. Anna owned lots south of The Smith House. Sonny said there were several "Indian girl graves" on the lots. The lots were sold and he doesn't know what became of the "Indian girl graves." Sonny and my mother recently found a number of pictures and documents in their attic. (c) Brenda Rees All Rights Reserved See "Anna" An Early Walton County Boat for background. Be sure to log on to see pictures!


The Smith House at Grayton Beach in the 1940s. Sonny Hollingsworth, the son of Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon, said his mother owned the lots south of the Smith House. He remembers two Indian girl graves on the lots. What happened to the two Indian girls after Anna sold her lots is unknown.

More pictures to follow.


Anna's beach...

"Anna's Stories" will take years to tell. We'll start easy. I'll tell you about a boat named for Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon and built in DeFuniak Springs around 1910. Pictures scanned from originals from the Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon/Sonny Hollingsworth collection will also be included. Brenda Rees, Shaping Florida (c) All Rights Reserved (LOG ON TO SEE ALL PICTURES!)


The "Anna" was named for Anna Durinda Brown Smith and Anna Smith, the wife and great-niece of L.I. Smith. Connections to Grayton Beach, Camp Walton, DeFuniak Springs, etc. The back of this picture says "WINNER OF FIRST HANDICAP July 4, 1920 Equipped with 20 h.p. 11 STANDARD MOTION Length 32'6" Breadth 8'8" DRT. 3' Speed 22 KAH. signed by
Anna Reardon

Anna Smith Hollingsworth Reardon's papers are vast and many were given by her only son Ernest L. (Sonny) Hollingsworth of DeFuniak Springs, Florida, to the John C. Pace Library at University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida. Anna Reardon wrote for the DeFuniak Springs Herald - Beach Breeze. Sonny spent many childhood days on the beach at Grayton at the "Smith" house. His father had died in a tragic dairy accident when he was a young child.

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Pictures from my walk in May, 2009 of the Eastern Lake / Cassine Trail in South Walton of Walton County, Florida, leading to the old historic Eastern Lake Bridge and a bygone road to the beach. This is the bridge and road Bob Swinford talks about in my "Moon-dreaming" blog. This walk probably rates in the top 10 things I've done in my life. Beautiful day, beautiful scenery. The environment and scenery was very much like it was many years ago when Bob and Mickey were "Moon-dreaming." A bonus was my childhood Eastern Lake beach area girlfriend from Atlanta was in SoWal and we took this walk together. She is a birding and plant aficionado and added so much to the journey. We used to ride her horses around Eastern Lake beach.

I'll add pictures in the order taken on our walk. Additional commentary will also be added later.


We started our tour at the trail that begins on Scenic 30A across the street from the Eastern Lake Nursery. There are a few other trails that will get you to the Old Historic Eastern Lake Bridge, but this is quick and easy.


You will be walking through a Florida...

Many people have enjoyed my blog "Moon-dreaming" about Bob Swinford's story of his first South Walton date with Mickey Wesley in 1938. Here's some of my pictures from 2003, 2004 and 2005 of the Wesley House and Eden State Gardens in Pt. Washington, Florida. The Wesley House has changed somewhat since Bob and Mickey spent the last part of their honeymoon on its enchanting grounds . However, Eden State Gardens and the Wesley House personify the beauty and historical significance of South Walton and Walton County. The Wesley's also have significant historical ties to the beaches in South Walton. I remember my dad, with family in Alaqua and DeFuniak, telling me how he spent many nights as a boy at the Wesley House and the beach.

The pictures include a Christmas portrait of the Wesley House in 2003, the Christmas Open House 2004, the Friends of Eden reception for the new pavilion in 2004, and the Friends of Eden reception for the Walton County Chamber of Commerce in 2005. Read more about the Wesley House and South Walton in my other blogs. All pictures (c) by Brenda Rees





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