The Chautauqua Movement
 From
1885 to 1920, the Florida Chautauqua and the city of DeFuniak
Springs grew and developed together, providing warmth and
culture for the northerners while offering educational opportunities
for Floridians. DeFuniak Springs sits in the Florida Panhandle
on the shores of Lake DeFuniak, a clear, nearly round spring-fed
lake about one mile in circumference. This was the place chosen
for a winter Chautauqua in 1884 by a party of scouts from
the Chautauqua Institution in New York.
The "Winter Assembly in the Land of Summer"
The annual 4-week February event was expanded
to 9 weeks by 1906. Its season of lectures, classes, and performances
was based on the model of the New York Assembly and became
known as the "Winter Assembly in the Land of Summer."
Its buildings included a hotel, amphitheater, college building,
residences, and auditorium. A picket fence went all the way
around the lake, encompassing not only the lake but also the
Chautauqua Assembly and buildings located along the shores.
The Hall of Brotherhood
The only remaining original Chautauqua building is a domed
auditorium whose rooms offer expansive views of the lake.
In fact, Lake DeFuniak serves as a background for the entire
Assembly as participants make their way from class to class,
strolling around the lake or feeding the ducks. Others tour
the Victorian lakefront homes that had been built for some
early Chautauqua residents. The original 1885 "Winter
Chautauqua" is ever present in its contemporary version,
both in the picturesque lakeside setting and in the varied
cultural and educational programs.
--Historical information from "The Florida Chautauqua"
by Dean DeBolt, 1985
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