Page 85 - Panama City Living Magazine

ART AND CULTURE A BOOKISH DESTINATIONA BOOKISH DESTINATIONBy Laura Roesch Photography by Bonnie BrantAn hour’s drive northwest of Panama City a small picturesque wooden building is home to the library of Walton-DeFuniak Springs.Opened in 1887, it is the oldest library in Florida that is still serving continuously as such. Among the requisite book col- lections, a quirky assortment of antiques and weapons–some of which are rumored to be of medieval origin–can be seen on the walls. Poised on the shores of spring-fed Lake DeFuniak in the town’s historic district, the library’s construction followed the rst Chautauqua Assembly, an adult education movement popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.DeFuniak Springs, Floridawww.PanamaCityLiving.com • March - April 2018 • 85