DeFuniak Landmarks

03/24/2025

UPDATE: Summit ticket holders are invited to bring their
children and grandchildren under the age of 18 to the Social Etiquette session for the Summit on the Circle on Sunday, April 6.

To learn more or buy tickets, visit

At the Summit, we will celebrate music, art and our shared history. Enjoy insightful discussions, live performances, delicious food (including a Southern pig roast), and a unique lakeside music stroll to end the weekend. This weekend is perfect for history buffs, music lovers and Florida locals look...

03/03/2025

Our Southern Stroll at the Summit on the Circle will include live music as well as live art demonstrations. Our artists include:

-Ann Denson Tucker (Portrait Artist)
-Nancy Hayes (Ceramic Artist)
-Jan Hannon (Pastel Artist)
-Allison Cox (Stained Glass Artist)

Purchase your tickets today at

At the Summit, we will celebrate music, art and our shared history. Enjoy insightful discussions, live performances, delicious food (including a Southern pig roast), and a unique lakeside music stroll to end the weekend. This weekend is perfect for history buffs, music lovers and Florida locals look...

02/24/2025

The UWF Historic Trust and Defuniak Landmarks are thrilled to announce the inaugural Summit on the Circle, a weekend-long event celebrating history, connection, conversation and Southern hospitality on the banks of beautiful Lake DeFuniak. Residents, visitors and attendees of all ages are invited to join the event occurring April 4-6, 2025, for a memorable experience filled with music, art, insightful discussions and delicious food.

The Summit on the Circle offers a diverse program perfect for history buffs, music lovers and Florida locals seeking a relaxing and enriching weekend. Attendees will enjoy live performances, including the Opera Cowgirls and Tim Jackson, engaging presentations from experts like Brent Hull, Chef Irv Miller and Yvonne LeBrun and delightful Southern fare, including a traditional pig roast.

To see a full itinerary and to purchase tickets, head to HistoricPensacola.org/Summit

02/03/2025

LOCAL AUTHOR, DIANE PICKETT, TO SIGN COPIES OF BOOK
"The TEA WASN'T ALWAYS SWEET" AT SUNDOG BOOKS

Diane Pickett, local author of the newly released book, "The Tea Wasn’t Always Sweet," will be signing copies and meeting with readers in Seaside at Sundog Books on February 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Pickett’s second book, “The Tea Wasn’t Always Sweet,” captivates lovers of Southern history as it chronicles the tortuous path of a fiery and vibrant woman and her kaleidoscope of colorful Southern characters on a march through decades of liberating change for women.

This event is a great opportunity for local residents to meet Pickett, learn more about her books, and purchase a signed copy.

Diane Pickett was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and has lived in the South all her life. This has enabled her to graphically construct the people and events portrayed in her novels and short stories. Her edgy, award-winning debut novel “Never Isn’t Long Enough,” captures almost a century of Southern history as she re-creates the lives of two intense characters and their chaotic journey through life.

Diane grew up in Northwest Florida and attended Florida State University after which she enjoyed a successful career as a medical executive. She has a strong interest in historic preservation and restoration and founded a non-profit organization devoted to those issues. All proceeds from the sale of her books will be dedicated to the DeFuniak Landmarks Fund at the UWF Historic Trust.

For more information about Diane Pickett, details about her books and upcoming events, or to learn about Defuniak Landmarks, email [email protected].

01/06/2025

Great article from Emerald Coast Magazine about Christmas in Defuniak Springs.

The historic small town of DeFuniak Springs does Christmas in spectacular fashion with a 10 million-light display at the town center's perfectly circular and picturesque lake.

12/16/2024

Christmas time in DeFuniak Springs is a festive time in our city.

We enjoyed the carolers from the University of West Florida as they performed on the front steps of Pickett Place this month.

11/29/2024

A Southern Perspective
By F. Diane Pickett
WHO’S YO MAMA. ARE YOU BAPTIST, AND CAN YOU COOK CORNBREAD?

These simple questions are the Southern equivalent of a google search and require an answer before any girl is launched into society. The most important of these queries is the first, because if you were born in the South prior to the 2lst century, your chances of being a Baptist were pretty well guaranteed. Besides, if you didn’t pledge up by the time you were 10, yo mama threatened a list of chores that would make purgatory seem a paradise. As to cornbread, a well- seasoned iron skillet was always a gift from Granny to any newborn girl- who was expected to be an expert in its use at a tender age. Now, we get down to the question of lineage. We don’t really care about your Daddy’s family unless it can be proven he is a direct descendant of Robert E. Lee. But yo Mama’s history is the key to society and it will be dissected for years at every tea, bridal shower, or church picnic for any newcomer to the community. The gossips will make a meal over the question of whether or not Mary Lou’s “people” really were the Randolph’s of Virginia or the Pinckney’s of Charleston and was her great granddaddy really a Ravenel? As to my last name, I will leave it up to you to discover whether or not a general was involved!

11/18/2024

A SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE
By F. Diane Pickett
WHEN DID UNDERWEAR BECOME OUTERWEAR?

I didn’t have to answer that question when I think about working my way through college in the meat packing department of Sears Roebuck, known to customers as “Foundations”. I could never get my head around that term as I watched portly women struggle to stuff themselves into bras and girdles meant for elves. Yes, women wore girdles- not a string of some silky fabric now referred to as a thong
whose only purpose seems to be to call attention to one’s buttocks. That’s interesting as some of them really don’t need the attention. I’ve seen bottoms the size of parachutes stretched over spandex body suits designed for midgets. Not a good look. String bikinis are another matter as females are encouraged to display all of their ASSets whether fluffy, floppy, or firm. The result is often laughable. My greatest
distress comes when dining out and confronted with sc****ly clad women featuring b***s I’m afraid will spill over into my soup. I need to concentrate on food, not an impending disaster that the rest of the flesh will escape before my dessert arrives. There are many beautiful women deserving of admiration. But try not to offend the rest of us who do not require your body parts be on full display. In this instance, less is NOT more. If it’s all offered up, then a woman’s greatest advantage- mystery- is lost and the excitement of anticipation denied!

11/01/2024

A Southern Perspective
F. Diane Pickett
Author of “The Tea Wasn’t Always Sweet”
THE DEATH OF DIGNITY

I went to the funeral, but only a handful of mourners showed up to grieve its passing. No one noticed that dignity was buried alongside honor, self-respect, and integrity. A few peered into the graveside searching for politeness and consideration of others, forgetting those were buried a decade ago. They were quickly pushed aside in the ever present scramble for cell phones and the fever of missed messages more than 60 seconds old. I was surprised no one fell onto the top of the casket as the surge
blossomed. The last few years of constant stress on the national scene were compounded by the pandemic, multiple disasters of fires, hurricanes, and racial tensions that affected vast changes in our day- to-day practices. These events didn’t give us heightened awareness of our fellow man, but rather seem to have made us
more insular as individuals. We are no longer a nation of “we can” but “I CAN” do or say anything I choose because there are no longer any boundaries. We have forgotten that politeness exists as the application of good manners so as not to offend others. Good manners help us build and maintain relationships and are the very fabric of a successful society. Our computers are a screen avoiding
personal interaction and non-verbal cues such as smiling. LOL and Emoji cannot convey the value of the spoken word. Try “please,” “thank you” and for God’s sake substitute WTF for “maybe I misunderstood”!

10/25/2024

Join Diane on December 7 for the Christmas Tour of Homes and get a copy of "The Tea Wasn't Always Sweet" signed. Scan the code for more details!

08/12/2024

Are you a bookstore or book club looking for a new book?

Message us for information about "The Tea Wasn't Always Sweet" by local author, Diane Pickett.

Book signings, book discussions and book orders can be scheduled by emailing [email protected]

07/31/2024

7/30 Today in Florida History from the Florida Historical Society!

1901 – DeFuniak Springs, in Walton County, was incorporated as a town on this date. The town was founded by the Pensacola and Atlantic (P&A) Railway and was named after Frederick R. DeFuniak, the vice-president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, P&A’s parent company. DeFuniak Springs was the site of a large Chautauqua facility which was popular in the early part of the twentieth century. DeFuniak Springs was also the site of the Florida State Normal School (1887-1905), an institution dedicated to teacher training. Today, DeFuniak Springs is home to over 5,000 permanent residents and is the county seat of Walton County.