Small town, big vision: DeFuniak Springs' evolution as a transportation hub.
Thirty miles due north of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, DeFuniak Springs is a small town with a big story to tell. It is a community shaped by transportation: the railroad, the Old Spanish Trail, I-10, and now a TESLA supercharger hub.
But we can't rush to the future without first looking to the past. In 1874, two men, Lewis Miller (who would later become Thomas Edison's father-in-law) and John Vincent, a Methodist minister, created a lecture series to educate Sunday school teachers in Chautauqua, New York. The series became so popular that others began to develop "Chautauquas" of their own.
In 1885, a group called The Florida Chautauqua began its lecture series in DeFuniak Springs and welcomed author Harriet Beecher Stowe, Vice President Thomas Marshall, and other notable writers and thinkers. Classrooms, lecture halls, and hotels began to populate the grounds around Lake DeFuniak as the popularity of the Florida Chautauqua movement grew. At its height, more than 4,000 visitors were arriving by train to DeFuniak Springs each day.
As the popularity of Chautauqua began to fade in the 1920s, the automobile replaced the once busy passenger rail. An impressive highway system to connect cities and towns from Florida to California's coast began construction. Named the Old Spanish Trail, this highway is identified on most maps nowadays as US Hwy 80 and US Hwy 90.
Instead of rail passengers, DeFuniak Springs now welcomed travelers who preferred to travel by car. Today, City Council Member Anthony Vallee said the city has plans to improve US Hwy 90, while paying homage to the Old Spanish Trail's history.
"DeFuniak Springs is a beautiful place," said Vallee. "One of the big problems we have is that I-10 cut us off, so people don't see the historic district and all the town has to offer. We have a lot of cyclists who stop in town while biking the Old Spanish Trail."
That's one reason he's glad TESLA chose to locate a Supercharger station at the edge of DeFuniak's historic district.
"I knew the charging station was a great addition to our downtown, but I didn't realize how busy the superchargers would be," said Vallee. "All five spots are taken, or cars are waiting, on the weekends. I constantly see people stretching their legs and following the sidewalk downtown."
Superchargers can give drivers an additional 200-mile range in about 15 minutes. TESLA has added a network of these charging stations along major highways, often choosing to locate them closer to local business hubs to help local economies. According to TESLA, drivers typically spend between 20-45 minutes charging their cars. That's plenty of time to grab a bite to eat or do a bit of shopping before hitting the road again.
"To be honest, seeing the TESLA Supercharger station here was one reason I decided to move my office from Blue Mountain Beach," said Vallee. The balcony of his architectural office, McWhorter Vallee Design, now has a bird's eye view of the TESLA superchargers from across the street.
"TESLA invests a lot of money in each of these stations," he said. "I saw the beauty of these historic buildings and the potential of our location, and knew the city was going to continue to grow."
Chelsea Blaich, executive director of the not-for-profit organization Main Street DeFuniak Springs, said three new businesses have opened in the historic district within the last few months, and three more are preparing to open their downtown doors soon. Main Street DeFuniak Springs helps drive interest in the downtown area, and one way the organization has done that is by hosting ongoing events.
"We have a Farmers Market every Saturday, rain or shine," said Blaich. "Main Street just concluded a successful Music on Main program, and we're about to host Bounce on Baldwin, a free end-of-school bash that features eight bounce houses."
Programs like these helped secure the organization an official accreditation honor as a 2021 Main Street America™ Accredited program.
"We've been able to make Main Street DeFuniak Springs more than just a place for commerce – it's a community," she said.
Vallee said another project he's working on would connect the community to the vibrant downtown, no car keys required.
"We are working to create a landscaped area and multimodal path that follows the railroad tracks and connects historic downtown to the elementary school, the Walton County golf course, the public pool, and the airport," said Vallee.
Vallee said that creating such connections will bring the community closer. Families could safely walk or bike downtown for events, get a haircut, grab a bite to eat, visit the pharmacy, or go to the library, without ever getting in a car.
"This is such an amazing place," said Vallee. "People walk their kids to school. The middle school and the library are both here in the heart of the historic district. I hope more people continue to discover DeFuniak Springs and see the value of living here."
Originally published in Beach Happy Magazine, Issue 5 (Summer 2021). Story by Susan Vallee. Photography by Mike Ragsdale.
