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Customary Use Photos: post here!

Teresa avatar
SoWal Guide
3,147 views1
Since we are working on submitting affidavits and sending in photos showing our customary use of South Walton beaches over the years.... If you come across some good ones, please share one or more here with year, place, etc.

Don't forget to submit your affidavit and also email or drop off photos. Here is our discussion with instructions: SUBMIT Customary Use Affidavits & Photos to Walton County. Info for Locals & Visitors...

160304-grayton-003-sowal-2000.jpg

Friday Mar 4 2016 Sunset on Grayton Beach. Kurt and Teresa. We witnessed a marriage proposal at the surf's edge!

Grayton Beach is a public beach. It's our primary beach over the years and I was a Lake Mom for the first several years of my son's life sitting by the shores of Western Lake.

I'm searching for older photos where we spent days with family and friends on Seagrove Beach, Santa Rosa Beach near Gulf Place, Blue Mountain Beach, Inlet Beach, WaterSound Beach, and many more beautiful, and some remote spots on our coast. Some of our most memorable moments have been exploring our Florida State Parks with miles of preserved dunes and beaches. A mix of public beach accesses, parks, and random beaches all along SoWal beaches are part of our experience - I do not recall ever being told that access to the beach was not allowed. Not even in some of our resort towns. Experiences also include sunrise, sunset, moon rise, wine, grilled hot dogs, birthday parties, crawfish boils, moonlight kayaking, walks, shelling after storms, hiking from the beach to the bar, driving out on Grayton Beach on Christmas Day, kids dancing on the sand on New Year's Day, and more sunsets.

Edited

Replies

14
Will B avatar
Moderator
#61
Beach 91

Sorry these are PDF's. When I scanned them all to send to the customary use address, I didn't want to send a ton of files so I saved them by year. These include a bunch in the Draper Lake area who were some of the first to scream, "Hey, you kids...get off of my lawn!"
Garrett Horn avatar
Beach Lover
#71
Eastern-Lake-Inlet-with-Grandmother-50_s.jpg

Me, with my BB gun, my Uncle Phil, and my grandmother, Aime Vreeland, Eastern Lake Inlet, circa 1960
Garrett Horn avatar
Beach Lover
#81
2008 (3).jpg

Eastern Lake Inlet, same place as picture above: my son, and my grandchildren, 2008.

Five generations of customary use.
Jerry Lewis avatar
Beach Fanatic
#9
Did you shoot your eye out kid?
Garrett Horn avatar
Beach Lover
#103
Deer Lake Outfall Early 50's.jpg Jeep in the Dunes (1962).jpg Paradise Too 70's.jpg
Teresa avatar
SoWal GuideAuthor
#11
Love the old ones! Thanks for sharing...
Garrett Horn avatar
Beach Lover
#123
Typical 4th of July 60's.jpg Eastern Lake Inlet 1975.jpg 2016 (1).jpg
Will B avatar
Moderator
#13
Photos are cool but just a side note...
The ones that are the most helpful are those that show people using areas that are now in dispute.
Love the history that I'm seeing for sure!
Teresa avatar
SoWal GuideAuthor
#14
Someone posted that they need more from 1950s - 1970s in Seacrest and Inlet Beach areas.

I have customary use in Grayton Beach since the 70s when we were kids, and then driving down the beaches in both directions for miles (with no driver's license cause we were kids). Does that count (but no photos)? Lol...

Edited

Will B avatar
Moderator
#151
We had a 1963 surplus army jeep for a long time exactly like this one except painted white. I would drive it at night from SRB (Gulfview Heights access) all the way to Grayton on the beach to hang out at the store (when it was a hangout!) We would drive it right through the outflows with water running though the open door holes. I miss that thing....and being able to drive down the beach. Shallowsnole probably remembers it!
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