Happy Birthday Walton County
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By DOTTY NIST
December 29 marked one year away from the 200th anniversary of the 1824 founding of Walton County.
Walton County native and historian Brenda Rees hosted a celebration of the anniversary at her home on Eastern Lake. This has been a yearly tradition since 2004, when Rees began the 20-year Walton County 200 Countdown Celebration.
As in past years, guests gathered overlooking Eastern Lake for a sunset toast and recital of the poem “Octavia” by Edgar Allan Poe.
The poem had been composed in 1847 in honor of Octavia Walton Le Vert, granddaughter of George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Le Vert was the daughter of George Walton, Jr., secretary of state for West Florida and the Territory of Florida as well as twice acting governor of Florida.
Madame Le Vert was a writer, world traveler, and important hostess to social gatherings of prominent literary and political figures during the mid-nineteenth century.
Walton County’s name came from the Walton family and likely honors “the signer”/founding father George Walton.
Over the years the annual countdown events on Eastern Lake have featured a variety of themes, a wealth of historical information, enjoyment of the company, and refreshments in keeping with Florida and Walton County history. This year’s gathering featured discussions on local history, a review of past celebrations and the food theme of chocolate, a nod to Florida’s Spanish heritage.
Countries that have held what is now Florida over the years have included England, Spain, and, of course, the United States.
Old maps, photographs, documents, and other written information were on display at the Dec. 29 event, including articles from the Herald/Breeze covering the celebration over the years.
Among this year’s attendees was Walton County native and resident Dr. Walt Anderson, who stopped in before heading back to National Football League (NFL) Headquarters in New York, where he is senior vice president of the NFL. Anderson’s wife Dr. Afshan Kaviani Anderson and daughter Ashley Anderson attended the gathering, as well.
Local writers and authors Wynn Parks, Linda Habib, and Karen Magee engaged in discussion on past and current topics relating to Walton County at the celebration. Other native and longtime Walton County citizens participating in the celebration were Charlie and Maribel Anderson, Gloria Anderson Hollingsworth, Matt Jones, Stephen Brinker, Lauren Rees, and Brian Rees.
Among historical nuggets brought up were that William Wesley of the renowned Wesley House in Point Washington had a 1903 land grant on Eastern Lake of 160 acres, his twin sons were named after Edgar Allan Poe, and a street in the vicinity of Eastern Lake was shown as Poe Street on old maps.
Walton County’s bicentennial will be observed countywide on Dec. 29, 2024.
Looking forward to Walton County’s bicentennial date, Brenda Rees has announced that, leading up to the big date and as part of its celebration, she will portray Madame Le Vert at the Florida Chautauqua Assembly in DeFuniak Springs on March 16, 2024.
December 29 marked one year away from the 200th anniversary of the 1824 founding of Walton County.
Walton County native and historian Brenda Rees hosted a celebration of the anniversary at her home on Eastern Lake. This has been a yearly tradition since 2004, when Rees began the 20-year Walton County 200 Countdown Celebration.
As in past years, guests gathered overlooking Eastern Lake for a sunset toast and recital of the poem “Octavia” by Edgar Allan Poe.
The poem had been composed in 1847 in honor of Octavia Walton Le Vert, granddaughter of George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Le Vert was the daughter of George Walton, Jr., secretary of state for West Florida and the Territory of Florida as well as twice acting governor of Florida.
Madame Le Vert was a writer, world traveler, and important hostess to social gatherings of prominent literary and political figures during the mid-nineteenth century.
Walton County’s name came from the Walton family and likely honors “the signer”/founding father George Walton.
Over the years the annual countdown events on Eastern Lake have featured a variety of themes, a wealth of historical information, enjoyment of the company, and refreshments in keeping with Florida and Walton County history. This year’s gathering featured discussions on local history, a review of past celebrations and the food theme of chocolate, a nod to Florida’s Spanish heritage.
Countries that have held what is now Florida over the years have included England, Spain, and, of course, the United States.
Old maps, photographs, documents, and other written information were on display at the Dec. 29 event, including articles from the Herald/Breeze covering the celebration over the years.
Among this year’s attendees was Walton County native and resident Dr. Walt Anderson, who stopped in before heading back to National Football League (NFL) Headquarters in New York, where he is senior vice president of the NFL. Anderson’s wife Dr. Afshan Kaviani Anderson and daughter Ashley Anderson attended the gathering, as well.
Local writers and authors Wynn Parks, Linda Habib, and Karen Magee engaged in discussion on past and current topics relating to Walton County at the celebration. Other native and longtime Walton County citizens participating in the celebration were Charlie and Maribel Anderson, Gloria Anderson Hollingsworth, Matt Jones, Stephen Brinker, Lauren Rees, and Brian Rees.
Among historical nuggets brought up were that William Wesley of the renowned Wesley House in Point Washington had a 1903 land grant on Eastern Lake of 160 acres, his twin sons were named after Edgar Allan Poe, and a street in the vicinity of Eastern Lake was shown as Poe Street on old maps.
Walton County’s bicentennial will be observed countywide on Dec. 29, 2024.
Looking forward to Walton County’s bicentennial date, Brenda Rees has announced that, leading up to the big date and as part of its celebration, she will portray Madame Le Vert at the Florida Chautauqua Assembly in DeFuniak Springs on March 16, 2024.
Reflections of Walton County - Episode 1 features Chris Mitchell, a former television news reporter, historian, and past director of the Florida Chautauqua Association, who gives us a walking tour of the final resting place of some of the most influential people in Walton County’s history. Walton County was created in 1824, making this year the 200th anniversary of its founding. Walton County’s present total land area is 1,028 square miles, but it was once much larger. Portions of Walton County’s original territory were given in 1846 to help form Washington County. In 1848, a northeastern portion was given to Holmes County and in 1915, a western portion of Walton and an eastern portion of Santa Rosa counties were untitled and released to form Okaloosa County. Thus, Walton County once encompassed much of what is now Washington, Holmes and Okaloosa Counties. Walton County has a rich history as large as its former borders. Throughout this year, there will be numerous projects and events celebrating our history and heritage. Among those projects is a new website, currently under construction, that focuses solely on Walton County history, through the written word, photographs and videos. We are also launching a weekly video series titled Reflections of Walton County, featuring interviews with Walton County residents who either helped create some of that history or had relatives and ancestors who did. The purpose of the video series is to inform, educate and entertain the residents of Walton County with a slice of historical life each week throughout 2024. We hope you will enjoy these weekly installments as we look back through the pages of time at this wonderful and unique place we call home.
As part of our continuing series of Bicentennial videos that celebrate Walton County history, we present Rev. Kenneth Harrison. Here, he talks about life in rural Walton County from the 1930s through the 1950s.