Floridiana Magazine

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Dudley Farm Historic State Park

Growing up in the 70s, I remember watching “Little House on the Prairie” and reading books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The amount of work it took to run their farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota seemed foreign to me.   I couldn’t imagine how families could survive.

Visiting the Dudley Farm Historic State Park in Newberry rekindled some of those childhood memories and curiosities. Stepping back in time to the mid- to late 1800s, had me asking those same questions all over again.  How could life be so simple, yet so difficult at the same time?

As I walked up to the farm and took a quick look around, I saw what I was expecting: a main farmhouse, a variety of other structures, pastures for the livestock and a garden.

The open gate invites visitors up the path to the two-story main farmhouse – the heart of the farm.  The old house, complete with its original furnishings, provides a glimpse into how the family lived.  The ground floor consists of four rooms – three bedrooms and a living room, all the same size, arranged around a central hallway. Looking inside the bedrooms, you can only imagine how 14 people slept in the house.  No one got their own room.  In fact, with several beds in each, four or maybe five children shared each room and at least one of the rooms served a dual purpose.  A quilting frame hangs from the ceiling and can be raised when not in use.

 

When not in their bedrooms or working, a living room with old wooden chairs arranged in front of the fireplace set the stage for family time.

Off the back of the house is a separate kitchen with dining room – built apart from the main house to prevent damage from fire or smoke from cooking on a wood stove.  It was a place for the family to gather for meals after a long day on the farm, a place to share their daily stories of farm life.

 

Other buildings on the farm include the outhouse, a dairy shed and canning house, a smoke house for preserving hog meat, and a general store, which was originally located outside the front gate. There is also a working cane syrup complex.   Of course, life on the farm wouldn’t be complete without livestock.  Cracker cattle and mules can be seen in the pasture; turkeys and chickens can be seen in their pens.

 

There are days when the farm is in full operation, when visitors get to see volunteers in period clothing demonstrating some of the chores and experiences of farm life.  It was a quiet Saturday when we visited, so we were able to take a self-guided tour.  And while it is nice to leisurely roam the farm on our own, I can only imagine it abuzz with activity.

If you want to check out this living history working farm for yourself, Dudley Farm is located about seven miles west of Interstate 75 on State Road 26 (Newberry Road), between Gainesville and Newberry. The park is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  There is a $5.00 fee per car to visit the park.

Historical Note: The Dudley family moved to the area from South Carolina before the Civil War.  The farm, as it is today, was developed in the 1880s.  It was donated to the Florida Park Service in 1983 by Myrtle Dudley – the last of three generations to live and work here.  Dudley Farm is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Manatee Viewing

Whenever I see manatees in their natural settings, their beauty and mystery never cease to amaze me.  I’ve seen them playing in the Gulf of Mexico just offshore of Englewood Beach and I’ve seen them in springs and canals. And each time is like the first.

Here are a few of my favorite manatee viewing areas:

Blue Spring State Park, Orange City:  Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge and during the colder months of the year, hundreds of these gentle giants can be seen in the spring.  There are numerous observation areas along the spring run, as well as a boardwalk that goes to the spring itself.   Please visit my earlier blog post on Blue Spring State Park to learn more.

Hanging out in the spring run at Blue Spring State Park

Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland:  Manatee Springs is one of the state’s largest springs and is also a National Natural Landmark.  Water from the spring run flows into the Suwannee River before it meets the Gulf of Mexico. Watch the manatees from the boardwalk or from the shoreline.

From the shore at Manatee Springs

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville:  A manatee observation deck overlooking the Haulover Canal provides the perfect spot to watch the marine mammals. Another area close by is across the bridge to the boat ramp.  I actually saw more playing there than at the observation deck itself.  Again, most of the manatees can be seen during the spring and fall when the weather is a little cooler.

Mom and calf at Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge (from the boat ramp)

Other places you might want to visit for manatee viewing:

  • Fanning Springs State Park, Fanning Springs
  • Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River
  • Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center, Apollo Beach
  • Lee County Manatee Park, Ft. Myers

A few pointers boaters at Manatee Springs

The best time for viewing aggregations of manatees is from November through April when they are finding their way into the warmer waters.  Water activities are suspended in the state parks during the winter season because of the manatees.

Enjoy the view!

Blue Spring State Park

Away from the crowded beaches and major theme parks that attract millions of visitors from around the globe, is the natural Florida. Places where nature is left intact and is preserved.  Places where you can witness the beauty of the “old” Florida.  The Springs.  And there are a lot of them.  In fact, geologists have estimated there to be more than 900 springs in the state, including Blue Spring State Park.

Blue Spring State Park in Orange City is home to the largest spring on the St. John’s River.  With more than 2,600 acres, the park offers something for just about any nature lover. Or manatee lover.

Blue Spring State Park

Manatee Season

Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge and is the winter home to hundreds of West Indies manatees. Manatee season here runs from mid-November through March and is one of the biggest draws to the park.  The water is a constant 72 degrees, so when the mercury drops, the manatees find their way into the spring run and the spring itself.  On a cold winter morning, with steam rising from the spring, manatees can be easily spotted.  Manatee watchers count them daily and record  their numbers. Since guests are  not allowed to get into the water, several lookouts are strategically located and allow you to stand above the spring to view these gentle giants.

On the day of our visit, with temperatures of 35 degrees and wind chills much colder, 270 manatees were counted.  The following day, that number jumped to 377.


Historical Site

The park is also an historical site. The Thursby House, a two-story frame structure, was built in 1873, at the height of the steamboat era, by Louis Thursby.  It was the hub of activity along the St. John’s River and hosted steamboat passengers as they traveled up and down the river.

Other Amenities

For water lovers, there is canoeing, kayaking, boating, fishing, swimming, snorkeling and certified scuba diving (with a partner).  Just be advised, no water activities are allowed in the spring or the spring run during manatee season.

For campers, there are six cabins, each with two bedrooms, and 51 campsites.  For those just wanting to get away for a day and enjoy a nice picnic in the park, there are plenty pavilions to help you do just that.

Make sure also you take the boardwalk (1/3 of a mile) through the hammock to the spring.

Orange City is located on Highway 17 between DeBary and DeLand.  The park is four miles off 17 on West French Avenue.  The gates open at 8:00 a.m., but will close temporarily when the parking lot is full.  Admission to the park is $6.00 per car.