https://journals.flvc.org/flalib/article/view/142968
“This article argues that the DeFuniak Library (now the Walton-DeFuniak Public Library) is best understood in the context of the political, social, and technological changes that took place in the late 19th century, namely the developments of railroads and adult education programs in the postbellum South. This milieu helps explain how and why individuals from the Northeastern United States, especially New York, made their way first as tourists and then permanent residents to DeFuniak Springs.”