Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park
It is now March and we are back to The Real Florida. This was another eye opening trip. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings wrote several books; The Yearling (which became a movie) and Cross Creek, among many others. She bought the Cross Creek property in 1928. At the time it was a 72-acre orange grove with some cattle, a milk cow, a mule, ducks, geese and chickens. There was no indoor plumbing, no electricity and you had to use an outhouse. There was a hand water pump near the kitchen.
Even today it is still in a fairly remote location and I could only try to imagine how isolated and rural it must have been when she first bought the place.
A quote of hers on the sign in the parking lot.
Another quote of hers a few steps inside the gates of the property.
A lot of the orange grove is gone, taken back over by the natural woods. Within the small gated area around the house there are a few trees. This one still had fruit on its higher branches.
Here is the duck pen and behind it another tree with fruit still on it. When I got here it was not yet time for the orange trees to blossom.
Over the course of the several years that she owned the property Marjorie made some improvements. She bought a generator for electricity. The generator also supplied power for a well pump. Here is the old water pump house. Notice the "Brown Cooter" shell on the left of the tank, they are river turtles. Eventually she even added two indoor bathrooms.
Her house from the yard. Many guests stayed here, Robert Frost and Clark Gable were among them.
Chickens.
The garden. Back in the late 1920s you pretty much had to be self-sufficient living out her in the middle of no where.
Before the house tour, while we were hearing a talk about Marjorie, a parade of ducks came up to their pen. They all ate, drank some water and paraded back to where ever.
In her living room she converted a closet near the fireplace to "hold her firewater above and her firewood below". She also kept a few 5 gallon kegs of moonshine in her attic.
A shelf in her bedroom with old books.
When she first got electricity she had bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The bare bulbs were too bright so she fashioned shades out of ceramic kitchen bowls.
In her dining room she had two complete sets of Wedgewood China and anther set that was hand painted. She always sat at the head of the table that faced the outhouse so her guests wouldn't have to see it.
Her wood burning stove. Marjorie loved to cook and once said she got more pleasure of out making a great meal for friends than she did writing. Now let's think about this. Before she got electricity and was able to have a fan, how hot must it have gotten in the kitchen, in the middle of Florida, on a hot day - say 95 degrees with 98% humidity. I think I would have melted from the heat.
After the house tour I set out and walked both of the nature trails on the property.
Yours truly on one of the trails.
Even today it is still in a fairly remote location and I could only try to imagine how isolated and rural it must have been when she first bought the place.
A quote of hers on the sign in the parking lot.
Another quote of hers a few steps inside the gates of the property.
A lot of the orange grove is gone, taken back over by the natural woods. Within the small gated area around the house there are a few trees. This one still had fruit on its higher branches.
Here is the duck pen and behind it another tree with fruit still on it. When I got here it was not yet time for the orange trees to blossom.
Over the course of the several years that she owned the property Marjorie made some improvements. She bought a generator for electricity. The generator also supplied power for a well pump. Here is the old water pump house. Notice the "Brown Cooter" shell on the left of the tank, they are river turtles. Eventually she even added two indoor bathrooms.
Her house from the yard. Many guests stayed here, Robert Frost and Clark Gable were among them.
Chickens.
The garden. Back in the late 1920s you pretty much had to be self-sufficient living out her in the middle of no where.
Before the house tour, while we were hearing a talk about Marjorie, a parade of ducks came up to their pen. They all ate, drank some water and paraded back to where ever.
In her living room she converted a closet near the fireplace to "hold her firewater above and her firewood below". She also kept a few 5 gallon kegs of moonshine in her attic.
A shelf in her bedroom with old books.
When she first got electricity she had bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The bare bulbs were too bright so she fashioned shades out of ceramic kitchen bowls.
In her dining room she had two complete sets of Wedgewood China and anther set that was hand painted. She always sat at the head of the table that faced the outhouse so her guests wouldn't have to see it.
Her wood burning stove. Marjorie loved to cook and once said she got more pleasure of out making a great meal for friends than she did writing. Now let's think about this. Before she got electricity and was able to have a fan, how hot must it have gotten in the kitchen, in the middle of Florida, on a hot day - say 95 degrees with 98% humidity. I think I would have melted from the heat.
After the house tour I set out and walked both of the nature trails on the property.
Yours truly on one of the trails.
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